Flashes Of Army Moments

Flashes Of Army Moments

 It seems like yesterday that I graduated from High School and headed off to Tarleton State College to play football. Once I determined that my 175 pounds was not going to stop those freight train ranch boys who weighed in at 300 pounds, I picked a safer way of paying for school, Army ROTC was the way for me until I leaned that most of the previous year’s graduating class had been killed in action! The life of an Army 2LT was not very long during the Viet Nam war.

 Left Tarleton State College and returned home to Waco, Texas where my new job was working for a funeral home as a Hurst driver and Greeter, also lived over the funeral home next to the embalming room. While working decided to continue my education since the war was still on going and going to college might keep me from the war.

 While working at the funeral home it was mentioned to me that there was a Police Grant Program offering free tuition and books if once your criminology education was completed you worked for a police department.

 After much consideration I started taking criminology courses at McLennan Community College while working as a Police cadet (1969 - 1970) for the Waco police department in Waco, Texas. Yep, the life of a policeman seemed much better than life on the front line of a football team or in a WAR.
The U.S. was fighting a war in Viet Nam at that time and the Army decided it was time for me to serve a two-year hitch in the Army as a two year draftee. I on the other hand did not feel like going to war and had to be reminded by the U.S. Marshal Service that joining the Army to see the world was better than going to jail as a draft dodger! The Marshal Service did not care my draft number was a high one, the war was almost over, or that the Draft Board had not sent me an official letter.
No idea how those folks pressured me into two years in the Army?

 Had never been anywhere outside the State of Texas other than a quick trip to Oklahoma which I considered part of Texas, never been on a commercial aircraft and thought Army life would be a great change for me instead of the Marines. Well I felt the change would be good since the Marshal Service and apparently the Draft office thought the change would be good for me.

 The draft is no longer around and young people today have to join the military because they want to experience military life, not because the Marshal Service or the draft board wants them to join the military.

 The thought of my being able to fly on a commercial aircraft and see places other than Texas excited me and made me want to be a part of this new experience called the U.S. Army.

 Left Texas for Ft. Lewis, Washington to attend Basic Army Training in 1970.

 After 8 weeks of learning how to be a soldier in the infantry, graduated from basic training and was a real live Army soldier. Basic training was hard physically and mentally but I was young and had no problems learning how to walk, talk and fight as a soldier.

 Life as a soldier is not for everyone, but it can be fun depending on what you want out of it. I wanted to see far off places and meet new people, the Army provided me with all of those things.

 Washington State looked just like Texas to me with the exception of the mountain called Mount Rainier that dwarfed Fort Lewis and the entire area. It also seemed like it rained a lot while training. Did not get to see anything in Washington State except Fort Lewis because I in basic training you do not get any time off.

 Was given a choice of Infantry training at Fort Lewis or Military Police training at Fort Gordon, GA. Decided to be an Army Military Policeman but had to increase my time in service from two year US draftee to three year regular Army, was flown from Fort Lewis to Fort Gordon, GA for 8 more weeks of Advanced Individual Military Police (MP) training.

 While in basic and advanced training learned never to volunteer for anything but ended up volunteering all the time. Near the end of advanced training the Army told us that if we volunteered for duty as MP’s with the Army Security Agency (ASA) we would not be going to Viet Nam since ASA was not in Viet Nam. Should have known that was bull but when you are 19 you tend to hear and see what you want to hear and see. Liked the idea of the ASA because I would not be going to Viet Nam and was going to be assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.

 Was a platoon leader in Basic Training and at MP Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and enjoyed those positions. I did so well in my Basic and AIT training was promoted to the rank of Private First Class (PFC). That was a big deal in the 1970’s.

 Living in Georgia and Washington was a real change since the people in those states talked very differently than we Texans did. They had accents. Being the outgoing type guy that I was managed to get along with all those non-Texans!

 While home on leave in Waco, Texas received a telegram from the Army. Yep, telegrams were bad news in those days. Should have torn it up and tossed it without reading it but opened it and was notified selected for duty with the 509th Radio Research Group (ASA) and my orders to Fort Hood were canceled.

 Flew out to Oakland, California from Texas in route to Viet Nam. Yep, the Army had lied to me and was sending me to an ASA unit or should say signals intelligence unit in Viet Nam.

 While at Oakland Army Terminal was assigned to security duty the first hour and then to the local MP's for five weeks to assist in stopping the anti war riots. Yes, Oakland, CA was a hot bed of anti-war riots and Oakland Army terminal was a target.

 Once the stomp drag riot duty was over provided a week of security at the terminal trying to keep the returning soldiers from getting into fights with the soldiers who were being assigned to go to Viet Nam. This was a real eye opener for a 19-year-old who had never been out side of the State of Texas.
From Oakland flew to Anchorage, Alaska were we stopped over for five hours or so. Very expensive place even in the 70s, a cup of coffee cost me $3.00 with no refills. While leaving Anchorage, the plane skidded off the run way and piled into a snow bank. We had to run across five football fields of runway to get back to the terminal. Several more hours later we boarded another plane and flew to Japan.

 Landed in Japan at US Air Force Base, several hours later we headed out on our last leg of the trip and flew into Saigon, Viet Nam.

 On landing all of us who were Private First Class (PFC) were promoted to SP4.
Stayed for five weeks at what was called MACV compound with the 509th Radio Research (RR) supporting the 709th MP's in riot control in Saigon before being assigned to my real unit at Nah Trang.

 Flew to Nha Trang, Viet Nam from Saigon where I stayed for about six months pulling security duty (flight line and convoy security) for the 144th Avn Co MP's.

 Got a month vacation to Australia but in route was diverted to the U.S. since Australia was off limits to U.S. soldiers for some reason. Ended up flying back to Waco, TX for a month. It was strange being back in Waco after being in Nha Trang but again when you are 19 you get over all these problems. The month was gone so quickly, flew back to Viet Nam.

 Landed in Nha Trang the second time to find my unit was being moved to Can Tho, Viet Nam located in the southern most part of Viet Nam.

 Just made the last flight out of Nha Trang to Can Tho where spent my remaining time in Viet Nam doing convoy duty and guarding security bunkers.

 Managed to get assigned to Ft. Hood, TX to get some real MP duty for about a month. My MP unit was then assigned to the Post Stockade where I was a Corrections MP. Riots followed me and there were many riots at the stockade, we had fires, escape attempts, assaults on guards, fights, and just wild times at the prison.

 Left the active MP's at Fort Hood, Texas and was reassigned to the Army National Guard MP's in Waco, TX as a SGT.

 My years with the Army were up but had to spend a year with the National Guard since I was trained as a policeman, which added an extra year to my draft status. Yep, the Army saw me coming and got plenty of time out of me for God and Country.

 While serving with the National Guard at Waco also worked as a Waco Policeman and loved it.
Guess they are right when they say once you go off to see the world you have a hard time going back home. My National Guard MP unit was called to active duty and was headed for Viet Nam. Waco did not seem to be the big city it had been when I was drafted into the Army years earlier so I decided to make a change.

 Decided to go back to the active Army and not go back to Viet Nam with my National Guard unit. I was out of Waco and working for the Army MP's at Ft Gordon, GA before I knew it.

 Managed to go from a line MP CPL/SGT to a MP Desk Sergeant, then to an MP investigator SGT and the rest is history.

Left Ft Gordon, GA and arrived in Stuttgart, Germany and worked for the 42nd Customs MP Investigators and was promoted to SSG. These were hard days and lots of activity that kept me away from home and family a lot.

 The stress of Army and police/investigator life caused me many problems in those days. Was out working with the Germany Customs Agents for weeks at a time and that caused lots of strain on my family and me.

Selected to be an Army Criminal Investigator in 1975 and worked very hard while assigned to the semi-undercover drug team as an overt and semi-covert agent. Life in the customs unit was hard but life in the CID was even harder.

 Assigned to Ft. Ord, CA where continued working as an Army Criminal Investigator Special Agent with the semi-undercover drug teams.

 Worked hard at living and playing while at Ft. Ord before being reassigned to Hanau, Germany working again in semi-undercover drug operations. Promoted to Sergeant First Class (SFC) and then later to Warrant Officer One (WO1).

 My life in those early years with the Army was tough and my life was not fun all the time. Saw the world, lived life to the fullest, but my life was lived by playing so many rolls and parts, being other people, living as another person, not living as ME.

 Moved to Ft. Hood, TX where I was assigned to the Fraud investigative team and was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer TWO (CW2). While at Ft. Hood became very ill and ended up in the hospital for two weeks, then a month of medical leave. Once out off medical leave was reassigned to Germany.

 Wurzburg, Germany was my next fun assignment where I was an investigative team chief. While in Wurzburg had so much fun that I got to move out to the mountains and live and work in a German castle town called Wertheim. Living and working in the mountains was the way to enjoy life in those days.

Assigned to Ft. McClellan, AL as a drug team chief and then to the Military Police and CID school as an instructor for undercover drug operations for CID. Ended my 21-year career, which started as a two-year draftee as a Military Policeman and Criminal Investigator at Ft. McClellan, AL.

 Reading over this, there was much more to my Army life but if I told you all of it, well you know, yep, IWHTKY and you would not be able to read the other stories of the life and times of ME - smiling