Page 64 - Anthology

When we got to Boston, they sent us home for a few days before having to report back down in Florida.
After being in Florida for only about ten days I was shipped to Fort Myer, Virginia.

Fort Myer, Virginia

While at Fort Myer I was in the MPs. And did you know that one Saturday morning we practiced getting
on and off trucks? I couldn’t believe that. Everybody had been overseas, fighting and everything else
and here we were practicing getting on a truck and getting off. But we had to do that just to keep us busy
and give us something to do.
On Fort Myer I was on ration detail part of the time and that was a good job. I took rations around to all
the mess halls. I was helping; I wasn’t the head man, only once on a weekend I was. That picture you
see is a picture of me and Truman up there: President Truman.

I had a nice compliment passed on me while I was at Fort Myer; I had a blouse that you could take the
buttons off and put them on a board to shine. So, I did that and shined my shoes, belt buckle and
everything on a Friday night. On Saturday; we always had an inspection on Saturday mornings; Sergeant
Blake was our sergeant. So, Sergeant Blake and an officer came around to me and the officer said:
“What’s your name soldier?” and I said, “Private Alvin H. Perry sir.”

He looked at my rifle and handed it back to me and he says: “Sergeant Blake, this is the only soldier
you’ve got today. When this inspection is over, I want you to take Private Perry around and show the rest
of your platoon.” I thought that was a pretty good compliment and I get a little choked up about it to this
day.

It is hard for me to keep track of the time, the days and months. I don’t remember how long I was at Fort
Myer. I do remember I was discharged from Fort Myer. I got out in November I think, and I caught a train
back home.