I was drafted into the United States Army on 4/12/1967 and entered the service in Cleveland, Ohio where I took my oath of service. I have a distinct memory of the room in which that took place and I took that “One Step Forward”. I spent the first 8 weeks in basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia followed by assignment to the general Clerk School at Fort Riley, Kansas. While at Fort Riley, I applied for an opening in the Finance School at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana and was accepted. I went thru Finance School there to become a Finance Clerk.
Near the end of the training, an opening came available in the Data Processing Department of the school as a programming instructor. I applied for the position and was accepted. It helped a tad that I already had experience with some of the hardware in use. I spent 8 months or so at Fort Ben, also known as “Uncle Ben’s Rest Home” teaching in the Career Course for Officers and Senior Enlisted men. At the end of that time I was “levied” out for service in Vietnam.
I had 30 days leave and then passed thru advanced weapons training on the way to Fort Lewis, Washington from where I flew to Can Rahn Bay, South Vietnam. I served the balance of my enlistment in Vietnam, leaving on 3/22/1969 to go back to the States and subsequent discharge at Oakland, California. I was awarded a Bronze Star for my service and received an Honorable Discharge.
I have to add that when I was discharged, I was sent by bus to the Oakland Airport for my flight back home to Miami, Florida. I was technically a civilian, traveling in a brand new uniform courtesy of the U.S. Army. I was assaulted in the Oakland airport and spat upon by protesters. Welcome home…..
I have endeavored to acquire some of the printed magazines that were published during my tour and saved all the ones that I was given while in Vietnam. I have my picture in one of them as a consequence of my selection as Soldier of the Month for the entire U.S. Army Vietnam. I have scanned what I have and that makes up a major part of this section of my web page. Eventually I also hope to post some or all of the 1000+ photographs that I took while there.