RECORD OF SERVICE
Colonel (Ret) Paul M. Severance, Ph.D.
Sep 65 – Jun 70 > ROTC program at Northeastern University, Boston Massachusetts >
- ROTC Scholarship Recipient
- Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG)
- Cadet Brigade Commander of 2500 man ROTC Brigade at NU
- Member of Pershing Rifles Military Honorary Society and Scabbard and Blade Honorary Society
- Selected as Outstanding ROTC Cadet in Massachusetts, 1969
July 70 > Commissioned in the Regular Army as a Transportation Corps Officer detailed to the Infantry Branch for 24 months.
Jul – Dec 70 > Infantry Officer Basic Course and Airborne School, Fort Benning GA.
- Distinguished Graduate of IOBC in a course with 200 West Point Graduates and 6 ROTC grads
- Orders to 82nd Airborne Division with subsequent reassignment to RVN
- Played on the Fort Benning Soccer Team that competed across the Southeast (Columbus College, GA Tech, University of Georgia, Mississippi State, University of Mississippi, University of Alabama, Auburn University). Only lost a single game.
- Was one of four American officers on the team; the rest were international fellows studying at Fort Benning.
Nov 1970 > Orders to 82nd rescinded; re-assigned to 172 Infantry Brigade (SEP), Fort Richardson, Alaska. Really?
Jan 71 – Nov 71 > Assigned as an infantry platoon leader, Company B, 5th Battalion, 23rd Infantry, 172nd Infantry Brigade (SEP), Fort Richardson, AK.
- Hell-on-Earth assignment in the wake of Viet-Nam drawdown, the drug epidemic, and racial strife.
- Approximately 60 members in a 176-man authorized infantry company.
- Had to carry a loaded and chambered .45 caliber round in my pistol when performing duties as battalion Staff Duty Officer; My NCO had an M-16 with a 20 round magazine locked and loaded, as well.
- Earned the Expert Infantryman’s Badge (EIB); harder to earn than a Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB), but arguably less dangerous.
Nov 71 – Dec 72 > Selected as Aide-de-Camp to Chief of Staff, US Alaskan Command, Elmendorf AFB, AK.
- Volunteered to go to RVN with my then-current boss when he was selected as J-3 MACV
- Request was denied; he wasn’t authorized an ADC in his assignment as a staff officer ☹. But he pushed my request to flight school through. ☺
Jan-Feb 73 > Student at the US Army Transportation School Transportation Officers Orientation Course.
- Distinguished Graduate (another saber!)
Feb –Jun 73 > Helicopter pilot initial training at Fort Wolters, TX.
Jun-Nov 73 – Helicopter pilot advanced training at Fort Rucker, AL.
Nov 73-Jan 74 > Assigned to US Army Aeromedical Evacuation/Crash-rescue Detachment (FLATIRON) at Cairns Army Airfield, Fort Rucker, AL.
- Notified to expect orders to RVN; orders were rescinded. Low-time aviator ☺
- Spent most flight time retrieving Vietnamese pilot-trainees from crashes
- Several gratifying MEDEVAC missions to Columbus, GA with preemies.
Jan – Mar 74 > US Army Aviation Safety Officer’s Course, University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, CA.
Apr-Jul 74 > US Army Aviation Maintenance Officer’s Course (AMOC) and UH-!/AH-1 Maintenance Test Pilot Course, US Army Transportation School, Fort Eustis, VA.
Jul 74-Jul 77 > Re-assigned to Fort Devens, MA (the original “Camp Swampy”) as the Moore Army Airfield Safety Officer.
- Eventually assigned as the Airfield Maintenance Officer for the consolidated active and USAR aviation units assigned to Fort Devens.
- Supported the 10th SFG at Devens by flying in support of training missions.
- Starting goalie for the Fort Devens Hockey Team that competed in the local hockey league program; we kicked ass!
- Played on the Airfield softball team that was awesome!
- Several “in-flight emergencies” at Devens in the course of my duties as a test pilot that somehow didn’t meet the criteria for a “coveted” BROKEN WING AWARD from the US Army. Oh, well. Sigh.
- Attended and completed the Aircraft Crash Survival Investigator’s Course at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
- Met and married my Bride! ☺
Aug 77 to Apr 78 >
- Student attending the Army Transportation Officers Advanced Course (TOAC). Fort Eustis, VA.
- Distinguished graduate (another saber).
- Quarterback on the Transportation School Team that stomped the US Army Quartermaster School in the annual “Logistics Bowl” conducted at Fort Eustis.
Apr –Jul 78 > CH-47 Transition Course at Fort Rucker, AL and CH-47 test pilot course at Fort Eustis, VA,
Jul 78-Jun 82 > Assignment to Hawaii >>
- Initially, service platoon Leader for the 147th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC), aka “Hillclimbers” from their long and impressive service in Vietnam, responsible for aircraft (16 CH=47 “Chinooks” and one UH-1H “Huey” aircraft) and wheeled vehicle operational readiness.
- Eventually, selected to command the newly organized Company F (AVIM), 25th Combat Aviation Battalion.
- The company was originally assigned to the 725th Maintenance Battalion, which was under the 25th Division Support Command (DISCOM). Changes in the Army’s aviation structure removed the company from the divisional maintenance battalion and assigned it to the divisional aviation battalion.
- One significant event that occurred during this 24 month period involved the aircraft accident investigation and recovery of the physical remains of a US Coast Guard H-3 helicopter that crashed into the north side of the steep cliffs along Molokai’s Northern shore. F Company recovered the aircraft wreckage from the side of the cliffs. I conducted the accident investigation for the Coast Guard to include photography of the crash site.
- The company was originally assigned to the 725th Maintenance Battalion, which was under the 25th Division Support Command (DISCOM). Changes in the Army’s aviation structure removed the company from the divisional maintenance battalion and assigned it to the divisional aviation battalion.
Aug 82-Jun 83 > Attended the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Maxwell AFB, AL
Jul-Sep 83 > Attended the Army’s Operations Research/Systems Analysis Military Applications Course (ORSA-MAC), US Army Logistics Management College (ALMC), Fort Lee, VA.
Oct 83- June 86 > Assigned as Weapons Systems Evaluator at the US Army Operational Test and Evaluation Agency (OTEA), Falls Church, VA.
- Army’s principal evaluator for Maneuver Control System (MCS) and Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) systems. Also participated in the evaluation of SGT York Air Defense System, the MIA2 Main Battle Tank, the CH-47D, AHIP, and the M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
July –Dec 86 > Attended the Program Manager’s Course at the Defense Systems Management College (DSMC), Fort Belvoir, VA.
Feb – Nov 87 > Assigned as Executive Officer and S-3, 18th Aviation Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, NC.
Dec 87 – Dec 89 > Commander, 8th Battalion (AVIM), 158th Aviation Regiment, Hanau, FRG.
Jan – Jun 90 > Study Director for the V Corps Victory Plan for the drawdown and withdrawal of V Corps US forces from Germany.
Aug 90 – Jun 91 > Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF)
- Student CINCJOCK; ICAF wins the LWS and the President’s Cup.
- Distinguished Graduate; AUSA research award for paper on terrorism in the DC metro region.
- Joined the Board of Directors of the Association of the ICAF.
Jul 91 – Jul 93 > Military Assistant to the Director, Live Fire Testing, DDRE, OSD.
- Planned, resourced, conducted Live Fire Survivability Testing on the MIA2 Main Battle Tank, C-17 Transporter, M113 Armored Personnel Carrier, MH-60 and MH-47 SOF aircraft; also evaluated lethality testing of the SM-2 Standard Missile.
Aug 93 – Jul 00 > Professor of Strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
30 Jul 2000 > Retired from active duty.
Aug 00 – Feb 01 > Program Manager for TRW’s test and evaluation support contract with the Army Evaluation Command, Alexandria, VA
Mar 01 – Jun 18 > Professor of Military Science, ICAF and Eisenhower School.