
In the fall of 1976, I was a 16-year-old junior at the newly opened Nahua High School (now called South). My adolescent brain did not think much beyond the conditions in my daily life, and my consideration of the future did not expand much further than what could be happening on the weekend—a pretty standard teenage boy mindset.
I did have a nascent interest in politics, which loomed large due to the shadow cast by the Vietnam War and Watergate. I grew up in a home with Walter Cronkite every night and well-read newspapers. My parents fostered that interest with a steady dialogue about current events. Being an informed citizen and civic engagement was a priority.
One of the great privileges of living in New Hampshire is the front-row seats the Presidential Primary gives us for national politics. My folks took every opportunity to get to candidate events and to expose their kids to the experience. They were not activists or party operators. They just believed in the process of Democracy and there was no better place to witness it. We took on all comers and to this day I think my mom was one of the most astute political analysts around. She had a finely tuned BS detector.
One such NH Primary occasion was a house reception for a little-known southern Governor named Jimmy Carter in our neighborhood. My parents were invited and I joined them at the gathering of about 30 people crowded into the house. The group was almost all adults and in my juvenile awkwardness and attitude (what kid wants to hang around with parents) I separated from my folks and found a spot to watch the proceedings from an enclosed porch adjacent to the living room where all the action was.
Jimmy Carter took to the floor and gave his pitch to the potential voters. I remember thinking he spoke funny – that Georgia farmer drawl just sounded so unique in my limited experience in life. I watched as Carter finished his talk and began to work the room, engaging in conversations with couples and small clusters of people. The adults were doing adult things and my attention drifted from the room.
Surprisingly Governor Carter ultimately made his way through the crowd and found me on the porch. I was shocked, I wasn’t old enough to vote what could he possibly want with me?
He introduced himself, shook my hand, and asked me who I was. I muttered my brief reply and thought that would be the end of it, he would move on. No governor would want to talk to a kid, right? Wrong!
He then proceeded to ask me about my life! He inquired about my future plans, about my family about what I thought about the world. This man – a grown-up, someone powerful, was interested in what I had to say. This was distinctly different from my typical experience with adults at that point, they either usually were annoyed with me or ignored me.
I was struck then as I am now by what a decent, kind, and thoughtful man he was. In those minutes I mattered, his interest was genuine.
I don’t remember much of the specific details of our talk other than my amazement it occurred One thing that stood out was his description of his time in the Navy and being in the service was a great option to consider. Despite my father’s and all my uncle’s veteran status, joining the military was not on my bingo card of future things to consider. Viet Nam left a bitter taste.
Unlikely things happen; he was elected President and I joined the Army in July of 1977 a few weeks after graduation. I will not give Carter full credit for that decision but he planted the seed of the idea. Getting out of Nashua fast and the chance to become a photographer were big factors.

1979 was a major year in geopolitics and for me. Carter was my Commander in Chief I joined about 300,000 other GIs in West Germany at nearly the apex of the Cold War. I was stationed at VII Corps Headquarters in Stuttgart. Along with V Corp, we guarded NATO’s frontline with the Warsaw Pact.
One of the duties of my photo section was producing regular slide shows (film) for Corp Intelligence briefings – real-time force status, political events, and the like. I had a front row to history and it was a busy time for the President and our strategic options. He had much to juggle.
The year began with normalizing relations with China, the Camp David Accords taking effect and ground combat ending with Eygpt and Isreal. Tito and Yugoslavia were getting wobbly. In November the U.S. Embassy in Iran was overrun and the 444-day hostage ordeal for the embassy staff began. On Christmas Eve the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan began.
Carter’s foreign policy led with respect for human rights and his first instinct was to de-escalate rather than deploy force. The power of example over military might was his operational model. I watched these events unfold in real time and I respected how he guided us through those treacherous times without creating a war.
Reagan emerged on the 1980 campaign trail with his brand of belligerent nationalism that was in stark contrast to Carter and my belief, given where I sat, too risky. I am proud to say that my first-ever Presidential vote was for Carter’s re-election. I knew he was a decent and capable leader and he would not squander the lives of my fellow soldiers unnecessarily.
Rest in Peace Mr. President. This old soldier salutes your life of service.

You can reach Dan Splaine at dansplaine@nashuainklink.com