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March 25, 1971.....my first day in the military.... (Page 2)
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ProwlerOnline, Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler Discussion Forum
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March 25, 1971.....my first day in the military.... (Page 2)
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| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 This topic was originally posted in this forum: Tires, Rims Discusssion |
| Author | Topic: March 25, 1971.....my first day in the military.... |
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tangled up in BLUE Prowler Junkie Posts: 11086 |
posted 03-25-2003 09:41 AM
....Some dates and happenings are burned in our brain forever....I bet every guy out there, that may forget an anniversary, or the birthday of a spouse or loved one, will remember their first day in the military...the adventure started out in Indy, taking a commercial flight of all things....the flight landed in San Antonio Texas at approximately 3am....by the time we were loaded in the old blue busses and transported to Lackland AF Base it was nearly 5am and most of us had been awake nearly 24 hours....it was very apparent we were "not in Kansas anymore".... Dorothy was a hooker and Toto was dead...we were hustled off the busses to a small dirty looking mess hall of sorts and offered pancakes and a few other left overs from who knows where...to this day, 32 years later, the smell of pancakes and maple syrup gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach...I have never eaten a pancake since....I remember getting off of busses several more times that morning, being yelled at by everyone we encountered...I had no idea there was so much adrenaline available to so many so early in the morning.....the day honestly is pretty much a blur of filling out forms, getting undressed, getting dressed again, standing in various lines, waiting for hours on end in total silence...realizing your "mommy" was no match for the Sargent yelling at you from a distance of two inches...you learned to move IMMEDIATELY when told....I realized before the day was out that my style of clothing was not acceptable, and I was sized for a new wardrobe in various colors of olive drab, tan and blue........I now wore boots I would never have bought on my own....our clothing smelled strongly of dyes, felt like cardboard and were so stiff we had to tear the pant legs open with our hands to get our feet in ...we had approximately thirty seconds to get dressed and become accustomed to the new life style....haircuts were also the order of the day and apparently my hair was nearly a foot longer than they wanted it to be....very odd standing there seeing the hundreds of guys getting haircuts and not recognizing ANYONE when they came back outside.....I hated being there....I learned how to march EVERYWHERE I went, no talking or making noises( Lou Reeds "Walk On The Wild Side" was stuck in my brain for weeks while marching), I didn't like to do push ups so I was VERY quiet during training.....I learned that I had to do for myself, no one was there to do anything for me....it was several weeks before we were allowed to make phone calls home to the family or the "sweeties" as they were called....as time went on, mail call was a most treasured time of the day....a day without mail was like a day without oxygen....I learned that words don't hurt...I learned there WERE guys that were meaner than I was, and I was no slouch ....I learned that we were there for a purpose, accepted that and did my best to do my best....I survived....I know many things in life and the world have changed in the last few decades, but I bet Basic Training has changed very little....the object is to break you down and rebuild you as a competant, self sufficient human being....during the last week or so I have been mesmerized by the news programs, it has been like a trip thru the past....different faces, different equipment, different parts of the world, but all in all, these are young guys, that have dreams, ambitions, families, friends, co workers.....I just can't believe how some Americans will not give our troops their full support.....today, I am a quiet veteran....have a few simple interests in life, the older you get the less important some things are....I am still married to my grade school sweetheart, she traveled the world with me during my years working for Uncle Sam.....I enjoy time with my kids, and granddaughter....enjoy cars and still play "Walk On The Wild Side" everytime I cruise......GO TROOPS !!!!!! |
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ed monahan Prowler Junkie Posts: 33595 |
posted 03-25-2003 10:06 PM
Tangled, May 21, 1965. The SUPREMES singing Baby Love every time you walked into the PX. Having to be at the Federal Building at 8 AM to catch the 5 PM bus to Ft. Knox. I could have walked there and gotten there sooner. We ate two meals at the Greyhound Bus Station across the street from the Federal Bldg. while waiting. That was the first day, THEN it really got screwed up. Oh yeah, I got drafted so I was really happy to be there. This message has been edited by ed monahan on 03-25-2003 at 10:07 PM |
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George C Prowler Junkie Posts: 297 |
posted 03-26-2003 12:24 PM
July 16,1962....the beautiful memories..learned to love being a morning person,eating my favorite food of the day...S.O.S.,COOL haircuts,everyone dressed the same,got lots of exercise,plenty of quiet time(guarding a stupid piece of pipe in the middle of the jungle),became intimate with mosquitos,slept with some really great guys,got a neato machine gun,lots of $$$$,life was good in those days.Like staying at a resort.....I MISS IT !!!!!!! |
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Prowler Prowler Junkie Posts: 745 |
posted 03-26-2003 04:04 PM
I'm sure we also got to see things that we never dreamt possible had we stayed back in "The World". You're right tangled, I'll never forget Feb. 14, 1972. God, what some of us would have given for a little acknowledgement back then. ALL THE WAY TO BAGHDAD, GO TROOPS!!! |
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Steven R. Gary Prowler Junkie Posts: 760 |
posted 03-27-2003 01:25 PM
May 2, 1966 2:30pm leave Detroit and flew to San Diago, met what they said was my "NEW" dad. Sure made me appreciate the old one. Tried to join Air Force, they were full, refused to join the Navy, hated bellbottoms, didn't consider the Army, to many getting killed so went to Marine's and was given aviation Guarenteed, WOW, safe now.. OOPs, they never told me being a gunner in the open door of a chopper was part of the air wing. Came home safe and many did not. H*&^ those protestors that think there freedom is guaranteed to them and they deserve it because thay are in the US. |
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ETMIDZT Prowler Junkie Posts: 2278 |
posted 03-27-2003 01:48 PM
Oct. 18, 1965....Navy! Loved them bell bottoms & can swim like a fish. Rather swim than crawl on my belly. Great travel arrangements....6-mos of sailing at a time...Lots of beans...Big bucks swabing the deck.... God Bless Our Troups ! And come home safe!! |
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tangled up in BLUE Prowler Junkie Posts: 11086 |
posted 03-27-2003 08:54 PM
.....I had a tough time choosing between the Navy and the Air Force......I found out the Navy MADE everyone learn how to swim(I still can't swim and am allergic to the sun)...I figured the AF couldn't MAKE me fly so that looked like a good place to be...had a lottery number of 10 and had to go somewhere....my base pay when I joined was $3.00 more than my car payment, so the car(69 Chevelle SS 396 conv) went quickly....never needed it anyway, because my next stop was overseas...... |
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CTProwler Prowler Junkie Posts: 3915 |
posted 03-28-2003 07:46 AM
My draft # was 264. The war ended that year anyway, none of my high school classmates ever had to go. My family has fought in every war and if i was called i would have gone, no questions asked! Does it do any good to protest, lay down in the streets and block traffic? I think the cops in NY should have let them lay there. If they think they are so right they should die there in the streets being run over by 18 wheelers and taxis. Now that would impress me! Dieing for your cause. Those Candy As_ Puss_s ------------------ |
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Randy Cobb Prowler Junkie Posts: 4070 |
posted 03-28-2003 10:00 AM
CTProwler -You and I must be about the same age. I was born in Jan. of '54. Those born in '54 were given numbers (mine was 280 something), but not called to serve. Those born in '53 were called to serve. Vietnam was winding down. I did have a high school friend who was born in Dec. of '53 ( less than 1 month older than me) who was called and unfortunately was killed in Vietnam. I would definitely have served had I been called. I remember seeing upperclassmen, when I was a freshman in college, sweating out exams because they had marginal grades and were terrified they would lose their deferrments. Life takes us down paths and at the fork we choose to go a certain way that changes us forever. I was a basketball player and made a recruiting trip to the Naval Academy in Dec. of 1971. I wasn't seriously considering Navy, but went anyway. It was cold, windy and raining in Annapolis that day. I saw no girls, no bars and a bad ball team practicing. I declined an appointment/schlorship to the Academy and I'll always question in my heart and mind if that was a good decision. ------------------ |
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