In the old days men from our Territories were also drafted into the Army. We had a guy in our Company at Fort Jackson, South Carolina who could not speak or understand English. He some how made it until we went into the field for Gas Mask Training in preparation for the Gas Chamber.

We sat on bleachers for hours of instruction; then given a break. We climbed back up on the bleachers not knowing that some NCOs were behind us and began throwing tear gas canisters under the bleachers.

We quickly realized what was going on and began using our training to put on our gas masks, all except one guy, who had not understood a word, and jumped from the top with a ear-splitting scream and ran into the pines.

The NCOs divided the rest of us up into pairs and told us to go into the woods and find this lost soldier. My friend and I realized that this was our first true true break we had since induction. We then came upon a blue berry patch and spent probably over an hour stuffing ourselves. The NCOs were relieved that the lost one was found and that we, the last pair had returned.

Now the rest of the story: Back in the barracks we heard an commotion and looked outside to see a soldier spread out on the hood of a jeep being slowly driven away. We found out the next day that it was our lost soldier on the hood. He had swallowed a bottle of aspirins (I still wonder how he got them in basic training,)and was given a discharge and sent back home.

I still think of the blueberries...and the Gas Chamber.