Veteran Spotlight: Army Lt. Col. David Puppolo
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — David Puppolo served his country in the Army from 1985 to 2006, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
He grew up in North Adams, and graduated from Drury High school and the University of Miami in the state of Florida and did his basic at Fort Knox, Ky.
"I had a calling to serve," he said. "I worked for Chevron after grad school at [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute] making money but had nothing kicking me in the pants."
His first assignment would take him to Fort Hood with the 7th Cavalry, where he would be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Armored Branch, as he did not have to attend Officer Candidate School to be eligible for a commission.
He was assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas.
I asked Lt. Col. Puppolo his thoughts on leadership principles, and he offered this: "The first thing that comes
to mind is integrity. Soldiers are smart, they know if you BS. You have to gain their trust and build relationships. Fitness is huge."
His first deployment was Desert Storm, the Iraq offensive, in 1990. He would also be promoted to captain prior to the Gulf War and transferred to intelligence.
"It was an adrenaline rush," he said of his feelings on the deployment. "Fast and furious, lethal. We were the
covering force for the 18th Airborne Corps and didn't need any outside support as we had everything."
What was his feeling on going into battle?
"It's like a football game — you just have this huge rush of adrenaline, it just hits
you," he said.
When asked about the holidays, Puppolo said this: "Oh boy, it rips you apart. Christmas was tough, really hard, you think about your kids, wife. I had two boys at the time. It was very tough."
What was it like to lose a soldier?
"It’s a horrible thing. I never lost one in combat but did lose a soldier in the 3rd Armored Cav. He was a driver on my M-1 tank," Puppolo said. "You never get over it."
How was the entertainment overseas?
"We had a professional boxer come over. I can't remember his name but he was a great guy," said Puppolo. "He came to say hello to us and spend time. It really made me feel wanted. I was proud of that guy coming into a war zone — what balls!"
Puppolo spoke with great pride and admiration when asked about a mentor: "My very first M-1 tank commander in the 3rd ACR, Mike Formica. A great guy. He started out as an intel officer, was so smart. He was everything
you want a commander to be."
Was he ever afraid?
"I think you're always afraid, there's always an element of fear," he said. "If there's not than you tend to get complacent and that's not good, especially when you’re in a war zone."
Puppolo also spoke of the unconventional warfare in Afghanistan, when you never knew when an IED would hit
you.
"Too many unknowns, you don’t know where your enemy is," he continued. "We were eating dinner one night in Afghanistan at the chow hall and some knucklehead popped an IED at us. Everything goes in slow motion — just like the movies — it blew the glass out of the windows and knocked us on our asses."
Thoughts on service to his country?
"Wow, nothing like it. I dream about it very, very often — being in uniform — great memories," he said. "Best experience I ever had. I met my wife because of it."
He is exceptionally proud of his three children; Mike, who served as an Army sniper in Iraq, Nick of the 1st Ranger Battalion who later flew Blackhawks, and daughter Rachel, who served four years in the Marine Corps.
Of all his numerous medals and ribbons, he is most proud of his Legion of Merit. Lt. Col. Dave Puppolo, thank you for your service to our great country.
Wayne Soares is the host of the popular new veterans cooking show, "The Mess Hall" that airs Saturdays on NBC's NECN at 9:30 a.m. He also entertains our troops around the globe and is the host and producer of the Vietnam veterans documentary "Silent Dignity – The Chapter That Never Ends." He can be reached at waynesoares1@gmail.com.
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