Page 91 - Firehouse Pond
P. 91
A SOLDIER AND AN OFFICER
As it turned, out adding a year would be eventful and invaluable. It opened
the door for this poor, uneducated boy to become a soldier and later in my
career, an officer who served twenty-two years as a proud member of The
United States Army.
The U.S. Army offered all the basics:
Money.
Food.
Clothing.
Shelter.
Education.
And, an escape from poverty.
OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED
After basic training at Fort Lewis, I was transferred to Fort Ord, California. I
was close to home and the weather was nice. No more Washington rain. I
had chosen my MOS; I was on my way to Europe, not Vietnam. Life was
settling down for the young soldier.
Little did I know that Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Ford Ord was
more than learning how to be a supply clerk - my chosen MOS.
The training included two weeks of Republic of Vietnam (RVN) training. All
soldiers, regardless of MOS, were required to undergo the RVN training in
case they were needed on an “as-needed” basis for service in Vietnam.
Fifteen weeks after that first-ever airplane ride, I was no longer a recruit. I
was a soldier. I was granted a fourteen-day leave. I went home. Things were
not as I had left them. I had changed. I was a soldier. I had direction and
goals. I was no longer the uncertain person of the past.
