I grew up as a Juvenile Delinquent.......
To describe my youth, all I can say is that the movie "The Outsiders" was my life story.
I broke out of the W.J Maxey Boy's Training School in 1966 and hitchhiked into Detroit and joined the Army.
The Fort Wayne Induction Station in Detroit.....what a joke!
The induction station was filled with college educated pussies trying to not get drafted, and here I was....wanting to join.
We stood in line in our skivvies.....nurses sticking us with needles, and doctors grabbing our balls and telling us to cough!
Then we did the written tests......and I never finished the 10th grade......but those question were so easy!
When all was said and done......the Recruiter asked me....."You have good scores, what do want do in the Army?"
" I want a guarantee for Airborne Infantry!"
The recruiter looked at me like I was crazy........
So I went to Basic Training at Fort Knox.
2/3rds of the company were draftees from Williamsport PA!
I was treated like a king...because I enlisted.
Basic training was a blast...that shit was easy!
Then I went to Infantry AIT at Fort Gordon.....more easy shit!
Then Jump School at Fort Benning in the spring of 1967.
Jumping out of planes was easy..well worth the extra 55 dollars a month, especially when you were only making 128 bucks a month!
Then I got assigned to the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell in June of 1967. Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion of the 187th Rakkasans!
That was when I learned what a Cherry was!
I remember that first Saturday formation......we had passed Barracks inspection, and after the Saturday noon formation we were free till Monday morning.
Time to get drunk and have fun...right?
Platoon Sargent inspects us...dismisses us for the weekend....and says...."Boxing starts at 1300 hours!
I start walking away from the formation......and three guy's grabbed me....."Where do you think you're going Cherry? You are boxing today!
The next thing I know, they are putting gloves on me and sending me into the ring.
I was just skinny white boy and I was scared as shit!
I get in the ring against a big guy that looks like he wants to eat me for lunch!
I will never forget my Platoon Sergeant telling me that day......."You have to get in the ring....it's what you signed up for. But remember, that we are all in the ring with you
and we all have your back. Now get in the ring and kick that ****ers ass. And if things go bad.....we will jump in the ring!"
I would like to say that I jumped back in the ring and kicked that guy's ass.....but at least I jumped in the ring, and I didn't let him kick my ass!
Being fast and skinny helps you survive!
To describe my youth, all I can say is that the movie "The Outsiders" was my life story.
I broke out of the W.J Maxey Boy's Training School in 1966 and hitchhiked into Detroit and joined the Army.
The Fort Wayne Induction Station in Detroit.....what a joke!
The induction station was filled with college educated pussies trying to not get drafted, and here I was....wanting to join.
We stood in line in our skivvies.....nurses sticking us with needles, and doctors grabbing our balls and telling us to cough!
Then we did the written tests......and I never finished the 10th grade......but those question were so easy!
When all was said and done......the Recruiter asked me....."You have good scores, what do want do in the Army?"
" I want a guarantee for Airborne Infantry!"
The recruiter looked at me like I was crazy........
So I went to Basic Training at Fort Knox.
2/3rds of the company were draftees from Williamsport PA!
I was treated like a king...because I enlisted.
Basic training was a blast...that shit was easy!
Then I went to Infantry AIT at Fort Gordon.....more easy shit!
Then Jump School at Fort Benning in the spring of 1967.
Jumping out of planes was easy..well worth the extra 55 dollars a month, especially when you were only making 128 bucks a month!
Then I got assigned to the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell in June of 1967. Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion of the 187th Rakkasans!
That was when I learned what a Cherry was!
I remember that first Saturday formation......we had passed Barracks inspection, and after the Saturday noon formation we were free till Monday morning.
Time to get drunk and have fun...right?
Platoon Sargent inspects us...dismisses us for the weekend....and says...."Boxing starts at 1300 hours!
I start walking away from the formation......and three guy's grabbed me....."Where do you think you're going Cherry? You are boxing today!
The next thing I know, they are putting gloves on me and sending me into the ring.
I was just skinny white boy and I was scared as shit!
I get in the ring against a big guy that looks like he wants to eat me for lunch!
I will never forget my Platoon Sergeant telling me that day......."You have to get in the ring....it's what you signed up for. But remember, that we are all in the ring with you
and we all have your back. Now get in the ring and kick that ****ers ass. And if things go bad.....we will jump in the ring!"
I would like to say that I jumped back in the ring and kicked that guy's ass.....but at least I jumped in the ring, and I didn't let him kick my ass!
Being fast and skinny helps you survive!