Dominy, Matt, CPT

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY.
Because none of my parents' generation of my family had served in the military, for medical reasons, there was a sense of having missed out on a life experience that rubbed off on me. When I graduated from Bucknell University, a very liberal institution, in 1969, and witnessing the growing disillusionment with the war in Vietnam, I had a strong sense of patriotism around the war, and felt compelled to "do my part." I volunteered from the Basic Course for service in Vietnam. Pretty quickly, I realized that the highly structured environment of the military was a very good fit with my personality, and made the decision to apply for a Regular Army commission.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I was commissioned through ROTC in July 1969 and entered active duty at Fort Belvoir, VA on 13 April 1970. Went from the Officer Basic Course to a utilization assignment with the 160th Engineer Group at Fort Bragg as Group Training Officer. Deployed to Vietnam on 1 February 1971. Served as Earthmoving Platoon Leader in Delta Company of the 169th Engineer Battalion, and Operations Officer of Delta Company of the 92d Engineer Battalion until DEROS on to CONUS on 19 December. Deployed to Germany in March 1972 to Command Charlie Company of the 54th Engineer battalion in Wildflecken. In October of 1973, redeployed to HHC 130th Engineer Brigade in Hanau, as Brigade Plans Officer. in October 1974, took over as S-3 of the 317th Engineer Battalion in Eschborn. Returned from Germany in April 1976 to attend graduate school at the University of Florida to obtain a degree in Civil Engineering Management. Upon graduation, in June of 1977, was assigned to the Officer Directorate of MILPERCEN.

IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I served in Vietnam for most of 1971. Spent six months leading an earth moving platoon in a construction engineer battalion building a section of Highway (QL) 20 on the II/III Corps border. QL20 was/is a significant north-mouth commerce path from the central highlands down to Saigon. The rule of thumb was that we would build the road during the day, and "Charlie" would use it at night. As long as we didn't mess with him at night, he left us alone during the day. Sounds silly now, but it worked. I spent my last six months building a 200,000 square foot warehouse complex for the Vietnam Regional Exchange on Long Binh. Upon completion of the warehouse, we turned the keys over to the Vietnamese government. Being given the ability and responsibility to accomplish great things from an infrastructure perspective was a great positive for me, and set the tone for the accomplishments of the rat of my career. Recognizing pretty quickly that there was significant synergy in working with others, as opposed to trying to do everything myself was a very valuable life lesson.

OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
My three years at MILPERCEN were the best! Other than being berated by the Chief of the Office Directorate for the fact that the army had spent "thousands of dollars" providing me with a degree in engineering management, and here I was at MILPERCEN. His rant lost some steam when I reminded him that his folks had assigned me there. I started off as an Assignment Officer working with Lieutenants in the Corps of Engineers. A very demanding and rewarding experience; to watch people evolve from college students to young men and women who had to grow up; become self-sufficient, and begin to figure out their course in life. Dealing with West Point accession officers was particularly interesting, as many of them felt entitled by their performance at USMA. All of us that dealt with these guys (at the time) had to remind them that a 2LT was a 2LT, regardless of the source of commission. From there I moved the Distribution Division, where I worked on a team that wrote FORTRAN programs to model the optimum utilization of an officer corps of 98,000, defined by grade and one or two specialties against 130,000 requirements defined by grade and one specialty.

I was very lucky that I didn't have a "least favorite" assignment. The four months I spent on a utilization tour at Fort Bragg before I could be deployed to Vietnam were probably the least fulfilling because, in my youth, I viewed it as "marking time."

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
From an event standpoint, I would point to the annual bridge building exercises we participated in at the Rhine River in Germany, along with several multi-national exercises during that period. Other than the pure sense of accomplishment, the sense of common purpose and camaraderie among all participants was palpable and exhilarating. From a more general perspective, I maintain very vivid memories of those with whom I was privileged to serve. For all of the challenges facing the military in transitioning from wartime to peacetime, the people I served with were dedicated and cared about others more than themselves.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
I received the Vietnamese Civic Action Medal for service provided to civilian facilities during my tour. For the first six-months, I led an Earth moving Platoon responsible for the construction of a section of QL-20 in the vicinity of Bao Loc, on the II/III Corps border. As well as working on the road, the platoon spent a fair amount of time working with local villages on various civic improvements such as the development of sports facilities and infrastructure (water and wastewater) improvements. The second half was spent dismantling and relocating 200,000 square feet of warehouse space to from Quang Tri to Long Binh, and reconstructing the materials into a warehouse complex for the Vietnam regional Exchange. In support of the project, we had a fleet of RVN operated cement mixers that supplied materials for the foundations. On our off-time, the company worked with these civilian employees improving conditions in their villages.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
My first MSM was awarded for service in Germany from 1972-1976. In that time I was a unit commander, a nuclear plans officer at a brigade level, and a battalion S-3. All of this with less than five years of service! The combination of these three assignments had a profound effect on my development as a young man, and the fact that I was offered these opportunities this early in my career was both a blessing and a curse. The curse was that 4 years later, when I finished my assignment at MILPERCEN, as a CPT (P), my assignment opportunities were somewhat limited, due to the levels of responsibility that I had already enjoyed. That was what really drove my decision to separate in 1980.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
The late COL (Ret) Tasman L. Graham, who was my Battalion Commander when I commanded a Company in Wildflecken, Germany had the biggest impact on me. He set very high standards for himself and all of us who served under him and expected nothing less than excellence from all of us. At the same time, he recognized that a judiciously delivered pat-on-the-back could be as effective a motivator as the inevitable kick in the backside. We remained in contact until his death. He was an Australian who came to this country and rose through the ranks from E-1, through Engineer OCS to O-6. He was appreciative of all of the opportunities that he had been given, and felt a real need to "pay it forward." He was an excellent role model and mentor!

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
One evening while I was a Company Commander, I was called back to the barracks to quell a disturbance. This was during the period of time where Europe tended to not necessarily have the highest quality folks assigned, as Vietnam was still the theater of major interest and emphasis It turns out that one of the young Spec-4's had had too much to drink and was running up and down the halls brandishing a knife, and threatening grave bodily harm to anyone that got in his way. To give an idea of this soldier's stature, his nickname was "Shorty." I am 6'3", and probably weighed 185 at that time. I walked into the barracks at o'dark in the morning to witness Shorty's antics. Upon seeing me, and looking "way up" into my face, he quickly realized the folly of his performance, dropped the knife, and ran to his room and dove into his rack. Many of the members of the company reunite annually to this day, and we all share a huge laugh over that incident.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
Since leaving the army, I have worked in the civil engineering field, both as a consultant and as a public sector manager. My specialty has been in the management of large ($1 billion+) infrastructure improvement projects. This work has reinforced the decision I made almost 50 years ago to become a civil engineer. The ability to see something tangible that was s created, in part, through my direct involvement, never ceases to motivate me. I retired at the end of 2011, and now am able to travel extensively, and have become involved with some volunteer activities utilizing my developed skills.

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I have not been a member of any military associations since I was discharged. I do, however, continue to support the work of the USO annually.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
As discussed previously, being given significant responsibility early in my career was a definite positive for me. Additionally, the acquired ability to make decisions with less than the optimum amount of data has served me extremely well and positively influenced my career. I have learned that in most cases, a "bad" decision is easier to fix that no decision. Conversely, I have evolved from a more directive style that was part of army live in the 70's to a more participatory model over the last 30 years.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE ARMY?
Enter with an open mind, and be open to new experiences, for which you may or may not have trained. If you hunger for responsibility, you will get more, earlier in your career, that you will with any other employer. Even if you plan to "do your time and get out," take full advantage of the opportunities presented. This is particularly true when serving outside of the US. Foreign travel is a gift, when given an assignment a foreign country, maximize your opportunities to learn about and see that region. You may never have the opportunity to return.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.

TWS and the US Army

The questions in this reflections section have been fun to think about, and have brought back lots of memories, and reminded me how rewarding my 10 years of service was. Finding folks with whom I served, and have lost contact with for 30+ years has been a very rewarding benefit of TogetherWeServed.

DS 5/4/17