Glenn Collins This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Roane County News

   www.roanecounty.com/articles/2 - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/24/2003   Last Visited: 12/24/2003

   If anything, Glenn Collins, Kingston's newest councilman, is versatle and hardworking, attributes that will come in useful as he serves the balance of former Councilman Bobby Bedwell's term.
   
   Twice-retired, the Kentucky born councilmember never rests.
   
   He spent 23 years in the military including war-time tours in Korea and Vietnam.
   
   He had a ringside seat on the Cold War from manning a nuclear missile in Germany to reporting on the activities of Russians in Nigeria.
   ...
   Collins said he was 14 when electricity came to the area. His father was a coal miner, farmer, carpenter, "anything to make a living for his seven children," Collins said.
   
   At 17 and fresh out of high school, Collins enlisted in the army. He eventually rose to the rank of sergeant major and served in Korea, Germany, Africa and Vietnam.
   
   In Germany, he was assigned to a tactical nuclear missile unit, which provided nuclear coverage for the Fulda Gap, which was a traditional invasion route from the east, Collins said.
   
   In 1963, he applied to the military attache system, which is the Army's diplomatic element that is stationed at embassies around the world.
   
   For his first assignment, he had a choice between Nigeria and Kabul.
   
   Collins said he and his wife "were always fascinated by Africa."
   
   The posting in the capital, Lagos, was considered a hardship mission. Nigeria had just obtained independence from England and there was unrest as the fledgling country tried to govern itself.
   
   Collins said his job was mostly intelligence work. The Russians had a lot of fishing ships that were a little high-tech for fishing, Collins said. He and his family would take the embassy boat out for a jaunt and take pictures of whatever was new in the harbor.
   
   Unrest increased. The Nigerians would drink palm wine and somebody would stir them up and they would attack foreigners.
   
   Once a mob surrounded Collins and his family while they were out in the car, an old 1960s Chevy. Collins said he escaped by speeding away.
   
   During a famous international incident called the Stanleyville Massacre, a group of rebels murdered some missionaries and took more westerners hostage. Collins went to the Belgian Congo to coordinate American help for an international team to rescue the hostages.
   
   With the unrest getting worse and health problems in his family, Collins returned to the United States.
   
   Following a tour in Washington D.C., he was sent to Vietnam.
   
   It was the height of the war and he was still involved with military intelligence. One of his jobs was to find experts all over the world to help with problems the Army was having with the M-16 rifle and helicopters.
   
   Following another tour in Washington and Cincinnati, he retired in 1975 and moved to Kingston.
   
   "We drove around the country and decided that this was the place for us. We were both born less than 200 miles as the crow flies from here, and we spoke the lingo," Collins said.
   
   He attended Roane State Community College twice. Once to study business administration, which led to a career as a real estate broker and again to study computer science. He worked for 14 years in computer operations and as an analyst for the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge.
   
   All the time, he was buying and selling real estate on the side.
   
   He retired for the second time in 1997 from DOE.
   
   Active in community work, Collins is a member of the Roane County Memorial Honor Guard, which is authorized by the U.S. Department of the Defense to perform funerals for veterans.
   
   He and his wife have been active in the Fort Southwest Point Historical Society and restored a civil war cemetery on their property.
   
   Collins is a member of the American Legion and a past president of the Toastmasters Club in Oak Ridge, a public speaking organization.
   
   He helped to establish and build the Lawnville Road Church of Christ.
   
   A year ago he started attending Kingston city council meetings. He said he considered running for the city council last spring, but decided to learn more about it.
   
   Earlier this month, the city council voted to have Collins finish the term of former Councilman Bobby Bedwell who resigned to move to Alabama.