Who is Eric?
In the beginning...
It all began in 1943 Brooklyn (we all know where that is!) where I lived with my parents, Jack & Lee, until we moved to Valley Stream in July 1950. Coming to the 'burbs' from Brooklyn was a major transition. From brick and concrete to streams, trees and ballfields to play on. There was even some wooded land behind my home where we could play 'Cowboys & Indians' or imagine that we were soldiers in the forests of Europe. WW-II was raging, and we had the American Spirit!
Sometime around 1954 all of those areas were bought up by developers, and houses sprang up like weeds. After all, it was not after the end of the Korean War, and everyone was leaving the city to get their own house and live the American dream. It was a mixed area as far as age of residents, and was somewhat religiously diverse, but most of our neighbors were well up in age. Even my parents, still in their forties, were relatively young by comparison, but gradually the neighborhood became younger. I enjoyed my childhood there, and had many friends.
Mom holding me as an infant. Dad was in Ft. Belvoir being trained as a combat engineer with the US Army. At the end of his training he was discharged and sent homeas he had fallen arches.
After having attended PS138 in Brooklyn for Kindergarten and first grade, I transferred into Brooklyn Avenue School in Valley Stream, one of the oldest schools in the village, a magnificent old building with 12-foot high ceilings and worn oak floors. We sat in the old-fashioned one-piece desks with lift-up lids and inkwells. After all, we had to practice our penmanship with ink bottles in the well and a nib pen. If we were lucky, we had a regular fountain pen that we brought from home.
The funniest thing, looking back all these years, was the fact that I could not seem to arrive at school on time each day, notwithstanding the fact that I lived only one short block from school. It wasn't that I left home late - I just took my time getting there! Along came June 1955, and suddenly my days at Brooklyn Avenue School were finished. It was time to move on to Valley Stream South Junior-Senior HS.
We knew that two new schools were still being built, both of which would house grades seven through 12, an entirely new concept. They were Valley Stream South Jr-Sr HS and North (the other school). Construction was almost completed, so those of us assigned to South would have to attend most of our first term at Valley Stream Central HS on late session. Fortunately, that ended quickly and immediately after New Year's Day 1956, we entered our brand spanking new school. This was a turning point for all of us-how exciting to now be in junior high! No more days in a single classroom with one teacher, but eight periods each day in at least seven different rooms with seven different teachers. How would I ever remember all of their names! Somehow, we did. You'll see some pictures from those days on my album page as I am able to locate them.
Somehow all of us were placed in a college-bound category by our guidance counselors and all programs would give to prepare us for an Ivy League future. I found myself quite unhappy with their plans for my future, and somehow felt that this was not the path I wanted to follow. My interests had always revolved around practical odds, and my one desire was to be able to work in the shops. This did not happen until I threatened to drop out of school during 10th grade having amassed a large number of marginal grades. At that point, my counselor finally relented, and I was permitted to move partially into the Industrial Arts program. This was a welcome change and, although I never achieved honor roll status, my grades improved significantly, as did my level of interest. Had that not happened, I had decided I would transfer it to Sewanhaka HS, the local vocational and trade school. I sometimes wonder how my life would have been different. I guess I'll never know!
Those were truly historic times, and I really live through an era of emerging technology. I remember the first televisions around 1945- big boxes with little screens, some of which had a big magnifying lens over the kinescope to increase the picture size. Only those with a substantial income could afford one! After 2-3 years, prices came down, screen sizes went up, and the black-&-white TV could be had for $300-$400, with as much as a 13-inch screen! Amazing! Of course the TV was in Mom and Dad’s bedroom, so we knew who would control the viewing.
Airplanes were all propeller-driven, and the one that everyone recognized was the Lockheed Super 8 Constellation, also flown by Eastern Airlines- we knew it by its wide tail-stabilizer with three rudders. They even built a brand-new airport in Queens, and called it “Idlewild Airport,” a name it retained for many years. After all, LaGuardia Airport could not handle the traffic of the age of air travel. It was constructed bordering Jamaica Bay between Cross Bay and Springfield Boulevards, and achieved major status when it was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport. It is still one of the world's busiest airports despite its proximity to la Guardia Airport which handles primarily domestic flights, Newark International Airport and Islip- MacArthur Airport.
Cars also went through some major changes during my lifetime. The boxy cars of the 1930s gave way to “streamlined” cars of the 40s. During the 50s, cars suddenly acquired a rocket-like shape- the future was here! And so was the rush to the suburbs. Suddenly everyone seemed to move to Long Island to get a single-family home on a parcel of land and live the life of Ozzie and Harriet (remember them?). Life was good in this black-and-white world.
In June 1961, the world I knew changed drastically! It was graduation time, and time for all of us to move on to college. Contrary to the wishes of my guidance counselors, I chose to attend college locally, and enrolled in what was then New York City Community College. My chosen field of study was Graphic Arts and Advertising Technology, and after a summer of fun and relaxation, I set off to attend college. Well, that turned out to be a bust- I learned plenty, but just wasn't ready for the responsibilities and effort that college required. I left school at the end of the first term and entered the world of work.
There isn't much decent work available for a non-college-graduate and my first job was in a stationery store. It paid minimum wage, and there was no future. After one month I left and found a position in a company that sold and installed X-ray equipment and had a machine shop in which we manufactured collimators- devices that limited the X-ray exposure to a predetermined area. This of course was a little more in line with my interests, but the wages were still minimal. I must admit, however, that I learned much and gained some valuable experience. That job lasted about 1-1/2 years until I decided that I would never be successful and independent without a substantial education.
The next stop was New York Institute of Technology where I studied Electrical Technology for two years. Now I could say that I was being prepared for some real employment with a future. While at NYIT, I worked part time to support my lifestyle- car, social life, etc. At that point in my life there were many ways to generate income, and I always had at least two jobs. Two nights each week I parked cars for a valet service, and the tips were very good, plus I was able to get behind the wheel of many different types of cars, even some Jaguars, Corvettes and Rolls-Royces. Several other evenings and days I worked as a mechanic in three different bowling alleys, a fascinating job for someone with mechanical aptitude and a desire to master the “machine.”
Post-High School & Military
Troubled times were at hand in 1964. The world was in a very troubled state between the communist threat, nuclear proliferation and developing tensions in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The conflict in that region continued to escalate, first under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, then John F. Kennedy, and finally under his successor, president Lyndon B. Johnson. The war finally ended in 1975 when a beleaguered President Richard M. Nixon finally brought our troops home. Regardless of where you stand politically, these were times of division here at home in the USA, and the cause of many wounds that still do not heal.
Four students were killed at Kent State University in Ohio during one of those protests- the National Guard unit that was sent there was not properly trained.
I am known by many as a flag-waver, and I readily admit that I have always felt that I live in the greatest country in the world! Although I believe 100% that one owes his allegiance and his service to his country, this was one situation where countless young American lives (more than 50,000) were lost for no good reason. Having said that, I also believe that those young men who served in the military during this time, and were fortunate enough to return home, deserve our praise, our understanding and our total support.
While in college, I saw draft deferments being cancelled, so I made the decision to enlist in the Army National Guard. If I had to serve, I was going to serve my way and minimize the chances of my being sent to fight a war that, frankly, I did not believe in. I also knew that the Guard would not be called to active duty unless Congress declared a state of war, and that did not seem to be likely. At the end of my second year of college I decided to drop school temporarily and seek work in the aerospace electronics industry while I awaited my call up for active duty (basic infantry training).
I was sworn in on Wednesday evening, June 1, 1965 at Jamaica Armory, home of the 104th Field Artillery of the famed 42nd (Rainbow) Division, and was assigned to the Radar section. The irony in this is that my view of the draft situation was correct, and I received my draft notice in the mail five days later! My entry into Army Basic Training was supposed to occur within four months of my enlistment, but those who remember that time period also remember that on July 1, 1965 the draft was suddenly raised to 48,000 by President Johnson, and my entry into basic training was delayed for 1½ years until January 7, 1967. That did, however, have some significant benefits for me as I was fully aware of military regulations by the time I entered Basic Training, and also fully understood exactly how far I could push back on the military.
Basic training was everything I'd heard it would be, but I was prepared for whatever the Army could throw at me in the way of pressure, mental challenges, etc., and decided to become the “company clown” to survive this experience. Fort Gordon, in Augusta, GA, was not the ideal place for a Jewish kid from Brooklyn, but I made the most of it. Sure, I received all of the training necessary to become a soldier, but I also survived the “brainwashing” process that is basic training. I must say that I enjoyed most of the experience, but because of my attitude, was forced to do more push-ups than anyone else in my company of 258 men. Not a problem for me once I began to build my physical strength, and I must admit that I have never since been in such terrific physical condition!
I thrived in Basic, and my attitude was solid as I had learned the ropes and limits during my time waiting to be called for training.
Yes, I was a good soldier, and I was still very much aware that things could turn sour very quickly depending on the world situation and the course of the Vietnam War.
Upon completion of basic training, I was shipped out to Fort Sill in Lawton, OK for advanced training as a Counter-Artillery Radar Operator where I finished school second in my class. It was a real shot in the arm when my training officer offered me instructor status at the school, and I must say that he was surprised that I declined his offer. To me it seemed imminent that after transferring to Regular Army status, when all of my time was plotted out, there was no guarantee that I wouldn't be shipped to ‘Nam’, and in my job I would be a primary target for the enemy.
During my off hours, I joined the Red Leg Flying Club at Post Field with my buddy, Roger Moore (no, it wan't James Bond!) and proceeded to learn how to fly Cessna 150 and 182 planes. Unfortunately I could not afford to continue my flying lessons when I got home, so I never got my pilot's license.
On July 1, 1967 I was released from active duty and returned to my unit in Jamaica, NY where I spent the balance of my military time between evening and weekend drills and two week active duty tours each summer at Camp Drum near Watertown, NY. In 1969 we were activated during the postal strike, and as a result I was discharged from the Guard 11 months early on July 1, 1970 having achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant E-5. They offered a promotion to Sergeant 1st Class E-6 if I would “re up” to no avail- it was time to return to full civilian status.
