Interview, Michael Finn, USA

Note: second interview conducted April 4, 2013

Michael Finn (b. 1947) was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He enlisted in the United States Army after flunking out of his freshman year at St. John Fisher College in 1969. He spent his three years of military service in Washington, DC, where he worked as a chauffeur for the Pentagon Motor Pool. Finn was honorably discharged in 1972 and returned to Rochester, where he used his GI Bill to complete his education at St. John Fisher College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He later earned a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from SUNY Brockport. Finn enjoyed a long career in social work with the Monroe County Department of Social Services and Hillside Family of Agencies. He became a deacon in the Episcopal Church in 2009, and retired from Hillside in 2013.

In his interview, Finn explains that after he failed out of school, he realized he was going to be drafted so he decided to enlist in the hope of having a say in where he was placed. He wanted to work as an engineer on the railroad, but was trained to drive trucks instead, receiving his advanced training in transportation at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Finn describes his basic training and the camaraderie that developed among the servicemen. He recalls his relief over learning that he was going to be stationed in Washington, DC, instead of Vietnam, and reflects on the fate of his classmates who were not as fortunate in their placement. While in Washington, Finn drove messengers, high-ranking military personnel, dignitaries, and other officials as a chauffeur for the Pentagon Motor Pool. He shares a story about a run-in with a colonel who wanted to court-martial him for insubordination and how he narrowly escaped being sent to Vietnam as punishment. Finn discusses the anti-war movement and how he felt torn between his duty to serve his country and his personal objection to the war. He has not had much interaction with other veterans since the war and explains that he has ultimately tried not to think about it.