Page 92 - Firehouse Pond

I was recalled after only six days. On arrival back at Fort Ord we were told

we would be shipping out for Vietnam in five days and we were not allowed
to call home. What! We had agreed to that additional year and promised
Europe, not Vietnam.

We had been told we had chosen a “safe” MOS and was guaranteed Europe.
How could the U.S. Army possibly be doing this? There had to be a mistake.
Perhaps the most important education we received was “the government

always has an out”, and “Other Duties as Assigned” would follow us every
step of the way.

We got lucky. As it turned out one of the guys in our unit just happened to be
the grandson of a state congressman. He broke the rule, called grandpa, and
we were soon told our next duty assignment would be in Germany.

Suddenly, all twenty-six of us were shipped to Mannheim, West Germany.
th
th
We were assigned to the 14 General Supply Company, 56 Quartermaster
nd
Battalion, 2 Quartermaster Group, of the U.S. Seventh Army, United States
Army Europe (USAEUR). We became stevedores: Fancy name for box
handlers. But we did NOT go to Vietnam; at least not right away.