My name is Mike Malloy and I'm a junior at NYU majoring in Journalism. I used to write a column each month for the Comet newspaper at Hicksville High School . It was a great 3 year experience and whetted my appetite at a possible career with a major newspaper.When I graduated high school in 1965, I had to make a decision about schooling or the military. I had been accepted at NYU, Bucknell and Penn State , all great colleges. Several weeks before our June graduation, 21,000 more troops were being sent to Vietnam . The public was kept in the dark about much of the goings on in both North and South Vietnam . This added manpower was, however, known to all. This relocation raised the level of combat troops in Vietnam to almost 200,000.
I wasn't particularly enthralled about being drafted and winding up in Vietnam . However, going to school would be like playing roulette, you had a 50/50 chance (red or black) of having your number drawn in the draft lottery.
A lengthy discussion with my parents and we opted at playing roulette. My dad was adamant about me getting a degree because good jobs usually required furthering your education and getting a diploma. The next decision was where to go to school??? Most obvious was staying local. Going to NYU allowed me to live at home and commute back and forth to New York City .
Freshman year was a breeze and the commuting was okay. A little bit of a hassle because I was spending many hours sitting in a LIRR car or riding the subway. The real benefit was I could study while heading to school or back home.
Sophomore year started and the work load was a little more intense requiring extra time spent in the library doing research. This was an era when computers were in the infancy stage and it would be a long time before Google and Yahoo and Search Engines. Staying later in the city doing research found me on a train at odd hours and I was slowly becoming very fatigued. My parents realized the dilemma I was facing and they suggested I find a dormitory to stay at full time. So heading into October, I was prepared for the change.
There was no problem getting a dorm room as there were many available. Was paired with John Mackenzie from Steubenville , Ohio who was majoring in business. It was a home run because we seemed to be very compatible and able to keep out of each other's way but being there to help when necessary.
The first time I met Irene was while heading to the campus library in the beginning of October, 1966. She was stunning with long red hair and piercing green eyes. I was doing project research and just talking to her seemed to steer me in the right direction. I found this to be true during subsequent meetings.
Irene had quite an array of colorful clothing and I could never anticipate what she would be wearing. Sometimes it was a skirt and blouse; or pants suit or flowery dress. One day she caught me totally by surprise with her hair colored black and I hardly recognized her.
Regardless, Irene always had an ear for listening to me and it was very helpful.
I had a girlfriend, Carol Marsh when I finished high school and we totally enjoyed the summer of 1965 together. There was a slight logistics problem...I would be attending NYU and she was headed to the University of California , Berkeley 3,000 miles away. Carol spent the summer of 1966 at home and we made a lot of trips to the beach. She headed back to California in August and we kissed goodbye. Little did I know that I would get a "Dear John" letter just after Halloween. I remember Halloween because Carol and I would dress up for Halloween and hand candy to the kids when they came to the front door at my house.
Anyhow, it was quite a blow to my ego. The only way for me to combat the feelings I was experiencing was to visit Irene. I could easily pick her out from a distance because she was wearing a bright colored dress that was red, yellow and blue. She was great and very attentive listening to my every word and, by her expression, I knew she could sense the sadness I was experiencing. Being with Irene seemed to ease the pain.
Our almost daily visits continued into March of 1967. The roulette wheel stopped on my number and I was, instantaneously, going to be in the United States Army. I was scheduled to report for a physical on March 21st and knew full well that I was fit for duty.
I rushed to see Irene to fill her in on what my future was going to be. I explained the situation that was on the table is the exact fate I was gambling with from the get-go!
Passed the physical with flying colors and told Irene that I would be heading to boot camp and then was being sent to Vietnam . I was trained for clerical work and eventually wound up in DaNang and away from combat. I was glad about that.
When my two year tour was over, I applied to continue my education at NYU and began my final quest for a degree in May of 1969. Was delighted to be out of the draft picture and happy to be home and finally safe.
It was over two years since our last meeting. I was on my way to the city to continue the education started back in 1965. Couldn't get off the train fast enough and I rushed to see Irene and she looked more radiant than I remembered. Still wearing bright colored clothing that complimented her figure.
I was more than happy to see her and I know she will be there until a new mannequin replaces her.
