Page 94 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2024 - Online Magazine
P. 94
John Phinizy A Fascinating
Life
by Vickie Walters
befriending U.S. enlisted and
senior service members on their
way to Alaska, via the Alcan
Highway. They would try to
find out where U.S. servicemen
were going and any other
classified information. John had
learned to fly while in Alaska,
so he and another agent flew
a float plane to Canada to a
lodge with a lake, pretending
John then received orders for to be fishermen, surreptitiously
Vietnam and was assigned to watching how the foreign
the First Cavalry division in intelligence agents interacted
Bien Hoa RVN (Republic of with the people there. They
ohn Phinizy has lived a Vietnam) for about six months. developed valuable information
remarkably interesting life. The First Cavalry then came back
JIt all began in Roswell, NM to the United States, but John to pass along to their superiors.
where he was born and raised. transferred to the 11th Combat John was in Alaska for two
After graduating from Roswell Aviation Group in Da Nang RVN years, then came back to Fort
High School, he attended New near the DMZ (Demilitarized Huachuca. After teaching a short
Mexico Military Institute for Zone), where he was a brigade class, he attended an advanced
junior college, then transferred intelligence officer for six months. course for senior captains. It
to Texas Tech University on an John provided intelligence and was intensive and dealt with all
Army ROTC scholarship. John weather briefings for the staff varieties of military intelligence.
graduated with a degree in and recruited agents. When the class ended, he was
psychology in June 1968 and was sent to Fort Hood, TX and
commissioned into active duty in He returned to the U.S. from assigned to the 2nd Armored
October 1968. Initially, John was Vietnam early to testify in federal Division as a brigade intelligence
sent to Fort Holabird, MD for court for the criminal case officer, like his job with the
Basic Officers Intelligence School. brought against an induction cavalry except by then it was
refuser in Oakland. For six to peace time.
When intelligence training eight weeks after testifying, he
concluded, John briefly attended attended intelligence school In the early 70s, Vietnam was
school at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Fort Huachuca, while also winding down, and the Army
in Indianapolis, then was teaching surveillance and counter was phasing down. There were
assigned to the Oakland, CA surveillance to new agents. When too many officers and intelligence
Federal Building as a security school concluded, John chose officers, so John was unsure of
officer. He worked there for to go to Fort Greely, Alaska as his future. He had applied and
two years during a time when a security officer for the Arctic was accepted to the FBI, once
multiple riots and bomb Test Center, where they tested in Vietnam and again at Fort
threats plagued both Berkeley equipment under the strain of Hood, both without a law degree,
and Oakland. John worked severe arctic conditions and so he applied to law school at
security for the federal building service evaluations on freeze- Baylor University in Waco and
and handled people refusing dried food, among other tests. was accepted. He resigned from
induction into the Army. He active duty and enrolled in law
also worked with the FBI, In 1970, Fort Greely received school while continuing to serve
opening criminal cases on those information that foreign in the Army Reserves.
individuals. intelligence officers were
94 Lubbock Senior Link
