First Day of Basic

In June of 1954, I was inducted into the Army at Sioux Falls, SD, and we boarded a bus for Fort Leonard Wood, MO. We arrived at the base around 2:00 a.m. and were issued some clothes, a blanket and a pillow, then assigned to bunks in the barracks. We slept for a couple of hours before our Drill Sergeant got us up for roll call and what seemed like an hour of PT.

Afterwards, we lined up for breakfast, and walked past large metal garbage cans filled with hot water. One of the cooks used a pair of tongs to reach down into the container, and handed me a can of Lima Beans! Now, I don’t like Lima Beans for supper, much less for breakfast! My first thought was “I’d heard about Army food, and wondered how I would survive two years of this food!” It turned out that it was “C” ration day for the Company! My "luck of the draw" was a bit better for dinner and supper! Thankfully after that, our meals at the Mess Hall were good, and I even gained some weight during Basic Training!

I eventually ended up as a Cook and Baker for the 370th Armored Infantry Division and, eventually with the 11th Airborne Division in Munich, Germany.

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