Winter at Fort Knox, Ky.

My venture into military service began early in the morning on a day early in December 1967, here at home in Detroit at the Fort Wayne Induction Center.

After taking our physicals and being sworn in, we were then taken to Metro Airport, where we were then flown down to Kentucky and bused to Fort Knox.

As inductees, we went through a two-week in-processing program of uniform issue and barracks orientation to basic training. Our group was to rotate with another group after our two weeks, so we could go home for the holidays and return to Fort Knox after New Year's. The other group would do its in-processing during our holiday break.

Once all of us inductees returned to post, we then began our two-month military training in one of Kentucky's coldest winters—January 1968. There was nothing pleasant about marching in formation to all our periods of instructions, drills and physical training in early mornings for roll call and the mess hall. I still remember our company's designated number, D-11-3, in those old coal-fired boilers of World War II. During that training cycle, we had to not only endure all those hours of physical training and constant drills, but also the constant cold, ice and snow. Even though we wore long-johns and extra heavy winter clothing, it seemed like we never wore enough to stay warm throughout the training cycle. I remember us no sooner marching into a warm classroom than our heads would begin "bobbing," as sleep over took us and the drill instructors would make us stand until we'd wake up.

The majority of us came down with coughing, either from the cold weather and us crowded into close locations or from the old coal-fired boilers in our barracks.

With weaponry, inductees began to earn our badges in qualifying with the M-14 rifle and all items associated with what we'd be using.

One interesting time of my training that I managed to avoid was having to go through C.S., or the "gas chambers," while I pulled kitchen police. After hearing what my fellow trainees went through, I sure felt lucky to miss that experience.

Being 1968, it was the beginning of some of our trouble times, especially having just experienced the Detroit riots while working the afternoon shift at Detroit Diesel. I saw other recruits questioning being drafted, like most of us were, and having to trust them during the remainder of my training. It wasn't until toward the end of training that I felt relief of leaving all that pressure behind and getting on with my next part of advanced training at Fort McClellan, Ala.

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