Paul Pugliese

Paul Pugliese was born in Brooklyn, New York in February 1946. He was working in the construction industry when he was drafted into the United States Army in January 1966. Pugliese narrowly escaped being drafted into the Marine Corps, which had begun drafting men at the end of 1965. His uncle had served in the Marines during the Korean War, but he had never asked his uncle about his service.

Following Basic Training, Pugliese applied to “Jump School” to become a paratrooper, but was denied entry because he is color blind. Instead, he was sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia for Signal Corps advanced training as a Radio Teletype Operator. Pugliese was then assigned to Panama, where his father had served during World War II. He recalled that Fort Gordon was “okay,” but he thought life in Panama was better.

Pugliese was assigned to a signal support unit in Panama. The unit’s mission was communications with army posts around the globe, including Vietnam, where the American presence was growing. He helped set up antennae to facilitate this mission. Pugliese and his fellow soldiers never had any problems with the locals; although, one did try to sneak onto the base one day. He recalled that, although there was civilian poverty in some areas around the base, most were normal.

Pugliese believed that his living conditions in Panama were not bad, even though his day started with a wakeup call around 4:30-5:00 AM. The only problem was that, in the Army, there was no privacy. He slept in a packed barracks room; and, on inspection days, officers would go through the living spaces, making sure things were situated according to regulations. Other than that, Pugliese stated that “he couldn’t say there were any real problems down there” in Panama; he had an overall enjoyable time in the army. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, the soldiers ate big holiday dinners. Pugliese said he was treated very well and was never shot at in Panama.

Pugliese’s usual work shift as a Radio Teletype Operator was from midnight to 8 AM. When he returned to his barracks in the morning, he would sleep, go to the pool, eat lunch, and dinner, and go to local bars. Pugliese was released from active duty in December of 1967, and said that his homecoming was good.

Pugliese started college in 1968. After his service, he never joined any veteran groups. Pugliese did stay in touch with one army friend, who he still visited at the time of his interview. He brought many pictures to the interview, some of the pool that he went to frequently, some of his father, some at the beach, and a few in uniform. Paul Pugliese ended the interview by playing his guitar. Among his service awards were the Good Conduct Medal and the Sharpshooter M-14 Badge.