Michael L. Vitale

Michael L. Vitale was born in 1936 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He attended Seton Hall University, in South Orange, New Jersey, and pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Business administration. At the time, Seton Hall’s all-male student population were obligated to take part in the school’s ROTC program for the first two years of college, with advanced ROTC being optional and selective in their junior and senior years.

Upon completing his second year, Vitale decided to remain in the ROTC program, at which point he was required to take physical and mental tests to determine his fitness for the program. Passing these tests, he continued his ROTC training into his final two years of college, for which he received $27 a month in compensation.

Between his junior and senior years, Vitale attended basic training at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He recalled this six-week period as being rigorous, due especially to the involvement of soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division in the training. While practicing at the rifle range during the final weeks of the program, Vitale became ill with a high fever and was taken to the base’s hospital to recover. Resting in the hospital, he met a Master Sergeant in the process of being discharged from the service. Asking the veteran for advice on being a young officer, Vitale was told never to embarrass a man in front of any other man, regardless of his rank. He characterized this advice as being some of the most important he ever received, and which he carried with him throughout his later commands and into his civilian life beyond.

Despite his hospitalization, Vitale was able to quickly recover from his illness, allowing him to complete his training and graduate along with the rest of the class of 1957. On his graduation from Seton Hall, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, with his wife, who had been his high school sweetheart, pinning his gold bars onto his uniform.

“Don’t you ever embarrass any man in front of anybody else: I don’t care what rank he is.”

When choosing his three preferred areas of service, Vitale had selected Signal Corps, Engineers and Armor. He was assigned to the Signal Corps and sent to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, from February to May 1959 for Signal School. Vitale then received Infantry training at Fort Dix.

In June 1959, Vitale was assigned as a platoon leader to the 261st Heavy Signal Construction Company based in Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas. He recalled feeling wholly unprepared for this assignment, having never been trained in nor studying construction during his time at the Signal School. The 261st was charged with two distinct missions when Vitale was assigned to the unit, each of which he learned on the job. The primary mission of the 261st was to install wires and cables, for the purpose of communications between Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, MacGregor Missile Range, and Alamogordo, Texas. Its secondary mission was to support the 18th Airborne Division in its role in a Strategic Army Corps, designated for rapid deployment to potential areas of conflict around the globe.

In his company’s first training mission, Vitale initially felt unqualified. In the field for the first time, he ordered the accompanying Master Sergeant to disperse the men of the platoon in his usual fashion, and then explain to him the reasons behind their assignments. By relying on the experience of the company’s sergeants, as well as the guidance of the company commander Lieutenant, Vitale was able to learn the duties of the construction company. He recalled the duties as being intensive, including climbing up to thirty feet high on telephone poles, and repairing and installing communications conduit lines, the interior of which could reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the hot desert sun, and would often become inhabited by rattlesnakes!

The company’s second mission, while not requiring daily attention, was no less rigorous. Following his promotion to First Lieutenant, Vitale was assigned to command the 261st, and was entrusted with the development of a standard operating procedure, in order to prepare the company for rapid deployment, along with the 18th Airborne Division, to conflict areas throughout the world with only a few days’ notice. He recalled that the development of this plan took several months, with frequent practice drills to test the plan, its execution and its development. Every two months, the company would drill to practice the procedure, which necessitated turning in their base gear, securing company gear for transport via train, and ensure every man boarded the train, which in a real emergency, would be sent across the country. During these exercises, the company’s performance was reviewed by inspectors, who then provided feedback to Vitale. He recalled that the state of readiness was maintained constantly. Vitale told the interviewer: “Honestly, it was the best kind of training I could get, because it was a company that had a mission.”

On New Year’s Eve, 1960, Vitale was celebrating with his wife when he was ordered by phone to bring his company to alert status. He immediately began gathering the members of the company still on base, including men returning from festivities, regardless of their level of intoxication. Three days later, the company was ready for transport, yet had not received any definitive orders other than that their destination was Laos. After a further three days of awaiting orders, the alert was lifted.

The exact nature of the unusual exercise orders remained unknown for some time, but Vitale later learned that the initial alert order had been a mistake. The actual order had been to prepare for a possible alert, but had been mistakenly related as requiring a full alert. The incident caused Vitale to have a strong distrust of orders relayed by phone. His distrust was vindicated when he received another alert by phone. This time, Vitale went to post headquarters personally to verify that he had received the correct orders.

During the spring of 1961, Vitale, who held an Army Reserve commission, received a letter from the Chief Signal Officer in Washington D.C, requesting that he apply for a Regular Army commission. Vitale was inclined to do so, and discussed with his wife about taking the step. She agreed, and he applied for and received a Regular Army commission. While this commission did not increase Vitale’s pay, it did help secure the military career that he now wished to pursue.

The constant state of preparedness which was part of Vitale’s mission was, he recalled, due to the rising sense of tension surrounding potential conflict between the US and the Soviet Union. He was familiar with the general idea of the Domino Theory, and the policy of Containment as they applied to Southeast Asia: The theory posited that if one country fell to Communism, all the surrounding nations would soon follow; thus, it was necessary for the US to contain the influence of Communism wherever it appeared.

In June of 1961, Vitale was reassigned to the 24th Infantry Division and stationed in Augsburg, Germany. He was reassigned as part of the NATO troop buildup along the border of East Germany, in response to the building of the Berlin Wall, and the increasing Cold War tensions surrounding that event. Leaving his wife and two children in the US, Vitale flew across the Atlantic to Frankfurt, where he took a train the rest of the way to Augsburg while surrounded by Germans who, though friendly, were not speaking his language. He felt alone and isolated for most of the ride. In an attempt to alleviate these feelings of loneliness, Vitale searched the train for some fellow American service member to share dinner with. His search resulted in discovering a female Women’s Army Corps captain who was likewise riding alone. Despite initial feelings of trepidation towards approaching the captain, due to their disparity in rank, he bought her dinner, and they spent the rest of the ride in conversation with one another.

Upon arrival at Augsburg, West Germany, Lieutenant Vitale met Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Martin, the commanding officer of his assigned unit, the 24th Signal Battalion, who told him to accompany the 24th’s B-Company on maneuvers in order to familiarize himself with field operations, on both the company and platoon levels. During two weeks of maneuvers, Vitale gained knowledge of the mission, men, materials, and equipment of the company. He was then assigned to command the Battalion’s Signal Platoon, attached to the 1st Battlegroup of the 19th Infantry, which was charged with maintaining communications between the Battlegroup’s Headquarters and Division HQ in Augsburg.

Working in this capacity, Vitale became comfortable with the overall operations in Augsburg. During this time, a fellow officer informed him that, if he could bring his family to Germany at his own expense, they would be allowed to stay in the country with him. Vitale’s wife and two children arrived in Germany by Thanksgiving of 1961.

In December 1961, in response to the Soviet Union’s closure of the border between East and West Berlin, battlegroups (task forces) were chosen from each of the divisions present in Germany to rotate in and out of West Berlin. The 19th Infantry, which Vitale’s platoon was attached to, was selected as one of these units and began a road march from Augsburg to West Berlin. Vitale and his platoon were given orders by Lt. Col. Martin to remain within the border of West Germany at the town of Helmstadt, the final stop of the 19th Infantry before East Germany. From Helmstadt, Vitale maintained communications with Division headquarters until the 19th had entirely reached West Berlin, at which time command of the regiment was transferred officially from the 24th Division to Berlin Command.

At Helmstadt, Vitale watched the last jeep cross over into East Germany, on the only road American troops could use to reach West Berlin. He said to one officer: “If we hear any shooting, we’ll come in after you.” Vitale was surprised when the officer responded by telling him to stay put if he heard shooting, and that the 19th would be coming back out. The tension of crossing into hostile territory, even on the march to West Berlin, was intense. Following the arrival of the 19th in West Berlin, Vitale returned with his platoon to Augsburg.

In January of 1962, after only a few months in command of his platoon, Vitale was reassigned to the command of B-Company, then in May to the command of the even larger A-Company. This position placed him in command of 250 men and 90 vehicles, an incredible level of responsibility for Vitale, especially given his rank as First Lieutenant.

There were many captains within the Battalion who could have been assigned the command of A-Company before Vitale. However, most had already been assigned to staff positions, and so Lt. Col. Martin gave the job to Vitale despite his lower rank. Vitale recalled that, despite being placed in a command position more befitting of a captain, he could not be promoted, due to not meeting the time in service and experience criteria required for promotion.

In addition to the duties Vitale was now entrusted with, this position further saw him interact often with officers of a superior rank, usually colonels or higher. As at Ft. Bliss, the responsibility associated with this assignment was initially overwhelming for Vitale; a condition only exacerbated by the disparity between his rank and his duties. However, the vital nature of the mission and the opportunity to gain experience in the field once more allowed him to quickly grow confident in his command ability.

A-Company was responsible for installing, maintaining, and operating the communications equipment in division headquarters at Augsburg, facilitating constant contact between each of the battlegroups in the field and headquarters. Near the border with East Germany, Vitale was aware of his place at the epicenter of rising Cold War tensions, an awareness reflected in the state of constant preparedness his company maintained.

In addition to their usual duties, the men of A Company frequently engaged in weapons training, map reading, and drilling. These exercises were further supplemented by regular field maneuvers occurring every two to three months. As the Cold War continued to heat up, Vitale’s awareness of rising tensions crystalized into anxiety and even fear, which he recalled was shared by many of his men. In response to the growing tension, the 24th Infantry Division was alerted on a monthly basis, with all its components being sent into the field to assume combat positions, as an exercise in preparation for relations between the US and Soviet Union to collapse entirely. 

The onset of the Cuban Missile Crisis brought these tensions to a fevered pitch, intensifying the nervousness which pervaded the Division. During the Crisis, while its final outcome remained painfully uncertain to Vitale, all divisions stationed in West Germany were placed on high alert. On this occasion when Vitale assumed his position in the field, a platoon of infantry began to entrench themselves in defensive positions surrounding A-Company, an unusual measure which served to communicate the grave nature of the situation. He recalled: “It was a time of everybody being very, very nervous, especially about a major war, and a catastrophe that could just destroy the planet.”

Vitale remained in command of A-Company after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. During this time, he adapted to a number of disruptions to the command and structure of the 24th Infantry Division. In 1963, the Army was reorganized, with the divisions being changed from a pentomic to a triangular structure composed of 3 brigades rather than 5 battlegroups. This shift in structure was accompanied by the mechanization of the 24th Infantry Division. Each of these transitions greatly impacted Vitale’s role in facilitated communications. Both the more maneuverable Triangular structure and the more mobile role of mechanized infantry resulted in troops and formations moving faster than they had previously, necessitating a proportional increase in the speed and efficiency of coordinating communications. The restructuring and conversion of the division was overseen by General B.F. Taylor, who made a first impression of extreme curtness to Vitale, but proved to be an effective commander. Through this transition, Vitale remained in command of A-Company, eventually being promoted to Captain.

After Vitale had commanded A-Company for two years, Lt. Col. Martin shuffled the officers of the 24th Signal Battalion. Despite his protestation, Vitale was the only officer not to be reassigned from the Battalion, with Martin explaining that he required Vitale’s experience and trusted him to be relied upon. Shortly thereafter, Lt. Col. Martin departed the 24th Signal Battalion. While Vitale had enjoyed being in the army, his long command of A-Company, the departure of Lt. Col. Martin, and the birth of his fourth child contributed to his decision to resign his Regular Army commission, leave the Army, and return to the US with his family in June 1964; a decision Vitale characterized as gut-wrenching.

Upon his return to the States, Vitale lived temporarily in his father’s home in Manasquan, New Jersey, while searching for work to better support his family. While in Manasquan, he was invited to the promotion party for now Col. Martin, who attributed his success as an officer partly to the support of Vitale. After a short time working for his father, Vitale began his career as a junior executive at Bamberger’s Department Store in Newark, New Jersey. Despite having left the Army, he did not wish to leave behind the military life entirely, and thus joined the New Jersey Army National Guard, being assigned to the 250th Maintenance Battalion as the Division Signal Maintenance Officer in command of C-Company in Plainfield, New Jersey.

Vitale’s position at Bamberger’s department store allowed him to witness the Newark Riots of 1967 from the perspective of both a National Guardsman and a civilian. At the time of the Riots, he recalled performing bayonet drills with his men in preparation for potentially having to defend themselves during riot control operations. While hoping that such training would not become necessary, Vitale defended the training when confronted at the time by a passerby, believing that it was necessary for the men to be able to defend themselves if it should come to that. His company was not called upon to directly join the efforts to suppress riots.

In his capacity as a civilian, Vitale commuted into Newark by bus while the riots were occurring. He recalled seeing Armored Personnel Carriers moving towards the heavy rioting on Springfield Avenue. Vitale observed the Bamberger’s store being boarded up, barricaded, and protected by heavily armed security. Watching from the rooftop alongside a security officer and the company president, he recalled seeing plumes of smoke rising from burning buildings, as well as hearing gunshots and being concerned that they may be fired upon if silhouetted against the skyline. Vitale believed that it would take a long time for the city to recover from the damage dealt by the riots.

Vitale was promoted to a Vice President’s position at Bamberger’s in 1971, and was placed in charge of the company’s New Jersey bulk distribution centers. The increasing demands of fulfilling his obligations to Bamberger’s brought his business career into conflict with his service to the National Guard. In order to support his family of seven, Vitale made the decision to leave the National Guard and to continue to pursue his civilian career at Bamberger’s where he continued to work as an executive until his retirement in 1998 at the age of 62.

Captain Michael L. Vitale received the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Germany.