Meet US Army Veteran Dennis M. McGuckian of Milton Road
This Veterans Day (2024), Rye will be adding 126 names to the veterans monuments at City Hall. A new plaque naming Rye Veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan, Global War on Terror and the Cold War will be unveiled which will include the names of 50 Rye veterans. The existing WWII plaque in memory of those killed in action will be updated to include an additional 15 names. The Vietnam plaque will now include an additional 44 names. And the WWII and Korea plaques will be updated with an additional 11 names and 6 names respectively. You can review the complete list of names being added.
To honor this milestone, MyRye.com is working with American Legion Post 128 to introduce you to Rye veterans – many who will be honored on our memorials for the first time this fall. If you are a Rye veteran and would like to be profiled, please contact us or Post 128.
Today meet Milton Road resident and US Army veteran Dennis M. McGuckian.
Is your name already on the Rye memorials or is it being added this fall (2024)? This fall.
Rye Vet: Dennis M. McGuckian
Where do you currently live in Rye? 66 Milton Road
MyRye.com: What branch of service were you in and what years and where did you serve?
McGuckian: US Army (August 1974- August 1995). Served in Ft Knox, KY, Berlin, Germany, Ft. Polk (now Ft Johnson) LA, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, Ft Leavenworth, KS, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, Germany, Garlstedt, Germany, Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Shippensburg, PA.
How did you come to serve in the military?
McGuckian: Attending Siena College I received an ROTC scholarship. Upon graduation, I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and detailed to the Armor Branch.
Tell us about your responsibilities when you were in the service.
McGuckian: I was an Armor Officer (tanker). Served as a platoon leader, company commander, battalion executive officer and brigade executive officer. Also served as an Aide de Camp to the Commanding General, instructor at West Point, Resource Manager for Pershing Missile Command and Inspector General as well as Professor of Military Science at Shippensburg University.
How has your time serving in the US military influenced your views on service and the responsibility each of us has as a citizen?
McGuckian: Military service is unique and lets an individual give back some time to his country. It also helps you to appreciate the freedoms that we enjoy.
Do you think military service or more general service (AmeriCorps VISTA, Peace Corps, programming modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps) should be required of young people?
McGuckian: Not everyone is capable of such service. It should be voluntary but they should have some rewards such as tuition assistance.
What are a couple of lessons you learned in the service?
McGuckian:
- Working in foreign countries lets you better appreciate the U.S. But you have an opportunity to learn other cultures.
- Leadership and teamwork are militarily essential. The lessons you learn with people can be applied after departing the military.
- Constantly moving can put a strain on the family but they can enjoy various sites overseas and within the United States.
What is a story from your time in the service you enjoy telling friends and family?
McGuckian: As a Lieutenant in Berlin I was temporarily in charge of the tank company. I received a frantic call at night that there were Russian tanks at a training range in the American sector. I had to calm the sergeant down and told him to get closer to observe the tank. Because I said that they were wooden silhouettes that we used for gunnery practice. The sergeant had to laugh that he overreacted.
Thanks Dennis!
