Alfred University has a connection to the military that's woven into the fabric of our institution’s history. Here you'll find just a few of the stories recently shared with us that make our University and our military history so special.
Have a story of your own to tell? We'd love to hear from you!
I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, United States Army, Finance Corps from the Alfred University ROTC program in the first week of May 1970 on the grassy field next to the ROTC building. This was the year of the Kent State University shootings and much unrest in the United States because of the Viet Nam war. At Alfred there were student demonstrations and a threat of burning the ROTC building which quite frankly would not have bothered most of us that had classes in the building.
After graduation and a summer working at home, I went on active duty in November 1970 and attended the Finance Corps basic and other courses at Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis. IN. At that time we were told we would have a one year stateside tour and would then be shipped to Viet Nam. My first duty assignment was at the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. This turned out to be a great first assignment as I became the project officer for converting the BAMC pay records to a centralized pay system out of the United States Army Finance and Accounting Center (USAFAC) located at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, IN. The conversion required delivering several boxes of “punched cards” in 500 card increments to establish the pay accounts in the central computer.
The required training and establishing the pay accounts was quite a task given the fluidity of Army medical corps students and patients from Viet Nam. During this assignment the Viet Nam war started to phase down and American Prisoners Of War (POWs) were released and many returned to BAMC. I and a Sergeant from USAFAC were able to interview each of the returning POWs to inform them of their pay entitlements and status upon their return. Needless to say that was a very interesting time!
In the summer of 1973 I was diverted from Korea orders and ended up in Washington, DC and eventually Ft. Meade MD., in a top secret assignment serving soldiers worldwide. By this time I was a Captain and the assignment was quite high level with a lot of responsibility. During this time I got married (Lyn Hauprich Denny AU ’73 School of Nursing) and obtained a master’s Degree in Public Administration and Budgeting from George Washington University.
In January 1977 we went back to Ft. Benjamin Harrison for the six month Captain’s Career Course and then an assignment to Goppingen Germany with the 1st Infantry Division Forward as the Budget Officer. This was another superb three year assignment with great exposure to Army tactical operations during a period of severe budget restrictions.
Next in May 1980 we (now wife and two sons) returned to USAFAC, Indianapolis, IN for an assignment as a project officer to place mini computers in Army finance offices worldwide for pay input to the centralized computer system. Again a high level job to test and establish all software, regulations, training, and security for this new system.
In 1983-84, now a Major, we spent a year in study at the Army’s Command and General Staff College and welcomed the birth of our third son.
We were quite amazed to return to Ft. Ben Harrison, this time to the Army Finance School. This assignment was very rewarding as I became the project officer for the activation of the Army Finance Corps regiment on May 6, 1987 and was the first Director of the Doctrine and Proponency Department. During this period we established finance units, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel Command positions, and the doctrine to be used in wartime.
As one of the few Finance Corps officers with a top secret clearance and now a Lieutenant Colonel, my next assignment was to the Pentagon with a newly formed organization resulting after the LTC Oliver North arms sales incident. This was another high level position as we worked for the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and conducted many high level meetings to solve challenges at all levels of the Army.
Fortunately, after two years in the Pentagon I was selected for command and we moved to Ft. Benning, GA where I became the installation Finance and Accounting Officer (F&AO) and the Commander of the 215th Finance Support Unit. This Command was part of what we established when I was at the Finance School. This was a two year assignment and one that I really relished. The F&AO with approximately 200 civilian employees plus my unit’s soldiers was identified as the best of the installations in the Training and Doctrine Command. Starting my second year in 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and my unit was activated for Desert Shield/Desert Storm. We were the first Finance Unit to completely deploy. It was indeed gratifying that what we had envisioned with units and doctrine at the Finance School became a reality and worked during this wartime period. Ultimately, I ended up with the “distinction” of being the longest serving Finance Corps officer in the theater of operations as I arrived in Saudi Arabia in September 1990 and did not come home until June 1991.
After return to Ft. Benning and change of command we relocated to Carlisle Barracks, PA for the “best year of our lives” as a student at the Army War College. It was truly amazing to see the caliber of officers in attendance knowing that many would make General officer and ultimately leaders of the Army. I did come out for early promotion to Colonel and after graduation we moved back to Northern Virginia. I spent almost 5 years as the Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer for the Army National Guard in the Pentagon. This was another great and stressful assignment as we helped make future decisions on the equipment and force structure of the Army National Guard. This was the culmination of my military career as I retired with over 26 years of service.
A long story and career that started within Alfred University and the ROTC Department. I did not envision a career within the Army but I was significantly challenged with rewarding assignments and came to love serving alongside many great soldiers. What I learned growing up at Alfred University was not just the classwork but how to get along with people and ultimately leadership skills. I am proud of my military service that grew out of being a cadet within the Alfred University ROTC Department.
Alfred University required attendance in ROTC during my years there. I absolutely hated the first two years and took the last two only on the insistence of my parents. I was commissioned a 2LT Armor on 8 February 1962. I entered duty on 16 February firmly committed to spending 2 years and then using my Ceramic Engineering degree.
My first 2 years were in the training center at Ft. Knox. I liked the Army and over the next 19 years I had two tours in Viet Nam, one as an advisor the second with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a tour in Korea with the United Nations Command, duty with the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment, two teaching assignments and 7 years in personnel management.
Along the way I attended the Armor Career Course, the Command and General Staff College and earned a MS in Library Science from Our Lady of the Lake University. I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1983. After the Army I join the United Services Life Insurance Company and became Vice President, Marketing responsible for insurance production in the United States, Europe and Asia. I now live in a retirement community in Raleigh, NC.
Attached please find a photo of me and my wife Denise (Chapnic) Ploetz AU ‘69 at an Ansbach, Germany Battalion Christmas dance in 1969. I was in the 32nd AADCOM, 4th Battalion, 57th Artillery and was the Battalion Adjutant. I received the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service. Returned to AU and got my Masters Degree in Ceramic Science using the GI Bill to help pay for my education.
Education: B.S. Ceramic Engineering, Alfred University - 1968 M.S. Ceramic Science, Alfred University - 1974 Military: Captain, U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery, Active duty 1968-1970, 4th Battalion, 57th Artillery, 32nd AADCOM, Ansbach, Germany. Received Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service.
Major Cougland (sp) was responsible for me going advanced ROTC. The $50/month allowance helped too. Being an Adjutant really helped my report and letter writing skills that I used to further my career in the field of glass science. My two nearly years stationed in Germany were some of the best time in my life.
I didn’t join the military because I wanted to kill people. I didn’t fight in those wars because I believed they were right. Some people do. But I, and many others, am not one of them.
I am just a person. A person who has seen things, done things, and been places you couldn’t imagine. I will never be the same person I was before I signed up. I am proud to have served my country, but I have also done things I am not proud of. Everyone holds so many expectations of me. They thank me for my service, when often I don’t feel I deserve gratitude. I have to be strong, a proud representative of this great country. I, like many others, were in debt or couldn’t find a job, so we took the job offered by the US Government. It sounded like a really good offer. They would give me a career, settle my debts, pay for my college – all for a few years of my life. I was only a teenager – I had plenty of those to give.
When I went to war, my unit was my family. We became friends, brothers and sisters; we all left our families halfway across the world and formed new ones in the wake. When I came back, I left the family that understood everything we went through together. I returned to my biological family who loved me but couldn’t possibly understand. I’d missed them so much, but I felt different – like in a way, I could no longer relate to them, or anyone. In fact, although I was home, I’d never felt so alone in my life. In some ways, I’ll only really be comfortable “over there.” At least my comrades were by my side, understood and helped me when times were hard, and relied on my strength as well. Sometimes, I wonder why I was lucky enough to come back and others weren’t. Nobody knew when the reaper was coming, but we had to be ready for him any day, without warning.
I have never killed anyone. I never even fired my weapon. Most of us never have or will. But that doesn’t mean what I’ve been through hasn’t changed me forever.
The next time you see me, or any other veteran, shake our hands and thank us. It means a lot to us. Talk to us, be our friends, and listen – we have been so tough for so long, you might find us cocky, or proud, or arrogant, or self-centered. Please, be patient and understanding with us – sometimes, we don’t really fit in with everyone else, and this is just how we’ve adapted. And just like you, we are only people. We want the same things you do. To be happy. To be successful. To raise a family. To love, and to be loved.
My name is Derek.
And I am proud to be a veteran.
Derek Miller is a 2014 graduate of Alfred University's clinical psychology program, an ARMY veteran who served in Kuwait and Iraq, and a friend of Alfred University.