"If you look at history, I mean way down the road even before the time of Christ people were fighting, and I guess it- idealistically it would be nice if the world would live in peace ..."
~ Jerry Potvin (26:50)

Jerry Potvin's Story:

Jerry Potvin from Manchester, New Hampshire now residing at the Seashore Point, a nursing home located in Provincetown, Massachusetts, served in the navy from 1960 to the year 1964 serving for the Bay of Pigs conflict. Of the many conflicts representative of the United States of America, the conflict which Jerry served in can be viewed as an unknown conflict that many individuals may not be aware of and moreover, obtain knowledge about. What is the Bay of Pigs? The Bay of Pigs conflict is a military invasion of Cuba which was not successful, thus it failed, but was undertaken by Brigade, the CIA- conflict which combatants were Cuba, the United States of America and the Soviet Union. This conflict lasted for two horrifying days from April 17, 1961 to April 19, 1961 under the rule of John F. Kennedy who was the current president of the United States. Being in the navy was not clearly envisioned by Jerry himself as he had been preparing to become a priest. Jerry was enrolled in a school which was preparing him to become a priest when somewhere along the path, he made the significant decision of enlisting in war. From the point of view of Jerry, enlisting to war was a significant decision with many positive aspects on his life. In addition, Jerry positively affected many other individuals, like myself. By Jerry doing so he demonstrates how ones actions can influence the actions of many. Also, by Jerry representing his country and honoring our nation in the navy he allowed for others to desire to do likewise. During the interview Jerry mentioned that he wanted to provide the younger generations with motivation and knowledge to represent the United States of America and join one of the branches of our army, preferably the navy. To conclude, Jerry's philosophy is idealistic and desires to have a world infused with peace.