Joining the Cadre

I enlisted in the Army Security Agency in March 1959. On April 1st, I got on the train with other recruits. We went to Chicago and picked up some more guys, then on to St Louis where we were supposed to go to Fort Leonard Wood for Basic training.

There, we found out that Leonard Wood was quarantined for a meningitis outbreak. I was then transferred to another train and sent to Ft Knox, KY for basic. I had exactly eight weeks to do basic, since I was due for a training school at Ft Devens in Mass.

Therefore, I was assigned to a basic training group that had already started. When I arrived there, I found that the group was made up of the first group of 6 month National Guard troops.

The Training Cadre wanted nothing to do with the six monther's but had to take them. When I arrived as an RA enlistee and since I had past military school training, I was immediately made a member of the training cadre and spent most of the field training driving the ambulance.

I did all of the usual basic training but did not suffer any of the usual DI harassment.

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