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My name is "Sgt. Nick" or Nick Donvito. I live just north of Syracuse, NY in a large Town called Clay.
It's a huge town that actually has metropolitan status because it's larger than some of the cities here in the state.
We have over 70,000 residents in the town alone. This is where I stated in rural law enforcement in 1975. Now
there is nothing rural left out here. I started with the Syracuse police in 1971 and this is more like the city now
than the city. I retired in 1999 from the adjoining town of Cicero. This now is the fast growing town in the county,
I was there for ten years. During that time I spent a lot of time at different departments and eventually became Chief
of Police in two local Departments at the same time. Drove me NUTS, so I resigned and went back to my good ole Cicero.
I wanted to stay just as a patrolman, but as luck would have it my Chief went on that year to be our Counties Undersheriff
and I was promoted to acting Captain that was eventually made permanent as Sergeant when the new Chief came in. Now
with all my training and schools and the Chief being an old work mate of mine from the Town of Clay, he worked me like a red
headed step child!!! I have over 3,000 hours in all sorts of police training and leadership seminars. My wife
used to save all my certificates and frame them on the livingroom wall but was afraid the walls were going to collapse, ha
ha. My resume' is geared towards law enforcement and with all my schools on it it's three pages long!!! I loved
being a cop and still do but I told Joyce many years ago, that when the job was no longer fun, I would pull the pin.
Well, in 1999 due to my damn diabetes (another souvenir from nam) and the fact that just about everyone we arrested wanted
to fight, it wasn't fun any longer. That last night has a particular significance for me that I can explain better on
the phone.
Oops, sorry to ramble on so, if we were sitting around having a few beers I would be telling you stories
till tomorrow and still not be finished!!! I don't even drink anymore, only around other vets or cops and that's not
very often anymore. It's very difficult to talk to people who haven't served in the military. I would love to
be in contact with one of our brave boys in Iraq or one that just got back or better yet, was wounded. Maybe I could
be some kind of a role model and show them that even if you are hurt and feeling bad, NEVER, NEVER feel sorry for yourself
or blame anyone but the bad guy who shot or injured you. I bear NO ill feelings towards the Vietnamese people or even
the people who shot me and killed my buddies. They were on their own ground and we were the invaders regardless who
asked us to be there. Oops, there I go again shooting my fingers off. Sorry, but that's one thing that you will
have to be patient with me about if we are going to be friends, I talk a lot with both my mouth and fingers. That's
something that I did not do for many years!!! Brother Nick.
PS The handsome guy is me just before I went to Nam, the other is my license plate for my bike, my POV plate
is the same with different numbers, these here are my two handsome steeds that were my assigned vehicles about 1983, and the
last is my shirt of choice now with "retired" on it!!!
My son's name was Nick also. Nick Jr.
I was hoping to maybe some day come out and meet up with your race
car driving friend, Pam Imhoff (www.racefortime.org/) and display the bike along side her car! I just got a call tonight asking
me to be at the Syracuse Bike show next month, but I don't think we will be done by then. They hold it out at the
NYS Fairgrounds (huge place), but if you are not there very early, you just can't get into the building. You would think
that would tell some of these show sponsors that there is a market up here and to do something about it!!! Do you know
where North Royalton, Ohio is? A dear friend of mine (101st Abn Nam Vet) and Police Lieutenant for the N. Royalton PD
just passed away on Christmas Day. He's another one of the names that I want to proudly display on the internet site!
I has a friend associated with the 1st Cav Angry Skipper organization, actually
her husband is the vet but the lady's all right to me. She sent out this story of a young lady that was horribly burned
in a drunken driving accident but is still a live but in terrible shape. She didn't know that my only son was killed
in 1996 but a drunk driver along with his friend. He was 27 years old. The driver is now doing 25 years to life
for two counts of second degree murder. He was a big boy, a body builder and a very favorite local boxer. I want
him to be placed on the site. Out of a large Italian and Irish family, I have only my sister and an estranged brother
left. I lost my mother to cancer in 1985 at 57 years old and then on election day my dad of 77 died of a massive heart
attack just after voting. He never drank or smoked a day in his life!!! Then 30 days after that my 47 year old
brother died of diabetes, and so on and so on. So, other than my daughter and my two beautiful little ones and my son
in laws family, we have no one. My wife's parents and sisters are still alive and well in Florida and New Orleans.
I can't begin to tell you how many friends I have lost in the last ten years or so, not counting my two best friends who died
along side me in Vietnam. Everyone asks me how I keep on going, and I tell them that I make things to look forward to
in life and I try to get there. I think this bike has been and will be good therapy for me! Oops, sorry to go
off like this again, but some memories just can't be repressed.
Here is a photo of my son and me and one of him at he gym. When he died three
years after these photos he was twice a large as here.
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