Best Laid Plans
I really did not plan to join the military after graduating from high school in 1971. After all, the Vietnam War was going on and thousands of troop were dying over there.
I did not have a great desire to save the world, travel, learn a "useful" trade, or become a career military person. I had planned to go to college right after high school.
But I did not have the funds to attend college after high school and dad made it clear that he would not contribute to my education.
In fact, he would not even sign the form stating that he would not contribute.
So, although I was reasonably safe that my draft number would be picked, my brilliant plan was to join the military to qualify for the G.I. bill.
I thought that I could complete at least one degree that way.
But since I did not want to be another infantryman sent over to Vietnam, I had to be careful.
I tried the Air Force first, but when I walked in wearing my glasses, the recruiter said I didn't qualify. It turns out that wasn't true, but I didn't know that at the time, so I moved on. I definitely did not want to join the Marines and the Navy did not appeal to me.
I could not imagine being imprisoned on a floating jail for months. Besides, I couldn't swim.
I moved on to the Army recruiter.
Of course the Army would take anybody, at least for the infantry, so I enlisted for three years so I could pick a career in administration.
After all, they wouldn't send you to the front lines carrying a typewriter! I ended up picking an MOS of 75D personnel records specialist. That should be safe.
Contrary to what some people say, I found basic training fun. Well except for the fact that I trained in Fort Polk, LA. Trainees get to play war games, camp out, shoot interesting weapons, and hang out with a bunch of interesting individuals from all over the United States. Like I said, it was fun.
Of course, we had a "recycle" in our company who had been reduced in rank and sent back through basic training for assaulting an officer. He claimed it was because the officer was an idiot who repeatedly risked the lives of the troops in Vietnam. I don't doubt that he really believed that.
But he knew a lot about the military code of justice and what the drill sergeants could and could not do. He also knew tricks to ensure that our company would always pass inspection, in fact, always win first place in virtually every competition.
I was almost sad when basic training was over and we were supposed to move on to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) where we would learn our Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for our chosen (or assigned) jobs. However, I was one of five people selected from our company to attend an optional Leadership Training School. I had never heard of such a thing.
We were supposed to train for two weeks on how to give commands and orders in the field, lead troops on maneuvers, maintain discipline, etc. Although I had no plan of becoming a career soldier, I decided that this training would help me earn promotions faster. Our five selectees were lumped in with 15 others and we dove right into the training.
It was not as much fun as basic, no camping, no weapons, no physical training, but it was a good group of individuals. The Tact Sergeants, as the trainers were called, were nicer and more supportive than the Drill Sergeants had been and gave a lot insights about the conflicts between the officers and enlisted men in the Army.
I finished second behind a young man who had already decided to make the Army his career probably because his dad was an Army Major. I wished him luck with that.
Finally, it was time to move onto AIT to learn the MOS of Records Specialist. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Now I was two weeks behind schedule because of the Leadership Training so I was concerned that I would miss the good duty assignments (like Fort Shafter, Hawaii).
Instead, I would likely get one of the left-over assignments (Fort Polk, LA). So, I needed to complete the AIT quickly. The Army allows six to eight weeks to complete the AIT training, but it was self-paced, so I was able to push through in six days. I knew that I would get a choice duty assignment.
Plus, the orders section of the base administration command would not be ready to cut orders yet. I thought that I would get to goof off for at least a month.
Nope. Instead, I was given a temporary duty assignment to the company clerk's office as morning report (MR) clerk. Every morning, I needed to complete a morning report which tells headquarters the status of every single person assigned to the company.
There were two things working against accurate morning reports. First, this was a training company which had a lot of turnover and daily changes (sick leaves, TDY, AWOL, etc.), and second, the last morning report clerk had left unexpectedly, and the office was a complete mess.
Finding an accurate old MR was impossible as was finding the recent orders or complete regulations. Filling out that first MR was accomplished with long phone calls to headquarters and Army Publications (source of Army regulations). When I took it to the company commander for signature, he advised me that all MRs are kicked back at least once. But it was accepted by headquarters as it was written.
When the company commander came to my desk later in the morning asking about the morning report, he stated that the company had never had a MR accepted on the first try. Instead of taking the rest of the day trying to correct a bad MR, I spent it updating all of the regulations, organizing the company's records, and filing all of the general and special orders that had gone unfiled for months.
In all of the time that I worked as MR clerk, not one report was ever rejected. The company commander seemed to appreciate my efforts and was genuinely saddened when I had to leave.
A little over one month later, the company commander came to my desk looking worried. He handed some orders to me and stated that my duty assignment had come in. He stated that he could try to get them changed, perhaps have me permanently assigned to his company. I didn't know what he was talking about until I read the assignment location.
Yep, you guessed it, Vietnam.
He called over all of the members working in the company clerk's office to see if they knew anything about agency that I was about to be sent to or its position in Vietnam. The agency was Defense Communications Agency (DCA) which was located just outside of Tan Son Nhut airbase near Saigon.
Later, I found out that DCA was a Department of Defense Agency that was created after World War II to monitor enemy communications and support US communications world wide. In 1991, its name was changed to Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). One of the sergeants stated that this was a relatively safe location.
Despite the company commanders offer, I decided not to fight the orders and began my out-processing from the training company. I really appreciated the respect and support that I received from everyone in the company clerk's office and especially from the company commander. Before I departed, the company commander even wrote a letter of recommendation for my work. It's probably the only time a morning report clerk on temporary duty assignment received a letter of recommendation.
There you have it. The one goal was to avoid being assigned to Vietnam. Best laid plans.