Military Service

One of my Yahoo friends has written extensively (for him) about 30 years ago joining the Air Force. I read his blog to honey, who has the distinction to having been a sergeant in the Marines and later an officer in the Army. He smiled as I read the blog and said maybe I should write something about him going into the service. He was in college (junior college) and went to the gym one day where the draft (that’s right, involuntary service) was being held over a loud speaker live from Washington. He says they were near the end of the number and then they announced the birth date of a friend and the number “two”, and honey smiled and said to his friend, “shitty luck for you”, and a few minutes later his birth date came up, “ten”. He thought that was OK, but then they said they would be drafting the first 10 “immediately”, and his friend started laughing.

Honey says they went to the apartment and consumed a lot of beer, knowing life in the future was going to suck. It was there a guy at the bar says he knew how to avoid the draft, and they started talking. Turns out he was a recruiter, and told them if they enlisted, they could get a occupation of choice, not get screwed. Honey went for it. He did a delay to finish that semester and was soon scheduled for his physical at the Oakland California Armed Forces Entrance Examination Station.

He did fine and came home, proud he had enlisted in the Marines, like his dad had done during Korea. Later he got a phone call from Oakland, a Navy commander was asking him if he would like to consider switching to the navy; he has scored exceptionally well on the aptitude tests. What’s the deal he asked? We want you to switch to the Navy and become a nuclear power specialist…oh, but you will have to enlist for 6 years, not 2.  Honey says he thought about it, but thought 6 years, crap he’d be in his mid20’s when he got out; forget that!

Honey says flying to the east coast was puzzling to him, since there is a recruit depot in southern California. He remembers getting off the plane and wandering around with this big envelope of paper they mailed him, which he was supposed to bring with him. He soon recognized other lost looking young men with envelopes like him. Eventually a Marine came walking through the airport, the most shiny black shoes, blue trousers with the red stripe, and khaki shirt. Honey says the guy looked to be maybe a year or two older then him, and had a crap load of ribbons on his shirt (Honey says its called a blouse in the Marines). He calmly rounded them all up, and they walked to a military bus , to take them “to your new home, people.” All was well until he says they arrived at the main gate, and a terrified looking young man in marine fatigues jumped onto the bus and yelled “ DRILL SERGEANT, THESE PEOPLE  ARE TO BE PROCESSED AT  ..” honey does remember , but it was their destination…and upon arrival, he said there were several large red brick buildings and across the street several buildings he knew from his dad were called  Quonset huts . It was then that the hell began, and several Marines dressed as the one at the airport, and their escort from the airport began yelling to get their slimy “rear end” off the bus. Honey actually says the string of profanity was dazzling, far surpassing anything he had ever heard. He remembers some of the guys from recruit training, but says he will never forget Staff Sergeant Vinzena. He was the most profane, meanest, out and out sadistic man honey has ever met. He was both admired and hated by the men. Honey says once they were doing exercises and this guy came alone and starting yelling and screaming and they all took off on a run in the rain, on a disgustingly hot humid day. Soon a jeep came along with a officer, looking for sergeant Vinzena and locating him called the men to a halt and proceeded to chew out the sergeant for running the men on a red flag day. Sergeant said he was merely showing the men what a Royal Marine Commando has to do, and introduced the other man. The officer, unimpressed, said to walk the men back to the area and report to him.

He says that if you want to truly experience the closest recreation to his own experience, by far the best movie is Boys In Company C…. he plays the recruit depot part at least once a year, notably on the day he got out of the Marines, July 20 1973.

The rest of his tour of duty is something he does not talk about, and I mean ever. There is a picture in our home of him and several other men in a clearing, cleaning weapons and eating out of cans. Honey says they were his squad in the war. The only other picture he has (at least on the wall) is a black and white picture of him and another guy behind a wall next to a car riddled with bullet holes. He was given the picture by a photographer for Stars and Stripes. I have no idea where it was, all honey says is it was shitty. If you have ever seen the movie “Full Metal Jacket” during the part where they go into a small city honey leaves the room, says he “don’t want those nightmares”.  

OK time to end this blog, I am starting to wander and my eyes are… well, watery. I love my honey, and all those that put their very existence on the line for us as a people.