Ed Kissane | U.S. Army

Ed Kissane served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Prior to being drafted, Ed was working as a metal cutter for Burlington Mills, which was located in the Empire State Building in NYC. Ed recalls that he was sent to Fort Dix, Texas, for boot camp training shortly after being drafted. When asked what this training was like, Ed smiled and, after much contemplation, stated, “What was training like? Well, when that bugle blew at 6 AM, you got up!” 

While in Texas, Ed remembers sleeping on the floor of the desert each night, and ironically, it is not his bunkmates he remembers most about this time, it is the snakes that would crawl into their sleeping bags at night, stirring quite the commotion among the group. Ed also remembers being told to take his boots off, but refusing, since you never knew what would “cozy inside of them.” Ed’s fondest memory of boot camp is a Sargent whom he got very close to and respected immensely. Ed explains that he ended up naming his first son after this man, Steve, who was fair and kind and took a liking to Ed.

Although Ed was in the Korean War, he was never sent to Korea. Instead, he was stationed in France, where his job was to monitor Russian infiltration. If the Russians came through, Ed’s job was to get the women and children safely to the ships docked at the Port of Marseille.

After the military, Ed, who was about 23 years old, went back to work for Burlington Mills in NYC. He says, “I got myself educated and found my career in teaching.” Ed went on to teach High School Social Studies for 30 years.