| General Non-Fiction posted May 12, 2023 |
  |
A journey less traveled.
My Introduction to War
by John Cranford
In the Summer of 1968, I graduated from college. My celebration didn't last long. Below is a string of events that would change my life.
The Letter:
It came a few days after my graduation and was the typical 'Uncle Sam Wants You' letter. It instructed me to report to the Army Induction Center in Atlanta for a two-day physical exam. Those two days were not ones I hold dear.
I have never been poked and prodded by more doctors during those two days. And I have never seen more naked men bending over at one time in my life. I hope to never see that again. I finally reached the last desk where a decision would be made concerning my eligibility to be drafted into the Army. Since I weighed a whopping 110 pounds and had flat feet, I figured I would be disapproved for service. To my surprise, I saw the approved stamp hit the paper. The fact that I was breathing was apparently the deciding factor in the decision. Thus began a long and unexpected journey.
Basic Training, Fort Dix, New Jersey:
It was July the Fourth, and I was not celebrating my independence. After arriving at Ft. Dix, a recruiter snagged me and said I should apply for Officer Candidate School (OCS) since I was a college graduate. He said I could choose any branch of the Army I wanted; Transportation Corp., Quartermaster Corp., etc. I reluctantly agreed. The next week our drill sergeant told us only three OCS schools were available: Infantry, Artillery and Combat Engineers. I leaned my head against a tree and said in the words of the old TV actor William Bendix: "What a revolting development this turned out to be." I chose combat engineers. After graduating from Basic, I boarded a train bound for the Midwest. I wasn't happy. My hair had eight weeks to grow back from being shaved in the first week of basic. They took delight in shaving my head again just before we left Ft. Dix. Oh yeah, I now weighed 140 pounds without a single ounce of fat.
Advance Individual Training (AIT), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri:
Next stop, Ft. Leonard Wood where combat engineering training is centered. When I reached Ft. Leonard Wood, it was October. Ft. Leonard Wood is known as 'Little Korea' because it gets so cold. I remember training missions at night in November with no lights or fires to keep warm. I was told to jump into a foxhole full of ice, I responded, "I don't think so." The training sergeant just smiled and walked away. Thankfully, upon surviving the eight weeks training, they didn't shave my head again.
Officer Candidate School (OCS), Fort Belvoir, Virginia:
Next came 23 weeks of intense leadership training after which you were commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and agreed to two years' service. I arrived at Ft. Belvoir on a Sunday afternoon. They told me my class was full and I would have to wait a week for the next class. They sent me to the barracks where many OCS candidates had completed training but declined their commission. They said after completing training, you were not commissioned as a combat engineer, but in military intelligence and sent to Vietnam as a combat platoon leader.
I began to rethink what I was doing. I did not plan to make the Army a career. In the back of my mind, I was aware that the life expectancy of a 2nd Lieutenant in combat is not that long. Coupled with the fact that I was facing 23 more weeks of rigorous training and then an additional two years, I decided to drop out of OCS. I'd already been in the Army for more than 16 weeks and by dropping out, I would only have to complete the remainder of my 2-year active duty obligation. I was released after a tongue-lashing by a Lt. Colonel in which he said, "Men are dying to be in your position." I'm not sure he realized how prophetic those comments were.
Home Sweet Home:
A few weeks later while I was on leave, I received orders for Vietnam. A thirty-day leave becomes a blur when you realize the uncertainty of what the future holds and the prospect of having to leave your family. I remember walking down the main street of my hometown and wondering if I would see it again. It didn't seem right to me that people were walking around enjoying their daily lives when mine had been turned upside down in the last six months. Nevertheless, thirty days quickly passed and I was on my way.
Fort Lewis, Washington and beyond:
I arrived at Ft. Lewis in January,1969. Upon arrival, they took away our winter gear and replaced it with jungle fatigues. It was only 19 degrees and a bit nippy. That wouldn't last long. We boarded a Braniff Airlines jet and 22 hours later, after a stop in the Philippines, we landed in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam just before sunrise. As I exited the plane, a blast of humid, hundred degree weather hit me in the face. I no longer needed the winter fatigues. I noticed in the distance the tracers from a Cobra attack helicopter firing on a Viet Cong target. I thought to myself, welcome to Southeast Asia. I think the words of the modern-day prophet, Mr. Robin Williams, would have been more appropriate when he said, "GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!"
As I reached the bottom of the plane's stairs, an attractive, young flight attendant looked at me and said, "Good luck. This is safest you will be during your tour in Vietnam." I thought that was a bit curious for her to say; but in retrospect, she was right.
War writing prompt entry
In the Summer of 1968, I graduated from college. My celebration didn't last long. Below is a string of events that would change my life.
The Letter:
It came a few days after my graduation and was the typical 'Uncle Sam Wants You' letter. It instructed me to report to the Army Induction Center in Atlanta for a two-day physical exam. Those two days were not ones I hold dear.
I have never been poked and prodded by more doctors during those two days. And I have never seen more naked men bending over at one time in my life. I hope to never see that again. I finally reached the last desk where a decision would be made concerning my eligibility to be drafted into the Army. Since I weighed a whopping 110 pounds and had flat feet, I figured I would be disapproved for service. To my surprise, I saw the approved stamp hit the paper. The fact that I was breathing was apparently the deciding factor in the decision. Thus began a long and unexpected journey.
Basic Training, Fort Dix, New Jersey:
It was July the Fourth, and I was not celebrating my independence. After arriving at Ft. Dix, a recruiter snagged me and said I should apply for Officer Candidate School (OCS) since I was a college graduate. He said I could choose any branch of the Army I wanted; Transportation Corp., Quartermaster Corp., etc. I reluctantly agreed. The next week our drill sergeant told us only three OCS schools were available: Infantry, Artillery and Combat Engineers. I leaned my head against a tree and said in the words of the old TV actor William Bendix: "What a revolting development this turned out to be." I chose combat engineers. After graduating from Basic, I boarded a train bound for the Midwest. I wasn't happy. My hair had eight weeks to grow back from being shaved in the first week of basic. They took delight in shaving my head again just before we left Ft. Dix. Oh yeah, I now weighed 140 pounds without a single ounce of fat.
Advance Individual Training (AIT), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri:
Next stop, Ft. Leonard Wood where combat engineering training is centered. When I reached Ft. Leonard Wood, it was October. Ft. Leonard Wood is known as 'Little Korea' because it gets so cold. I remember training missions at night in November with no lights or fires to keep warm. I was told to jump into a foxhole full of ice, I responded, "I don't think so." The training sergeant just smiled and walked away. Thankfully, upon surviving the eight weeks training, they didn't shave my head again.
Officer Candidate School (OCS), Fort Belvoir, Virginia:
Next came 23 weeks of intense leadership training after which you were commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and agreed to two years' service. I arrived at Ft. Belvoir on a Sunday afternoon. They told me my class was full and I would have to wait a week for the next class. They sent me to the barracks where many OCS candidates had completed training but declined their commission. They said after completing training, you were not commissioned as a combat engineer, but in military intelligence and sent to Vietnam as a combat platoon leader.
I began to rethink what I was doing. I did not plan to make the Army a career. In the back of my mind, I was aware that the life expectancy of a 2nd Lieutenant in combat is not that long. Coupled with the fact that I was facing 23 more weeks of rigorous training and then an additional two years, I decided to drop out of OCS. I'd already been in the Army for more than 16 weeks and by dropping out, I would only have to complete the remainder of my 2-year active duty obligation. I was released after a tongue-lashing by a Lt. Colonel in which he said, "Men are dying to be in your position." I'm not sure he realized how prophetic those comments were.
Home Sweet Home:
A few weeks later while I was on leave, I received orders for Vietnam. A thirty-day leave becomes a blur when you realize the uncertainty of what the future holds and the prospect of having to leave your family. I remember walking down the main street of my hometown and wondering if I would see it again. It didn't seem right to me that people were walking around enjoying their daily lives when mine had been turned upside down in the last six months. Nevertheless, thirty days quickly passed and I was on my way.
Fort Lewis, Washington and beyond:
I arrived at Ft. Lewis in January,1969. Upon arrival, they took away our winter gear and replaced it with jungle fatigues. It was only 19 degrees and a bit nippy. That wouldn't last long. We boarded a Braniff Airlines jet and 22 hours later, after a stop in the Philippines, we landed in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam just before sunrise. As I exited the plane, a blast of humid, hundred degree weather hit me in the face. I no longer needed the winter fatigues. I noticed in the distance the tracers from a Cobra attack helicopter firing on a Viet Cong target. I thought to myself, welcome to Southeast Asia. I think the words of the modern-day prophet, Mr. Robin Williams, would have been more appropriate when he said, "GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!"
As I reached the bottom of the plane's stairs, an attractive, young flight attendant looked at me and said, "Good luck. This is safest you will be during your tour in Vietnam." I thought that was a bit curious for her to say; but in retrospect, she was right.
The Letter:
It came a few days after my graduation and was the typical 'Uncle Sam Wants You' letter. It instructed me to report to the Army Induction Center in Atlanta for a two-day physical exam. Those two days were not ones I hold dear.
I have never been poked and prodded by more doctors during those two days. And I have never seen more naked men bending over at one time in my life. I hope to never see that again. I finally reached the last desk where a decision would be made concerning my eligibility to be drafted into the Army. Since I weighed a whopping 110 pounds and had flat feet, I figured I would be disapproved for service. To my surprise, I saw the approved stamp hit the paper. The fact that I was breathing was apparently the deciding factor in the decision. Thus began a long and unexpected journey.
Basic Training, Fort Dix, New Jersey:
It was July the Fourth, and I was not celebrating my independence. After arriving at Ft. Dix, a recruiter snagged me and said I should apply for Officer Candidate School (OCS) since I was a college graduate. He said I could choose any branch of the Army I wanted; Transportation Corp., Quartermaster Corp., etc. I reluctantly agreed. The next week our drill sergeant told us only three OCS schools were available: Infantry, Artillery and Combat Engineers. I leaned my head against a tree and said in the words of the old TV actor William Bendix: "What a revolting development this turned out to be." I chose combat engineers. After graduating from Basic, I boarded a train bound for the Midwest. I wasn't happy. My hair had eight weeks to grow back from being shaved in the first week of basic. They took delight in shaving my head again just before we left Ft. Dix. Oh yeah, I now weighed 140 pounds without a single ounce of fat.
Advance Individual Training (AIT), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri:
Next stop, Ft. Leonard Wood where combat engineering training is centered. When I reached Ft. Leonard Wood, it was October. Ft. Leonard Wood is known as 'Little Korea' because it gets so cold. I remember training missions at night in November with no lights or fires to keep warm. I was told to jump into a foxhole full of ice, I responded, "I don't think so." The training sergeant just smiled and walked away. Thankfully, upon surviving the eight weeks training, they didn't shave my head again.
Officer Candidate School (OCS), Fort Belvoir, Virginia:
Next came 23 weeks of intense leadership training after which you were commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and agreed to two years' service. I arrived at Ft. Belvoir on a Sunday afternoon. They told me my class was full and I would have to wait a week for the next class. They sent me to the barracks where many OCS candidates had completed training but declined their commission. They said after completing training, you were not commissioned as a combat engineer, but in military intelligence and sent to Vietnam as a combat platoon leader.
I began to rethink what I was doing. I did not plan to make the Army a career. In the back of my mind, I was aware that the life expectancy of a 2nd Lieutenant in combat is not that long. Coupled with the fact that I was facing 23 more weeks of rigorous training and then an additional two years, I decided to drop out of OCS. I'd already been in the Army for more than 16 weeks and by dropping out, I would only have to complete the remainder of my 2-year active duty obligation. I was released after a tongue-lashing by a Lt. Colonel in which he said, "Men are dying to be in your position." I'm not sure he realized how prophetic those comments were.
Home Sweet Home:
A few weeks later while I was on leave, I received orders for Vietnam. A thirty-day leave becomes a blur when you realize the uncertainty of what the future holds and the prospect of having to leave your family. I remember walking down the main street of my hometown and wondering if I would see it again. It didn't seem right to me that people were walking around enjoying their daily lives when mine had been turned upside down in the last six months. Nevertheless, thirty days quickly passed and I was on my way.
Fort Lewis, Washington and beyond:
I arrived at Ft. Lewis in January,1969. Upon arrival, they took away our winter gear and replaced it with jungle fatigues. It was only 19 degrees and a bit nippy. That wouldn't last long. We boarded a Braniff Airlines jet and 22 hours later, after a stop in the Philippines, we landed in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam just before sunrise. As I exited the plane, a blast of humid, hundred degree weather hit me in the face. I no longer needed the winter fatigues. I noticed in the distance the tracers from a Cobra attack helicopter firing on a Viet Cong target. I thought to myself, welcome to Southeast Asia. I think the words of the modern-day prophet, Mr. Robin Williams, would have been more appropriate when he said, "GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!"
As I reached the bottom of the plane's stairs, an attractive, young flight attendant looked at me and said, "Good luck. This is safest you will be during your tour in Vietnam." I thought that was a bit curious for her to say; but in retrospect, she was right.
|
Writing Prompt Write a story where a character is in war or is about to be in war. Fiction or non-fiction. |
You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.
© Copyright 2024. John Cranford All rights reserved.
John Cranford has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
