My Time in the Army

After I completed my first four years of college, I enlisted in the U.S.Army.  My father had been an officer in the Army Air Corps (now the U.S. Air Force) during World War Two. He went to officer Candidate School (OCS), so I signed up for OCS as well. I began my military service as an enlisted man. I went through basic training and advanced enlisted training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Not a pleasant place. Hot and sticky humid in the Summer; cold as hell in the winter.  Adjusting to military life was not easy.  Mentally and physicallly, it was and remains the toughest thing I have ever experienced. 

It took about 16 weeks, but I got through enlisted training okay.  I was then assigned to the Army Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvior, Virginia, about 15 miles south of Washingfton, D. C. The enlisted training was a cake walk compared to OCS. The first twelve weeks were near constant stress.  I understand why they did it. The whole idea is to train candidates to function effectively in a stressful environment. We're talking about soldiering.  Officers are supposed to lead. They're supposed to be able to function effectively in the most stressful and dangerous circumstances.

We were pushed to our personal limits and beyond. Despite my personal immaturity,  I made it. I got all the way through the 26 weeks of training. I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.   I am the oldest child and it met a lot to my father that I followed in his footsteps...at least far as the military is concerned. He was proud of me.  I also felt pretty good about myself, having endured the experience and pushed my personal envelope well beyond its previous limits.

I was assigned to a branch of the Army called the Adjutant General Corps. I went on from Fort Belvior to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana for branch training.   Compared to the guys that were assigned to combat branches like infantry, artillery, and armor,  a gig in A.G. was relatively easy duty.  Indianapolis was a nice city.   I extended my stay there and took the officer training course in data processing management.

After that, I received my first actual duty assignment in Germany.  My time based in Europe had its ups and downs. I was there for a total of fourteen months before a twist of fate gave me the opportunity to end my active duty military commitment early.  I was honorably discharged and a few months later, I was back living in Seattle, Washington, where I was admitted to the University of Washington for post-graduate studies.  

While a student at the UW, I served in the Army Reserve at a base called Fort Lawton in Seattle. After a few years, I was promoted to the rank of Captain.  That was very gratifiying for me and my dad, because he reached the rank of Captain in the Army Air Corps during World War Two. 

When I completed my post-graduate studies at the University of Washington, I decided to move on to seek my fortune in Los Angeles.  I ended my military service at that time.

I can't say that I enjoyed being in the Army. The regimen left little room for independent thought.  They had written regulations for everything.  We used the term, 'by the numbers' to refer to how things should be done in the Army. Some people thrive in that kind of environment. I did not. But, I don't regret my time in the service. I am a better person for having done it.