I remember the spring
of 1969; that’s when I had my first look at Fort Benning in beautiful Columbus,
Georgia. This garden paradise was where I had my first encounter with the U.S.
Army after enlisting. The air was heavy and humid, a cool 87 degrees at midnight,
just the place to vacation in early June. I was surrounded by fellow trainees
who were just as happy with the facilities as I was.
Our first morning was a
delightful experience as the Drill Sergeant clanged on an empty garbage can
while flipping on the lights; I knew my Mom would never do this, but he didn’t
seem to care. After a five minute shower and shave, we dressed and double timed
to the mess hall and I had my first introduction to powdered milk and “creamed
chipped beef on toast” or as it is commonly known “S.O.S.”; if you want to know
what that stands for, ask any veteran and I guarantee he will tell you. After
our gourmet breakfast, we were marched to the quarter master and drew our
uniforms and boots; then we went for HAIRCUTS! In 1969 many of the young men
were sporting long hair, and beards and moustaches; all that was about to
change in an instant. Mutton chop sideburns and Afro hair-do’s vanished in less
than a minute, and before you knew it, we all looked pretty much alike.
In less than 10 weeks
we were certified soldiers and went off to advance training at different forts
across America.
After another 10 weeks,
I was a certified infantry soldier and then the real Army started for me and
many others. Over the course of time I found myself with three stripes on my
collar and a squad to run, later followed by another stripe and a platoon.
I often think about
those days back in my youth, sometimes with humor, and sometimes with sorrow. I
have names that I carry with me that I knew then and I have seen them on a
“Wall” one time while with my wife at my side. A few letters carved on a black
wall is all that is left of faces that smiled and friends once treasured.
On November 11th,
we will celebrate “Veterans’ Day” across America, some schools will close, some
will not. People may get a day off and sleep in without a single thought about
why they are home instead of working.
There are memorials for
WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Unknown Soldier in Washington to commemorate
the service to our country of all of those people (sorry they were closed for a
while).
If you happen to have a
Dad, Brother, Sister, Uncle, Grandfather or Cousin who has given his or her
time to serve America, you may want to say thank you to them on November 11th;
they will appreciate it, even if they act a little funny about it ; you see,
they never looked for any thanks to begin with, only the honor of service to
their country.
Remember them because
they never forgot you!
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