SERVING

Those That

SERVED

Stressor Letters

I was good at selling and manipulating people for my own personal gain.  I soon dropped out of high school to pursue the dream of making more money.             

              

Then it all ended.  I’ll never forget that day.  On May 30, 1966, the mail came early that day.  Typically, I did not get mail, but that day I had a letter from the U.S. Government.  Instinctively I knew what it was – my draft notice.           

   

           

LIFE DURING MILITARY SERVICE            

         

In July 1966, I reported to the local MEPS station and enlisted in the U.S. Army.  I was in conflict from the moment I signed my name.  On one hand I saw the Army as a way of living a clean lifestyle.  On the other hand, I missed the excitement and money of the streets.              

           

Basic training was harder than what my friends told me.  The physical training was a piece of cake.  Following directives from angry drill sergeants was hard.  For the most part, I was being yelled at on a daily basis.  I had trouble waking up in the morning.  I had trouble cleaning.  I had trouble with the drill sergeants telling me what to eat and how much.  All my life I had been my own drill sergeant, now I had these army grunts telling what to do and how to do it.  That was a huge adjustment for me.  To keep from getting in trouble I made it a game.  I recruited a couple of guys I knew from the streets to look after my things.  I hired them as my personal assistances.  Because of my reputation in South Chicago I had no problem getting them to do what I wanted.                 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After basic training I was sent to Vietnam immediately.  Assigned to a forward base unit in DaNang, I quickly learned the ropes.  Vietnam was a lot different from what I had been briefed on.  All the military protocol was out the window.  It was a free-for-all existence.  I was sure I could adapt to that lifestyle very quickly, and I was right.  In no time at all I was running a gambling hall behind the scenes.  All of the guys knew to come see me if they wanted a chance a making some extra loot.  I liked DaNang.  I was making money, I had girls, and I was popular with the guys.  It was like a vacation until I got called to the field.         

           

My first impulse was to get someone to take my place, I had a gambling hall to run.  At the same time, I figured I would increase my reputation and respect by going out on search and destroy missions.            

             

On November 3, 1966, my unit commander asked me to lead a group of 17 guys on a mission North of DaNang.  I was glad he asked me.  I knew I could lead, but I informed the commander that I had to handpick who I wanted.  He agreed.  I selected a good combination of city kids and country boys.  These were the survivors.  I didn’t want any privileged punks going out in the jungle with me.