My platoon leader was hoping to transform his gold bars to shiny silver bars if we came through the maneuvers with shining colors. I had been the acting squad leader for my machine gun squad and I was the only soldier in the squad that was able to disassemble the 30 caliber weapon and put it back together blindfolded. Six months down the road, preparations were just about finalized to take part in our first maneuvers. It was only then that we learned that we were now part of the 100th Infantry Division. We were then loaded with our newly issued gear onto waiting army trucks that took us to Fort Jackson. When the word came to disembark, we learned that we had arrived in Columbia, South Carolina. The Battle of the Bulge was two years away and the clock was now ticking.Īfter nightfall several days later, we boarded a train with the shades drawn and were instructed not to raise the shades until we arrived at our final destination. Little did I know at the time how this test would affect my stint in the Army. It was now 10:00 PM and before we could flop down on our hastily made beds, we were ordered outside and marched to a huge hall where we were given an I.Q. Each new recruit received 6 shots that first day. At last, our very first meal in Uncle Sam’s Army….YUK! After a series of lectures and meal number 2, we were ordered to sApril 3, 2014->very first “shots”. The general feeling among the raw recruits…are these people perverts? We were then issued our fatigue and dress uniforms, shoes, duffle bag, etc. We were then issued what seemed to be plastic raincoats and stood in line in the near freezing weather for our very first Short Arm Inspection. These were to be shipped back to our homes. Upon arriving at my new home away from home, we were told to strip down and deposit our civilian clothes in the empty cartons that were given to us. It all began in Brooklyn, New York when I received an official notice from my Draft Board to report at 7:00 AM for a free bus ride to Camp Upton, an army base located in Long Island, New York. THE GENESIS OF HERBERT STONE’S ODYSSEY TO
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