After “falling out” and “falling in” and lining up rather awkwardly my first morning at old Camp Rucker in Alabama, the sergeant who was doing all the shouting at us said, “I need one volunteer.” Then he paused a moment before he added “He needs to be a special kind of guy. I need a latrine orderly for the day. Who wants to volunteer?”
Well, I didn’t know what a latrine was, and I didn’t know what an orderly was, but they sounded sort of important. So, trying to appear eager to please, I rather snappily stepped out of line one pace and shouted back “Here, Sir!”
Eighteen hours later, when I was finally able to stop long enough to shower, shave and get to my bunk, I swore that would be the last time I would volunteer for anything in this man’s Army.
Of course, I didn’t really mean it, and I actually grew to have great admiration and respect for that sergeant – Lt. Colonel MP Corps Archie Hamlet.