On the road

It was COLD  damn cold and all I had on was a pair of dress slacks , a tee shirt with a dress shirt and a sports jacket.  I did not think things would move as fast as they did.  New Flash!  It snowed in Atalanta Ga on New years eve.  The bus had to return to the station where I spent  new years eve.   Morning came and I guess the sun came out and the bus was able to proceed.   It was night when I got to fort Jackson.  They  took me and a few others in a room while they waited for more people to show up.  Around day light we all fell out into the street to begin processing.  Getting into the Army is not a easy task.  It can, at least it did back then, take days to get squared away.  More tests, physicals, classes and of course large long waits between doing anything constructive.  Did I say it was Cold?  I think it was about the 3rd day when we were marched over to supply to be assigned all our gear.  Two of these, one of theses, hurry up,  Not your size?  close enough, hurry up.  What a sad sight!!  Big ass pants, floppy shirts, boots makes from reinforced cement, almost made me forget that I was way to be a High Level Intelligence  agent.  Next we had to wait a couple of days until our basic training started.  Some things you never forget.  I was in Echo co.  Prudent people would have known that January and February in North Carolina is less than desirable for out door activity.   Did I say it was COLD?  March, run, clean, polish, freeze,  until you get a mite tired.  No passes, no nothing, After 4 weeks we got a Sunday after noon pass.  Could not leave the post but you could go to the PX and EM club.  Wow  It was great to take a break.  Besides it was pay day!!!   E-1 in  1964  made 68 dollars a Month.  Yes you read that right , a Month.  I bought some candy bars and some  more stuff for my food locker inspection display.  Then we went to another PX and drank some beer.  Bad Bad tasting stuff, almost like near beer, not much kick, just enough to make you sick. About this time I messed up and got a weeks worth of KP (Kitchen Patrol).  The first day I was there while I was buffing the floor, I noticed the sarge was having a hell of time typing out the Menu and some paper work.  I asked if I might could help him.  He asked Can you type?  Oh Hell yes and I can make copies, file,  write reports,  I really could as I was a Teachers helper in college.   So we made a deal,  while everyone was in the field, I would do all the paper work but when they got back he would be on my case, nothing personal.  It was a great deal, the cooks brought me cake and pie and special stuff they cooked for their self.  But when all the officers were around they would bitch and run my ass around.  Just a game, It was funny then and is funny now.  My fellow basic training people included a group of Draftees from North Carolina.  The Army had not been integrated very long so dealing with  back people was a new experience. I had never went to school or even worked with black people before.  There was no problem,we got along pretty good.  We were all in the same jam.  I remember one time someone said You know we never have eaten dinner with a black guys before.  The Black guy said " Same for us we have never had much to do with white people"  Point was well taken.  Most of them very very good people, just like us.