I was 19 when I got drafted into the Army. Mail call was one of the best
times of the day.

But at least once a week the drill instructor would hand out the mail, wait a few minutes and then ask who got a Dear John letter.

When no one replied, he would order all personnel with the first name of John to step forward. I was one of those. He then picked one of us to read the opening line of our letters.

Most, of course, started with "Dear John."

The drill instructor would then have the Johns do push-ups for not reporting it as ordered. I did a lot of push-ups in basic.

After a few of these, I got smart. When the drill instructor asked for any Dear John letters, I stepped forward, which was a big mistake. To this day, I wonder if doing push-ups wasn't easier than being "awwwed" at by an entire company of soldiers.

This is my basic training story.