James M. Duff

James M. Duff was born in March 1935 and raised in the Bronx Borough of New York City. His uncle and brother were in the military, but he never had an interest in serving. Duff had graduated from college with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1957, and was working as a Chemical Engineer when he was drafted in 1959, during the Cold War. In his interview, he stated that if it was up to him, he never would have served. Duff served in the Army Signal Corps, a branch which creates and manages communication and information systems for command and control of Army units. He was sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey for Basic Training.

Following his arrival at Fort Dix, Duff shoveled snow for the first few weeks. He had to adjust to a new lifestyle, from the food he ate to the conditions he was living in. Every day, soldiers would have to be up early for roll call before going on to training. Duff explained how there was not much action going on for the military across the world – no shootings, bombings, or anything of that nature. After Basic Training, he was sent to Long Island City, where he worked in a Signal Corps unit at Second Corps Headquarters, Army Pictorial Center, from 9-3 daily as an Army photographer. After work, Duff and some buddies would get tickets to go watch shows and movies. They would also often play sports such as basketball, softball, football, and baseball.

During his service, Duff had a girlfriend and family back home, and communicated with them by letters. In his free time, he did a lot of reading and bonded with his fellow soldiers.

When Duff returned home after his discharge in 1961, he said he had a hard time trying to adjust to civilian life. He did not try to join any veteran organizations, but he did get an MBA degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and was employed by Lever Brothers in Manhattan. 

A couple of months after this interview was recorded, James M. Duff suffered a stroke and died on November 7, 2010 at the New Jersey Veteran’s Home in Paramus.