One late Friday afternoon in September, 1960, my best friend Billy and I decided that we would go down to the Motown building and dazzle Berry Gordy Jr. with our talent and secure a recording contract for ourselves. Upon arriving we were told to come back on Monday morning and we would be given a chance to audition. Fearing that we were being given the runaround I began advocating for our joining the Army. I argued that Motown's future success was not guaranteed but the Army was pretty much a sure thing. I prevailed and so on Monday morning we were at the Fort Wayne induction center, a place where all branches of the military are represented.
Our intention was to join the Army and we were first subjected to having our aptitude tested and then we stripped for our physical. Billy passed everything with flying colors, but as my weight was measured I ran into a snag. It seemed that I was four pounds under the minimum requirement for entry into the military. I was given a mix that I was to mix with milk that I had to drink so much of each day. I was also told not to do anything physical other than what was necessary. I strongly believe that someone must have put a foot or a finger on the scales to help me out because I weighed in at exactly one hundred, twenty-one pounds, the bare minimum.
As I sat waiting to be directed to the place where I would be officially inducted, a passing Air Force Recruitment Sergeant stopped to ask what branch I was going into, I told him the Army, he asked why and I told him that my buddy Bill and I were going in on the buddy plan. After I had explained to him about the weight problem and that Billy had gone in the month before, he explained that I would never catch up and that I might as well do myself a favor and go into the Air force where the blue uniforms were far cooler than the Army green. Even though I agreed it was what he said about the Air Force being more concerned with technology than physical aspects, no digging ditches, no fighting from trenches, none of that. I was sold. So, I sold out my friendship with Billy and went into the Air Force instead. What happened next was a big surprise and set the tone for the four years that I was in the United States Air Force.