The son of a United States Navy man, Joe Scida grew up all over the country in varying cities and states based on his dad, John’s, station. With most of his upbringing in Hawaii, Scida graduated from high school in upstate New York. In September of 1981 on his 19th birthday, Scida enlisted in the Navy.
“I wanted to join the Navy, but they weren’t taking anybody for about nine months,” Scida said. “I got up and said ‘Okay, I’ll go talk to the Air Force recruiter,’ and I only made it to the hallway before the Navy guy realized I was serious and told me that I could go in in November.”
Scida spent 25 years in the Navy as an electrician, maintaining the equipment on the ship and responding to emergency situations of the ship’s equipment. Four of those years overlapped with his dad’s tenure before his retirement.
“I could sleep through any noises, lights and alarms on the ship, but if we lost power, the sounds of the fans coming down would wake me up every single time,” Scida said.
Scida enjoyed being at sea. After spending two or three years on a ship, he would request another ship when the time was up to avoid having to do a rotation on shore. Scida met his wife, Cherrise, in 1999 while both were on active duty aboard the USS Monongahela. They married in 2001.
“The military was a unique experience that not everybody got to share,” Scida said. “I got a taste of it as a child when my father would take me to his various duty stations, whether it was on shore or on a ship.”
In 2006, Scida retired from the Navy in Bremerton, Washington. That same year, he took a job with ArcelorMittal and moved his wife and kids to Valparaiso, where they have been ever since.
After growing weary of the physical environment of a steel mill, Scida applied to be an engineer at the Crown Point Veterans Administration (VA). Five years into that role, he applied for the administration officer position which he held for seven years until December of 2021.
“It was a big change financially and literally leaving ArcelorMittal, but I felt like helping fellow veterans was a lot more important,” Scida said.
Retirement from the VA didn’t last long however. Two months after his last official day, he began volunteering twice a week to drive veterans to various appointments and meetings they needed to attend. Since then, he has taken a job as a part time Veteran Service Officer in Portage.
“Cherisse is a full time employee of the Crown Point VA, but she is also in charge of the volunteers,” Scida said. “Now twice a week, I report directly to her.”
Scida has spent a large majority of his life performing sacrifice and service, first to his country and now to his fellow veterans.
“It’s always nice when you can help somebody. When people come to me with their thanks and appreciation for the help I gave them or their family, it’s more than enough. That makes it all worth a lot,” Scida said.
While not a Region native, Scida thinks Valparaiso is an awesome place to live. He appreciates all the different restaurants, shopping and pieces of history. Although his active lifestyle doesn’t leave much time for hobbies, Scida enjoys playing a round of golf, entertaining his cats, spending time with his two kids and traveling.
“The Navy was the best time of my life,” Scida said.