By:KEITH GRANT
After two decades offering comfort and defense for people all over the world, Rockville Centre native Maj. Paul J. Cancelliere is retiring from the U.S. Army.
Cancelliere spent 22 years on active duty. While the last five were spent teaching future Army officers in Boston, his career is notable for its time spent in all corners of the world. His efforts provided comfort for Kurds in Iraq, help for citizens of Rwanda, and always the defense of Americans and their allies everywhere.
Cancelliere's interest in the military took root while growing up in Rockville Centre, where his mother, Dorothy, had also been raised. The family has a long history of serving in the armed forces, according to Dorothy. Three members of Cancelliere's extended family have been through West Point, and a member of the family is said to have served in the nation's military going as far back as the Revolution.
The future Army officer gained an interest in the military early on. He attended LaSalle Military Academy in Oakdale, and when he arrived at Hofstra as a student he quickly joined the R.O.T.C. (Reserve Officers Training Corps). Upon his graduation in 1981 he was commissioned an Infantry Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
"We're very proud of him and what he's accomplished," said Cancelliere's father, Frank. "He's been to some pretty raunchy places."
Most of Maj. Cancelliere's career has, in fact, been spent abroad. He's left his mark in Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, northern Iraq, and Rwanda. The latter site provided him his greatest challenge. "And it had nothing to do with combat arms," he said.
Rather, the infantry officer's task was to open the gates for humanitarian aid to come into the war-torn African nation. He served as the director of logistics, helping to empower hundreds of citizens to re-establish their civil and social infrastructures, bringing economic stability to the ravaged country.
Seven years before the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime, Cancelliere contributed to "Operation Provide Comfort," the mission to protect the Kurds of northern Iraq from Hussein forces. His efforts opened the gates for humanitarian relief workers and non-governmental operators to enter into that region, bringing in much-needed material and services.
He also led a diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia in support of U.S. strategic military interests. Cancelliere developed and implemented long-range training concepts that broadened the professional development of the Royal Saudi Infantry Officer Corps. His programs continue to be applied today, reducing dependency on the American military in the region.
However, it was acting as a company commander within the now well-known Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga., that Cancelliere says was one of his truly most rewarding accomplishments.
"That was an awesome responsibility and an awesome task," he said. "You directly influence the lives of every one of the soldiers."
For the last five years of his decorated career, he has directly influenced dozens of future Army officers as an assistant professor of military science at Boston University. He has taught his cadets that, "Being an officer is a form of service. It's a tremendous selfless opportunity to serve your country. It's not something you make money in or become famous. There's more sacrifice involved than fame."
Now at home with wife Catherine and their children Joseph, Thomas, Michael, Elizabeth and Francesco, the Wakefield, Mass., resident expects to keep busy in his retirement. He recently completed his Masters in Business Administration at Northeastern University. He's been published in Infantry Magazine, has lectured on operations in Rwanda, the Middle East and the Balkans. In recent years, he helped to form the Weston Military History Group, and has served as an advisor for the WMD Task Force, Inc., a consulting company in the Homeland Security industry.
During his career, Cancelliere earned the Meritorious Unit Award, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Expert Infantry Badge and the Parachute Badge.
However, awards fall far short of what Cancelliere says is his greatest accomplishment.
"The single most rewarding thing I've accomplished is that in every mission, all of us have gone in, done our job and come out alive."
