Jack McCabe was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He attended both Catholic elementary and high schools. He joined the Army in 1969, two days after his 18th birthday and was sent to Vietnam in October of 1970. He extended for a second tour and finally came home at the end of May 1972, finishing his three-year enlistment at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
Upon his return from Vietnam he pursued his education using the G.I. Bill and received an associate degree in electronics engineering from DeVry Institute. Years later he continued at night school and received his bachelor’s degree in business and management from Northeastern Illinois University in 1981 at the age of 30.
Jack owned his own business for twenty years and then sold real estate for 20 more until he retired and moved to North Carolina where he became a certified Peer Support Specialist with a veteran designation. He worked for three years as a volunteer helping veterans with PTSD, financial, family and health issues.
He published When We Came Home in 2017, which shared the stories of Vietnam veterans and their return home from Vietnam. It explored their adjustment and the problems they faced afterwards.
His second book, Those Left Behind was published in 2021. It told the true story of a helicopter that was shot down in 1970. It follows many of the passengers and crew of that helicopter as well as the family members and the tragic loss they dealt with.
Jack left the seriousness of the Vietnam War behind and wrote a light and sunny personal memoir of his youth. He published Rosaries, Baseball and a Brick to the Head in 2024.
At the urging of friends and family he chronicled the stories of his childhood. It is a nostalgic ride back to the 50’s and 60’s in this often funny, sometimes heartbreaking, memoir of growing up Catholic in blue collar Chicago. The author’s dilemma of being an ADD student under the strict supervision of Catholic nuns combined with his unsupervised antics when away from school promises chuckles and gasps. Sure to be enjoyed by all generations.
