I found that somewhere, though I do not remember exactly where. I do not recall the fellow's name, but I think I knew him. I was with him in basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., 1961 and then with him at advanced training at Ft. Devens, Mass.
I say I think I know who he was because when I was in Germany between 1962 and 1964 I heard that an ASA fellow had been killed when he came back to the ASA compound late one night. I say I think I knew him because that story of how the fellow got killed sounds like him. I remember him from basic when all the guidon flags of each platoon came up missing, even the company guidon. The guidons were never replaced while I was in the company, and I remember marching through our final ceremony (they didn't call it graduation then) with just those bare poles going up and down with the commands.
Yet, right after that as we all packed to leave, this fellow called me over to his bunk All five blue guidons lay on his bunk. Oh, and Bravo Company, Third Battalion, Third Training Regiment came up missing an M-1 rifle, too. I never knew for sure, but I suspect that fellow probably got that, too.
I also remember when he was with me at Ft,. Devens that we both pulled KP one day. For those of you who don't know or who never pulled it, KP or "kitchen police," started very early in the morning like 4 a.m. and did not end until late, like after 8 p.m. It was grueling and punishing. The time I pulled it with him, though, we got out at least an hour early. Why? The mess sergeant in charge of the KP's told us if we worked hard we'd all be out by 7 p.m. or maybe it was 8 p.m. Anyway, this fellow had everyone move their watches forward one hour, and he even turned the mess hall clock up an hour.
So, when all of the clocks and watches hit the appropriate hour, the fellow went to the mess sergeant to remind him of his promise. The sergeant looked at his watch, looked at the mess hall clock, asked a couple of other KP's what time they had? When all were an hour ahead, the sergeant shook his watch like something might be wrong with it, but he did let us all go.
The same fellow gave hair cuts and loaned money, $5 for $8 and !0 for $15. What a wheeler dealer! I liked the guy's style, so I hope that first guy killed in Vietnam was not really him. But, I would not be surprised.
I say I think I know who he was because when I was in Germany between 1962 and 1964 I heard that an ASA fellow had been killed when he came back to the ASA compound late one night. I say I think I knew him because that story of how the fellow got killed sounds like him. I remember him from basic when all the guidon flags of each platoon came up missing, even the company guidon. The guidons were never replaced while I was in the company, and I remember marching through our final ceremony (they didn't call it graduation then) with just those bare poles going up and down with the commands.
Yet, right after that as we all packed to leave, this fellow called me over to his bunk All five blue guidons lay on his bunk. Oh, and Bravo Company, Third Battalion, Third Training Regiment came up missing an M-1 rifle, too. I never knew for sure, but I suspect that fellow probably got that, too.
I also remember when he was with me at Ft,. Devens that we both pulled KP one day. For those of you who don't know or who never pulled it, KP or "kitchen police," started very early in the morning like 4 a.m. and did not end until late, like after 8 p.m. It was grueling and punishing. The time I pulled it with him, though, we got out at least an hour early. Why? The mess sergeant in charge of the KP's told us if we worked hard we'd all be out by 7 p.m. or maybe it was 8 p.m. Anyway, this fellow had everyone move their watches forward one hour, and he even turned the mess hall clock up an hour.
So, when all of the clocks and watches hit the appropriate hour, the fellow went to the mess sergeant to remind him of his promise. The sergeant looked at his watch, looked at the mess hall clock, asked a couple of other KP's what time they had? When all were an hour ahead, the sergeant shook his watch like something might be wrong with it, but he did let us all go.
The same fellow gave hair cuts and loaned money, $5 for $8 and !0 for $15. What a wheeler dealer! I liked the guy's style, so I hope that first guy killed in Vietnam was not really him. But, I would not be surprised.
I am not sure he even went to Vietnam, but at the end of our training at Ft. Devens, some of us were given $200 to buy civilian clothes and shipped to Vietnam. I seem to think he was one of those. There, by the way, the ASA compounds were called "Radio Research" units.
