In 1999, I tracked down a couple of guys I spent two years with
in the Army back in the late 1960s. One (a former New York City slicker) lived
in rural Georgia and the other (originally from Columbia, Missouri) lived in
Austin, Texas.
Since my place was approximately an equal distance from the
two guys, I invited them to northern Arkansas for a weekend visit. They’ve been
coming here on occasion ever since to participate in our impromptu Army
reunion.
For them, it’s an opportunity to get away from the wife and
let off some steam. For me, it’s a reason to vacuum the rug and hide breakable
objects.
The past couple of years, due to scheduling problems, they've
been unable to venture this way for the gala event. It’s hard to imagine that
you could have a scheduling problem with just three guys but we often do.
All three of us were drafted during the Vietnam Conflict.
The government preferred not to call it a war. They didn’t want it to burden
the American public with the knowledge that some of our military men and women
were dying in swamps halfway across the world for reasons they couldn’t easily
explain, but word got out anyway.
The three of us spent our two years at Fort McPherson in
Atlanta, Georgia, in the Third Army Data Processing Company at Third Army Headquarters.
Compared to what most had to endure during the Vietnam Era, it was easy duty,
shuffling paperwork in an air-conditioned building near the golf course.
Now we meet on occasion and swap tales about our military
exploits. Being three northerners in Georgia in the 1960s wasn’t exactly a
picnic. Some of the locals were still upset about losing the Civil War and
didn’t care to have a bunch of Yankee carpetbaggers residing in their southern
midst.
The New Yorker who now lives in Georgia has three grown
sons. The oldest and youngest boys have proven to be levelheaded enough to have
found suitable employment and appear to be surviving in the real world. His
middle son, Jeff, who seems equally sane, had opted for a 20-year career in the
military.
Jeff enlisted in the Navy many moons ago and spent 20 years
in the service as a welder in the Seabees. He was in the initial assault into
Iraq. He has also seen duty in Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, Kuwait, San Diego, Seattle
and Biloxi, Mississippi.
Life in the military isn’t for everyone. Once you’ve joined,
you’re locked in for your enlistment period that is anywhere from three to six
years depending on various factors. You can’t quit and walk away. You wear what
they give you, live where they tell you and do whatever task you’ve been
assigned to do. Nonconformity will be severely discouraged. You’re basically a
small cog expected to function smoothly within a giant machine. And if you
don’t function smoothly, you’ll be engineered and re-tooled until you do.
On the positive side, there are certain advantages to
military life. The pay is reasonable and the job security is unrivaled. You’ll
get free housing, meals, clothing, medical treatment and so forth. You’ll also
have the opportunity to travel to foreign lands. And you can retire with full
benefits after 20 years.
November 11 is Veteran’s Day. Everyone should take a few
minutes that day to silently praise our military people for their valiant
efforts. It’s fine to criticize the leaders who put our forces in harms way,
but our troops deserve our support.
Stopping evil by force is a thankless task. Let our troops
know we appreciate their sacrifice.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Going to war without
France is like going deer hunting without an accordion." Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf
___________
Bret Burquest is the author of 10 books. He
lives in the Ozark Mountains with a couple of dogs and has a deep appreciation
for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
___________
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