ITM ServShop

So I’m going to the Armed Forces Entrance and Examination Station again. The first time was in November of 1966 for the initial physical. Now that I am considered fit to serve in the Armed Forces, they are hauling me back there for another physical and induction into the Army. If you remember from last time, I joined the Army to dodge the Draft. So I was going down there in the RA Unassigned status. RA meaning Regular Army, unassigned meaning I didn’t have a particular job assigned yet. I could be an Infantryman. Cook, or Electronics Technician. The first two would probably land me in Viet Nam. The last one held promise.

I did have a guarantee that I would be able to audition for the 3rd Army Band, since I was a Music Major in college. I was trying to be optimistic as I waited at the local Greyhound Bus Station. They were picking up the inductees in a chartered bus to go to Montgomery. They had given us a list of things we would be allowed to bring along with us. It wasn’t much. Just a change of clothing and toilet articles, mostly. They even suggested that we only bring $20 in cash. Since they were going to feed and clothe us, that kind of made sense. I was beginning to doubt the sanity of my situation as I waited for the bus to arrive. As my mother would say, I felt like a lost ball in high weeds. The future seemed so uncertain.

The bus ride is a blur now. I don’t remember much, except that I slept quite a bit. I couldn’t tell you just how long the ride was. It was a long one though. We were traveling from the Muscle Shoals area in Northwest Alabama to Montgomery. The C was on the Air Force Base there. I was told by the Recruiter that we would spend a couple of days there and then move on to our Basic Training Units. Since I was RA Unassigned I knew that I was probably going to Ft. Benning. Some of the Draftees had no clue as to which service they would end up joining. They could wind up as Marines or Navy. The Air Force seemed to get enough volunteers so they didn’t draft too many folks. Better them than me, as far as the Marines are concerned.

We got to the Afees and they unloaded us from the bus. We got a little briefing and were taken to the bunk area. It was a huge room with the green Army bunks. We were told to drop our stuff on a bunk and they formed us up to go eat. We trailed down the chow line like a bunch of good little recruits and when we were finished we were clued in on our schedule for the next day or two.

We had to get another physical. Once we passed that, we would be sworn in. Since we had gotten there late in the afternoon. It was about time for lights out. So we bedded down. There must have been at least a hundred or more men in the Examination Station. Some of the guys were taking in pretty well. Some of them hadn’t been away from home a day in their life, previously. Of course there were the usual noisemakers and assholes who wouldn’t settle down. I just wanted to get to sleep and start getting this thing over with.

They got us up early the next day and formed us up for breakfast. It was my first encounter with powdered eggs. An acquired taste, those eggs were. But the rest of the meal was OK. Once everyone had eaten, we were split into groups for the physical. One bunch went one direction, the other bunches went in other directions. All I remember is that we got to make the rounds to all the stops for the exam. After the physical, which took most of the day, they fed us supper and had us settle in for the night. Tomorrow we would, (1) find out which service the draftees would be assigned to and, (2) be sworn into our respective services.

Today was the day. I knew which service I was headed for. The rest of the guys got their assignments. Some did draw the Marines. None got the Navy. Most were Army bound. There was some activity in the morning. I don’t remember just what it was, some testing I think. In the afternoon the gave us a short class in Drill and Ceremonies for the swearing in ceremony. I had spent the last two years in ROTC in college so it wasn’t anything new to me.

When the time came, they lined us up into at least 4 lines. When the officer told us to take one step forward. We raised our hands and took the OATH. Now we were working for our Uncle Sam as Private E-1’s. They gave us a short briefing about what was coming up next. They had us get our stuff together and wait. It seems that those of us going to Ft. Benning, GA, would be leaving late in the evening. Later I realized that this was Standard Operating Procedure. They intended for us to get into Benning early in the AM. And we did…..