I was drafted in 1953 at St. Louis, sent to Ft. Custer, Mich., and then to Camp Atterbury, Ind., for basic training – not a lot of fun times.
We had a boy from New Jersey who tried to go AWOL. The cadre was tough on him. He was on Kitchen Patrol (KP) duty when we went to the firing range. The lieutenant and sergeant were walking around like “banty roosters.” Someone asked them if the boy who went AWOL had found them. In two seconds the “wheels were gone!”
I was on KP duty and had just finished. The cook walked by and slid his hand across the trays and said “greasy” and started throwing utensils back into the dirty water I had not yet drained.
About the time the last tray and utensils rattled, the back door opened, and I heard “Come on! We are shipping out!” I looked at the cook and just said “Have fun!” He was the only one there. As I went out the door I hollered again “Have fun!”
I have often wondered if he has forgotten this episode. I haven’t, even after 64 years.