I am 90 years old but still remember very clearly basic training at Ft. Benning, GA in 1957. And, yes, my life did pivot when by chance I met a college friend in Personnel who got me sent to Ft. Belvoir instead of Advanced Infantry in Germany. Pivots by chance, pivots by choice but also pivots by accident. Great read, thanks.
From another vet who pivoted through basic, through the police academy, through more training and a tour overseas, out of the service and into academia, and back to government service in a completely unrelated field.
The pivots are what makes it fun.
Thank you for the story and the memories it sparked.
Maybe I was pulled in because of the Pittsburgh connection, and then the love of and education by books, and then, like my uncle Bill who recently passed away, there was Japan and afterward, the University of Pittsburgh, and a successfully directed life beyond. I loved t his piece.
Great story, great writing Paul! I hope he... the author gets to see these comments. Love the life path you took, and how teaching and caring for others has shaped you! Well done!
In the early 70s the Navy’s recruitment slogan was “join the Navy, see the world”. I was a college freshman next to a large naval shipyard. All my neighbors in a huge old farmhouse converted to crap apartments were ‘squids’. They were so green, so unsophisticated, innocent. They all quoted that slogan as the impetus to leave their tiny farm towns. Vietnam was still raging too.
My own Dad took exactly that route himself, pivoting his butt from Arkansas to Pearl Harbor a week after the attack, then ending up in a shipyard up on the west coast, where he fell in love with the place and never left.
Pivot is a powerful word and idea. Thank you author for the practical concept.
Thank you for sharing, and thank goodness for the pivot that took you to teaching. My husband had a similar pivot. He was a business consultant, and after refusing some work that was outside his usual remit, he realised what a mistake it had been. He declared he would take up the next offer, no matter how unusual. The offer came to teach Classics for a term (he had a degree in Classics). He absolutely loved it, and never looked back.
I enjoyed reading this so much, and am grateful to have encountered it! I feel, too, like you and my 91 y.o. father share some life parallels and pivots. My working class dad, born in 1932 in Central Massachusetts, visited Japan while serving in the Army during the Korean conflict, and fell in love with the country and culture. Fellow bunk mates who’d already been to college lent him paperback novels by Hemingway, Faulkner, Waugh, and others, which opened up his world and inspired him to attend college in Boston after his discharge. Long story short: he’s lived in Japan continuously since 1977!
Here’s to life’s pivots, both involuntary and intentional. They shape our lives. Thank you again.
I am 90 years old but still remember very clearly basic training at Ft. Benning, GA in 1957. And, yes, my life did pivot when by chance I met a college friend in Personnel who got me sent to Ft. Belvoir instead of Advanced Infantry in Germany. Pivots by chance, pivots by choice but also pivots by accident. Great read, thanks.
A pivot from reduced self, to full humanity. Not bad, I’d say. Far better than a baseball double play.
Thank you!
From another vet who pivoted through basic, through the police academy, through more training and a tour overseas, out of the service and into academia, and back to government service in a completely unrelated field.
The pivots are what makes it fun.
Thank you for the story and the memories it sparked.
Maybe I was pulled in because of the Pittsburgh connection, and then the love of and education by books, and then, like my uncle Bill who recently passed away, there was Japan and afterward, the University of Pittsburgh, and a successfully directed life beyond. I loved t his piece.
Great story, great writing Paul! I hope he... the author gets to see these comments. Love the life path you took, and how teaching and caring for others has shaped you! Well done!
Remarkable piece -- so well written. A Veterans Day story for the ages.
In the early 70s the Navy’s recruitment slogan was “join the Navy, see the world”. I was a college freshman next to a large naval shipyard. All my neighbors in a huge old farmhouse converted to crap apartments were ‘squids’. They were so green, so unsophisticated, innocent. They all quoted that slogan as the impetus to leave their tiny farm towns. Vietnam was still raging too.
My own Dad took exactly that route himself, pivoting his butt from Arkansas to Pearl Harbor a week after the attack, then ending up in a shipyard up on the west coast, where he fell in love with the place and never left.
Pivot is a powerful word and idea. Thank you author for the practical concept.
Thank you for your service, Paul, and for sharing your inspiring story
What a great story, thank you for sharing.
Paul, this is such a fantastic piece of writing! Thank you 🙏
Lovely!
That was awesome. Thanks
Thank you for sharing, and thank goodness for the pivot that took you to teaching. My husband had a similar pivot. He was a business consultant, and after refusing some work that was outside his usual remit, he realised what a mistake it had been. He declared he would take up the next offer, no matter how unusual. The offer came to teach Classics for a term (he had a degree in Classics). He absolutely loved it, and never looked back.
I enjoyed reading this so much, and am grateful to have encountered it! I feel, too, like you and my 91 y.o. father share some life parallels and pivots. My working class dad, born in 1932 in Central Massachusetts, visited Japan while serving in the Army during the Korean conflict, and fell in love with the country and culture. Fellow bunk mates who’d already been to college lent him paperback novels by Hemingway, Faulkner, Waugh, and others, which opened up his world and inspired him to attend college in Boston after his discharge. Long story short: he’s lived in Japan continuously since 1977!
Here’s to life’s pivots, both involuntary and intentional. They shape our lives. Thank you again.
Great overview of a life well pivoted. Thanks.
What an enchanting read—thank you!