“You Can Go Anywhere In The World And Bump Into A Classmate”: Nurturing Lifelong Relationships Throughout A Career Of Service

Pete Kinney was born in December 1952 in Newton, Massachusetts, and he grew up in Ashland. His father was drafted into the Navy during World War II, used the GI Bill at Boston College to become an electrical engineer, and worked at Raytheon. His mother raised six children, five boys and a girl, in a very Irish Catholic family. Pete experienced an idyllic childhood, playing in forests and apple orchards and swimming in a local reservoir. His father served as the scoutmaster and little league coach. Every week, his father took the children to the local library and had them check out three books to read that week. Pete found a book about West Point, and that, along with the “Big Picture” television series about the Army, motivated him to consider the Military Academy. In high school, he ran cross country and track, earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and worked at a gas station and a restaurant. When it came time to select a college, Pete remembered the book he had read about West Point, recalled the TV show “The West Point Story,” and was advised by his neighbor, Garth H. Payne, USMA ‘58. He did not gain direct admittance to the Academy, so he enlisted before attending the Prep School (USMAPS) at Ft. Belvoir. He completed Basic Training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, a volunteer in a draftee Army. Even so, he remarks that the Soldiers he was with were “all pretty good guys.” At that time in American history, service to the nation was a given, and the only questions were which branch of the military and when. As the Army was moving closer to implementing the All-Volunteer Force, other changes were taking place, and trainees were mandated to receive eight hours of sleep a night. He observed that while the National Guard and Army Reserve trainees returned home after completing Basic, the draftees knew they would be sent to Vietnam following their training. At that time, the Prep School focused on improving college board scores, and classes were held six days a week. Near the end of his Prep School year, Pete traveled to Washington, D.C., to observe a protest against the Vietnam War, and he remembers Nixon deploying the 82nd Airborne Division by Chinook to restore order. In the summer of 1971, he reported to West Point for R-Day and recalls that after Basic Training, the screaming and yelling seemed ridiculous. West Point still operated on the attrition model during this era, and the expectation was that one third of a class would not survive until graduation. Pete recalls meeting Hank Kinnison (USMA ‘72) during Beast, and beginning a relationship that lasts to today. He found Beast to be easy and he “liked the military stuff,” but thought the “hazing was silly.” He did well enough to become the “Best New Cadet” in the Company. He describes his summer training during his Cadet years, including sleeping in GP Medium tents at Buckner, completing Airborne School, traveling to Japan and Hawaii for training, and serving as the 1st Detail Beast Training Officer. Academically, he did well, excelling in math and enjoying history, military science, and Chinese, but he did not see the utility in the hard sciences. At one point he was in danger of failing nuclear engineering, but he prepared and performed well enough on the exam that he was under suspicion for cheating. The Department Head called him in to the office and had him complete several problems on the spot, using only his prepared notes. He passed that test, clearing his name. He was a good runner and did well physically, but wishes he had worked harder during his Cadet years. He excelled militarily, remaining focused on his future career. He describes meeting Hank Keirsey (USMA ‘76), starting another relationship that has lasted a lifetime. As a Cadet, he enjoyed jumping with the Sport Parachute Team (his first jump was at USMAPS), and putting on concerts with the Dialectic Society, including one with Don McClean (American Pie). As a Cow and Firstie, he was a member of the Honor Committee. He was in Company G3, and he is proud of the reputation they cultivated as the best athletic company in the regiment. He met his wife Trish (Patricia Ann) at the PX while he was “slugged” and could not leave post. They were married on June 6, 1975. Upon graduation, he commissioned into the Infantry, initially gaining experience in mechanized infantry assignments in Germany. Following the Infantry Officer Basic Course, he completed Ranger School in November 1975, where his abilities in land navigation served him well. He remembers his father-in-law, SGM Bud Hacker, telling him, “I’ll teach you how to become a good lieutenant.” In 1976, he reported to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry (“Regulars, By God!) in the 1st Armored Division in Germany. When he arrived at his unit in Illesheim, West Germany, he discovered that drugs were a problem, especially heroin. His commander took strident measures to clean up the drug issues, which was supported by lots of field time. This was during a period when the Army was transitioning from a Draft Army to the All-Volunteer Force. When he arrived, he filled a Platoon Leader spot that was being held by a Platoon Sergeant. When he took over, he learned that the Platoon Sergeant, James Ratledge, Jr., really knew the mech infantry business, and he had one exceptional Squad Leader from the Ranger Battalion. He describes his wartime mission as defending his assigned GDP (General Defense Position) against a Soviet Guards unit. Living in Cold War Germany was exciting, and the Kinneys experienced both the vibrant club life as well as the unpredictability of alerts, where the tracks were already prepared with small arms ammunition uploaded. In addition to leading a Rifle Platoon, a TOW (Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided Missile) Platoon, and a Support Platoon, he was also certified as a Nuclear Targeting Officer. In 1979, he returned to the United States for the Infantry Advanced Course before taking command in B Company, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division following a stint as S4 (Supply Officer), where he had to develop the MTOE for a Bradley Battalion. At Ft. Carson, Colorado, he found the training to be not as good as in Europe because of the budget-constrained environment. Following an assignment with the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff J3, he earned a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard. Brian Haig, Al Haig’s son, helped him get assigned to the Joint Staff and into Harvard. He then transferred to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, followed by a one-year assignment to the Navy Staff working for the Chief of Naval Operations in 1986, before finishing his time with Army Operations from 1987 to 1988. The highlight of his service with the Navy was a two-week cruise on the carrier John F. Kennedy as an Army Major, and he describes eating with the Navy enlisted in their galley. When that assignment was finished, he reported on the Navy culture to General Shalikashvili. In 1989, he reported to the 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell. Initially, he served as the S3 (Operations Officer) in 2nd Battalion, 187th Infantry (Raider Rakkasans) from 1989 to 1990. Next, he served as the Regimental Operations Officer for the 187th Infantry from 1990 to 1991. He then was assigned to the Division Staff as the G3 Operations Officer for the 101st Airborne Division. In 1992, he took command of 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, the Leader Rakkasans. While he was serving as the S3 in 2-187, his Battalion Commander was Andy Berdy, a Norwich graduate whose brother Mike, USMA ’65, was KIA in Vietnam. Pete remembers Andy for his aggressive live-fire training. He transitioned to the Regimental S3 position for Desert Storm, and recalls getting the “chocolate chip” uniforms. He describes the deployment process and planning the operations for combat in Kuwait, where 2nd Battalion was the Brigade main effort on Highway 8. When he transferred to the Division G3 job, he found BG Jack Keane, the Assistant Division Commander for Operations, a “tough guy to work for.” When Pete took command of 1-187, he succeeded his old mentor Hank Kinnison. As Battalion Commander, his focus was live-fire proficiency and PT (physical training). After his battalion command, he planned on going to Ranger Regiment. The Battle of Mogadishu had just happened and the regiment needed a replacement quickly, but instead, in 1994 he returned to West Point and took an assignment as the Director of Cadet Activities, where his focus was on making money to spend money. In fact, he sent the Cadet Pipes and Drums to Ireland for a St. Patrick’s Day performance. He found that job to be a good transition to business and he earned an MBA from Long Island University prior to his retirement from the Army in 1996. After leaving the Army, he worked in construction for six years as vice president of operations. Following the September 11th attacks in 2001, he took a job as a security consultant in Abu Dhabi. In 2008, his classmate Spider Marks called and offered a position running language services in Iraq. From 2008 to 2011, he managed 10,000 employees across 32 sites in Iraq. He describes some of his experiences managing 2,000 Arab-Americans and 8,000 local national employees. He discusses serving as the chairman for the new Ft. Campbell “Wings of Liberty” Museum, and the fundraising support he received from Curtis Johnson, a Tennessee Representative from the Clarksville area. He also discusses helping re-roof the 100-year-old Catholic Chapel in Ft. Montgomery, New York. At the end of the interview, he reflects on what his service to the nation and West Point mean to him.