Family Day, Fort Dix, N.J., D-4-3, sometime in November.

 

Lasting impressions

My senior drill was SFC Stevenson, a Vietnam veteran infantry soldier. We were in a class about properly wearing the uniform in our first week of BT. SFC Stevenson came out all sorts of messed up. The other drills yelled at him, calling him a "rag bag" and other terms I won't print here. He was "run" out of the room. The other drills continued going over the proper uniform wearing until suddenly, a booming voice yelled "ATTENTION!!!" Of course, we all jumped to our feet, and SFC Stevenson marched in wearing his dress mess. I was floored. I'm pretty sure he had about every medal aside from the CMH. We think the last ribbon meant "Continued on the other side." To this day, I still check my "gig line." During my enlistment, all my senior NCOs were Vietnam or Vietnam-era veterans, and I owe them so much for forging me into the man I became.

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