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Fort
Slocum Reminiscences
By Douglas S.
Looney
Ft.
Slocum wasn’t so much a place as it was a state of mind.
And it was, for many, a euphoric state--a state not fully
appreciated until after the fact. Life’s often that way.
We don’t know what we have until we lose it.
Mary
and I were married in the spring of 1963. Two months later,
we both graduated from the University of Colorado. As a
result of being in the Army ROTC program, I also was
commissioned as a second lieutenant. And in October we stood
on Neptune Dock in New Rochelle and contemplated our new
80-acre home out yonder. To us, it looked like a movie set,
a dream surrounded by water.
View Fort Slocum - Neptune Island in a larger map
What
we found was a group of truly wonderful—and kind—folks.
Oh, and a few jerks.
I
knew nothing when I arrived. Everyone tried to help because
they knew I needed them badly. I was Special Services
Officer, in charge of making sure the movies were set up and
the bowling alley was operable. Those things I could do. In
quick time, I was put into DINFOS as an instructor on the
strength of my undergraduate journalism degree.
Ft.
Slocum was a life-changing experience for two 21-year-olds
from the West. Exceptional human beings immediately engulfed
us in friendship—Lt. Col. Herb and Martha Smallwood; Lt.
Col. Tom and Peggy Wheeler; the doctor, Raul Gaona; the
dentist, Marvin Cavallino (Marvin pulled my wisdom teeth, a
first for both of us); Major Gene Little, the chaplain; Lt.
Col. Lane Carlson, head of the Applied Journalism Department
where I taught; Col. John Christy became commandant and
always treated me with respect I hadn’t earned; Capt. Gary
Werner—later commandant—was the first person I ever met
who had served in a place called Vietnam; Major Harry and
Barbara Heath; Lieutenant Sidney Bland and his wife Ann; the
MPs; the ferryboat crews; the guy who brought coal to our
apartment Building 44, next to the water tower. Sensational
folks all.
And,
of course, our best friends on the island, Capt. Tom and
Dori Pollard. Tom was killed in the late ‘60s in Vietnam.
He was a smart guy and a brilliant Army officer. Those were
just two of the ways we were different. I still miss him.
Jack
Rubak was the highest-ranking civilian in DINFOS. Jack was
and is, absolutely the best. He taught me a life skill that
has served me extremely well. After watching me teach a
class, he said, “It isn’t necessary to respond to
everything that is said.” He was right. The whole world
could learn from that sweeping wisdom.
Mary
says if she could live two years of her life over, the Ft.
Slocum years would be her choice. Mine, too.
Douglas S.
Looney was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for the
bulk of his professional career. He co-authored a book on
Notre Dame football that reached No. 11 on The New York
Times bestseller list. Doug and Mary live in the mountains
west of Boulder, CO.
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