Can you tell me about your early life and what led you to join the military?
Well I started in the Navy from 1988 to 1992. I kind of followed in my Grandfather’s footsteps; he was in the Navy in World War Two. I knew when I was a freshman in high school that I wanted to go into the service, and I made that decision then. As time went by, I just waited to be old enough. I entered into the delayed entry program and started going to the meetings and all that, and after I graduated High School I went to basic training at Great Lakes; I was stationed in Virginia Beach, and I was a jet mechanic. I went to Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and we were actually the first ones over there for our group; I was on the Eisenhower Aircraft Carrier. So it was pretty hectic back then.
I was a jet engine mechanic for F-14s; I worked on the propulsion system and anything that had to do with the engine. A jet mechanic could get up into the cockpit and we could run the jet, we were allowed to do that. We had this thing we called high power where anytime we would make a change in the engine or an IDG generator, we would have to take the bird to high power place. If we did it on the ship it was kind of the same thing, but if it was back home in Virginia Beach, there was an area down on the end of the flight line, and we would take it down there and the front of the bird would be put down in kneel position, which means the nose of the aircraft is pointed more towards the ground. And then we would take out this huge chain, which the link is probably as big around as your fist, and we would tie it down to the ground and we would put the afterburners all the way up. It’s really cool at night too, because you see that huge flame coming out.
What inspired you to switch over to the Army?
I got out in 1992 and came back home. I stayed in the reserves, but I was essentially out, and back home in Indiana. Back then, there was nothing. I mean I had some good jobs, but it was the kind of job that would say “Scott, we really like you here, and it’s a great place to work!” And then thirty to forty-five days later I would get laid off and I finally I got tired of it.
In late 1994, I decided that I was going back into the military. I was used to that lifestyle and some of the people that I worked with in the civilian sector would ask me “How come you’re working so hard?” And I was just used to it. I would say “When I’m done with all my stuff- you are all going to still be working and humping all night long.” I always had that philosophy from the military of- bust your butt from Monday to Wednesday, and then Thursday was more of an easy day and then Friday was your coast day.
In May of 1995, I went to basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Technically, I probably shouldn’t have even had to go to basic, but I didn’t really care. Honestly, I went up to Indianapolis and I’m prior service, which means recruiters don’t usually give you a whole lot. So I go to the contract people, and asked about what I was going to be offered. And they told me “We have this great MOS, it’s called 13-bravo. It’s kind of like infantry- you’re an artillery man.” So they showed me this film, and it’s so funny because they have these guys driving around on Paladins, which are kind of like tanks, and they’re all clean, and they have pressed uniforms on and they’re supposed to be out in the field. And I’m not stupid. So the recruiter comes in and he’s like “Well what do you think, is this the greatest or what? And I just said “I don’t care, just give me the papers so I can sign and get out of here.”
So my first six years in the Army I was an artillery man. I ended up being a gun chief after a little while and I was in charge of a gun section. I had some injuries from that job as well; earlier on, before I was a gun chief, I was an advanced party guy, which is the guy that goes out and finds a place for the gun to be placed and stuff like that. There are six guns, so each gun’s advanced party man will go out with the gunnery sergeant, and you find a new firing position. They usually put you in like a “lazy W” or Z formation. So we were in a ten round firing mission with a 105mm Howitzer and I got told to put a flashlight behind the collimater because the gunner couldn’t see the numbers. And the collimater is an aiming reference. When the gunner looks through his sight on the gun, that sight has a mirror and it points to the collimater, which is usually off to the left of the gun about ten yards. And it has numbers inside of it, which gets used to set your deflection and quadrant on the gun. Well a lot of times that coulometer would get fogged up and you couldn’t see. So I ran out to put the flashlight, and I took off running to go back under the camouflage net, and the gunner wasn’t paying attention, but he fired the canon when I was even with the muzzle break. And that blast hit me on the left side of the head and knocked me for a loop. And my chief actually caught me, because it hit me so hard, my body was standing still, and I was doing like a circle wobbling. And he said he saw the whites of my eyes and started to fall forward and he caught me and put me up on the truck.
They were trying to talk to me, and I was screaming back “What?!” I couldn’t hear a thing. So they start writing down asking me questions. It was pretty intense. And the rest of the time out there, it was obvious that I got my bell rung. That was Hawaii, and then once I left Hawaii I was stationed in Fort Campbell, and I stayed in artillery for another few years and then I re-classed back into being a mechanic. It was time for me to re-enlist, and I wanted to see what they had to offer because I was actually, at that point in my career, I was getting tired of it and was up in the air about whether I wanted to stay or go. I didn’t really want to get out, but I didn’t want to be a canon-cocker my whole life; it isn’t like you can go out here on main street, set up a canon and start firing. I wanted to do something that I could use. So I went to school to be a mechanic and they sent me to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. I went there, came back, and then I went to Fort Stewart, Georgia for about six years. I did a lot of deployments; I went to combat several times. All in all, it was twenty-three years in.
What exactly is a gun chief?
You have a gun-chief, a gunner, an RTO- which is your radio operator, you have a number one man- your loader who puts the shell up into the breach, and you have an ammo guy- who brings the ammo to the number one man.
You have to get certified by the gunnery sergeant and the chief of smoke, which is an E-7 in charge of the firing batteries. You have to go out to the field and they run you through all these tests on the gun. You have to do a live fire, direct fire exercise. And they actually hand you a card, and you’re at the direct firing range, and they tell you what you are going to do.
“Okay, now you’re testing for direct fire, enemy approaching.”
And then they hand you this three by five card which has the scenario written out on it. And they only give you five seconds to read that thing. So you read it real fast, and as soon as you read it, they say “Go.” So you have to go off, and move fast to give the orders. Then they give you a pass or fail, so that’s what it entails.
You mentioned you were hurt on the 105mm Howitzer. Was that your primary gun, or did you have to train on all different weapon systems?
That was the main gun. When we were in basic training we got to fire the Paladin, and I’ve actually been on other guns during my career, but mainly on the 105. I’ve shot 155mm as well, because sometimes they would let us go to the field with another firing battery if they needed help.
Involvement with Operation Combat Bikesaver
A few months back I saw Operation Combat Bikesaver online on Facebook, and I watched his interview with Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs and I thought it was really cool. So I went to their site and I was reading about how I could be a part of the program. So I showed my Wife, Katie, and told her “This guy’s a veteran and he opened a bike shop for guys like me, that have been to combat.” And I didn’t know it, but she sent them a message about me, and they responded to her a couple days later saying that they would love to have me out there to be a part of their program.
So we try to go up there twice a month if we can, because it’s up in Crown Point, Indiana, which is about four hours from us. So we build bikes and different things and hang out with my brothers.
Photo Credit: Operation Combat Bikesaver
What in particular do you like about it, to the point where you are willing to drive four hours?
Just the comradery; being around other veterans. They’re my brothers. I’ll give you an example. My first wife, when I was married to her, never understood that. She would say “Oh, those are just your acquaintances.” And I told her “No you don’t understand. These are my brothers. I’ve been through hell and combat with these guys. These are men and women that, if I needed somebody, I could call them and they would be here.”
I also love motorcycles- I’ve been riding bikes for several years, since I was a young kid. And I like to build; being a mechanic is in my blood.
When I first got there, they were doing a community build for the shop; it was a Honda CVR 450. And my specialty is Café Racer type bikes. I’m really good at designing them and knowing exactly where to put what. The bike just looks so aesthetically beautiful put together almost like it came from a factory. I’ve just been studying them for a long time; reading about them and realizing that it’s all about the lines. It’s just like you’re building a car, and looking at the lines and seeing how it flows.
So as soon as I got there, I started talking to everybody and this one guy named Brian, who is a part of the committee and a really good guy, was in charge of this community bike. And I was watching them mess with it, and I thought to myself “I have to show these guys what I know.” So I go over there to him, and I say “Can I show you something that you’ll really like?” And I told him that there is a formula that you can use and it will give you the perfect lines for this bike. It will tell you everything you want to know about this bike- where to put the tank, exactly how far back to put the seat, handlebars, everything. So we went back into the back where they had the computers and I showed them this mathematical formula that you can use to build anything; architects use it to build buildings, people use it to build hot rods, and it’ll make your motorcycle look tremendous.
So that day, I was taking a break, and they came up to me and said “Scott, we’ve decided to make you the platoon leader of this bike and build.” But now they’ve now since then scrapped that build and actually started on another one called Dirtball. And on the gas tank it actually says “Dirtball” and I guess it just came that way because it’s an older bike. So I’ve been helping them with that.
This last time that I was up there, it was the first time Katie and I had been up there in about three or four weeks, just because we’ve been busy. Then you got the other guys in there that got their own builds, so I just kind of bounce around and help out where I can.
What is the EagleNest Project and why did you start it?
One of my passions, other than bikes, is real-estate. I’m a big people person, and obviously I love veterans and anytime I see a World War Two veteran, I go out of my way to go say hello to them. That’s one of my favorite things to do, and those are my favorite people to talk to. They’re just full of knowledge and wisdom.
Whatever time I would come home to Indiana when I was still stationed in Clarksville, in Fort Campbell, I would be driving through, looking at houses and stuff I wanted to invest in, and I had a vision in mind, after I retired, that I wanted to do something for us; for veterans. I wanted to build a building with a barracks style living quarters for homeless, disabled veterans, because there’s not too many places like that and it’s just a way for me to say “Thanks” and to give back.
I drove by this church every time I went home, and it was empty. And then the last time I drove through there, there was a sign that said “For sale: $29,000.” So I called the number and talked to the gentleman, and I asked if I could meet him, because I was really interested. I went inside, looked around and it was in really bad condition. I told him, “Well, I can’t give you $29,000 for it- it’s too much and it needs a lot of work. I’ll think about it and I’ll shoot you an offer in a couple of days.” And we were leaning on the bed of his truck and he looks over at me, and says “I’ll tell you what. I’ll deed it to you for free right now if you want it.”
From there, it’s history. We got everything pushing forward, trying to get everything ready, and get funding so I can get a building built. I had a meeting with the city of Princeton and thank God, they’re going to tear the building down for me and it’s not going to cost me a dime. To me, that was just God’s hand in that whole mix for me. I was so thankful; it was just this great weight lifted off my shoulder, because I started talking to Katie about the feasibility of actually doing a rehab versus tearing it down and rebuilding.
That’s my plan: to not just house veterans, but bring them from zero to ten. Whatever their problem they’re having: get them counseling, medical treatment and help them attain their VA benefits if they are eligible. I want to make sure that if they are able to get compensated, I want to help them do that. And if it’s a job they are looking for and retraining, I want to help them do that stuff too. I retired in 2012, and this has just been on my mind since.
Has the church been taken down yet?
No, that’s still in the works. It’s a long process, because they have to do the grant, find out if it’s a historical landmark, and if it is, they can still do it, but they have to go through more hoops and paperwork and stuff to get everything approved.
Is there anyway to donate?
We have a non-profit set up already which is already approved and 501c3 certified. We have a bank account set up at First Financial Bank in Princeton Indiana, for the EagleNest Project, and if there’s any money that anyone wants to donate, they can send the money there, and it’s a tax write off as well.
But Jason Zaideman, the founder of Operation Combat Bikesaver, he’s going to help. He’s a great guy and I can’t say enough about him. I’m so happy that I met him and became a friend. He’s got that business going, which is a non-profit, and he also has his own business on top of that. And he’s already told Katie and I, that if there’s anything he can do, he’ll help us. And that’s just another added resource for me, so I’m going to tap into it.