Jack, like many young men of his era, elected to enlist in the Army during Vietnam instead of waiting for the dreaded lottery to call him up. Along with several young men from the neighborhood, he headed for bootcamp. Arriving in Vietnam just after the Tet Offensive, Jack was stationed by the South China Sea.

Jack spent time in Thailand before returning stateside unharmed, though a bit war-weary and emotionally drained. His life took a dramatic turn during his 30-day furlough to Pawtucket before going to his next post at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. While home on leave, Jack survived an automobile accident as a passenger in his friend's car, although his life would be forever changed. Jack emerged from the accident as a quadriplegic with limited upper body mobility.

Jack made the move to Mexico and discovered life. He discovered love and heartbreak.  He devoted himself to the betterment of himself, other paras and quads through the Mexico Chapter of the PVA, and, most importantly, the charitable activities that benefited surrounding hospitals, schools, and orphanages. Jack formed lifelong friendships with paras, quads, and the people who loved them.

When inflation and rising costs pushed Jack and others out of Mexico and back to the States, Jack bought a home and settled into a life full of friends and family. After a friend pointed out the disappearing history of Jack's time in Mexico, he decided to write a book chronicling the para and quad communities that made Guadalajara into Quadalajara. The result was Quadalajara:  The Utopia That Once Was.

"I considered selling my Arizona home with the pool in both 1989 and 1991, and returning to what once was the place that forever changed so many of our lives. I never did.  Memories were all that remained: memories of getting a second chance in life, memories of those who touched our lives, memories of a unique place in a unique time--Quadalajara."