Leaving my small town on a Greyhound bus was my third trip away from home. After a ceremony there, I boarded a train headed for Lackland (my first time on a train since coming to Ohio from Wisconsin at the age of three). This time I was alone. After arriving and being assigned to a flight and a tent, I was shocked to find out I could not get any clothes. Out of my size. Well, I wore the same clothes for about three weeks.

My second shock came when I could not keep in step as we marched. Several times I was called out by name, and the rest skipped a step to get in step with me. Humiliating!

The third shock came when I was denied my mail because I did not answer "Here, sir" as loud as the sergeant thought I should have. This resulted in him taking me to the parade field—him on one end and me on the other. He would yell my name and I was to answer "Here, sir" as loud as I could. Nothing good came of this, but I did get a raspy throat.

To this day I still do not have a strong voice. The VA doctor who checked my throat said I have nodules on my voice box, but that was long after basic training.

Anyway, I endured to the end of the eight weeks and I received my private first class stripe which was the highlight of it all!