It was the summer of 1965 during my first few weeks in basic training as a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. We weren't permitted to receive "bootle," that is, packages of food sent from home. Such packages, if sent, would be confiscated by our cadet trainers. Either my mother or I figured out a way around that rule. Because we could receive letters that weren't screened for content, she began sending me packets of pre-sweetened Kool-Aid hidden inside her letters to me. Upon receiving these delicious treats, my roommate and I would wait until the "Taps" bugle sounded at 10 p.m., then creep out of our beds, pour the Kool-Aid into our canteens, add water, shake it up and quietly enjoy for a few moments the great delight of this forbidden snack.

The best thing about it: We never got caught.