James Dad was in College (Henry Ford Community College, aka Hank High) when President Carter ordered a rescue mission to save the 52 Americans being held hostage at the American Embassy in Iran. The rescue mission was a disaster and failed miserably when a helicopter crashed and killed 8 Americans. United States Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned his position following the failed rescue attempt.

The next day James dad signed up for service in the United States Army. He wanted to leave after the softball season which ended in late August. Early September a car pulled up and took him to the Detroit center which took him to Metro Airport where a flight took him to New Jersey and a bus took him to Fort Dix for basic training.

After basic training another bus took James Dad to Fort Devens Massachusetts for AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at Army Intelligence School.