45 years ago, a day I remember...

[Venturous Randy]

I was in Knoxville, TN and after completing all the physical and paperwork requirements, I stood with a bunch of other guys and was inducted into the USAF. It is amazing how many details are still so clear to me of that day 45 years ago.

RandyA

[GeorgeS]

I still remember my mother dropping me off at a Bus Stop, for 15 mile ride to Navy Induction center in downtown Los Angeles,

Once every few years, I drive by that bus stop, Its still there. But the building is boarded up.

Then on the bus ride from LA to SanDiego, the bus broke down !! Anyway it was a long day. Finally got into a Navy Rack, at about 2 AM the next morning, and at 5 AM they rousted us out !! ( or up )

 

Ahh the memories

 

The worst part of the experience, was I had to sell my Harley !!! before I went !!!

[cowpuc]

THANK YOU to both you guys, and anyone else who reads this that served/are serving in our Military.. Real freedom is something that comes with a price, only payable by the blood/sweat/tears of patriots like yourselves, this may be overlooked by some but not all!!

THANK YOU!!

And thank you for sharing your memories of days not long ago....

Proud of you!

Puc

[Yammer Dan]

I remember going for my physical. Told wife I'll be back in couple days. Called her from Basic Training at Ft Knox.

[djh3]

Mine just a tad over 36yr. I went in the USAF on my wifes birthday of 1978. Her b-day is the 6th. LOL What a b-day present huh? I was inducted at Miami Fl. They bused us to the airport to wait on the plane. It broke and 4 or so of us went and drank. Hey we knew we wouldnt be able to for over a month. Ah good times..........

[hillrider]

I remember to this day the haircut. And the gas mask, and the fire training. Not like yesterday, but still there.

[naturbar]

1966 Camp Geiger ITR training - off to the gas chamber. Gas mark firmly in place on your hip - grab the guys belt in front of you, start marching singing the Marine Corps hymn - the pellets dropped into the pot belly stove in the middle of room - now starts the gagging, nose running and eyes on fire - finally DI says to secure the masks on your face - not a pretty sight but I did get a laugh when they opened the door and everyone started running out - one guy ran headlong into a tree and about knocked himself out. Those were the days .....yeah right !

[Mike G in SC]

May 1969, bus to Columbia SC, Ft Jackson, induction to USAF.

FLight to San Antonio. Remember the GREEN MONSTER!

[Barrycuda]

One of my biggest regrets is not enlisting when I had the chance. Thank you all who have served.

[dacheedah]

I remember going for my physical. Told wife I'll be back in couple days. Called her from Basic Training at Ft Knox.

 

Yep, I remember Knox C 16 4 11-76

[DragonRider]

Thanks to you and all our members that served, I never had the pleasure of serving due to be classified 4-F, I even tried to enlist in the Army, Air Force, and the Navy, but once they looked at my file, no way, I really wanted to follow in my older brothers foot steps in the A.F. As close as I got was when I was at LSU, as a freshman you had to take ROTC either Army or Air Force, so I choose A.F. I truly enjoyed it and it made me not being able to enlist even more difficult. Of course had I enlisted and served it would been at the height of the Vietnam conflict, so maybe a good thing, I have mixed emotions about it. I had a few close friends who served and did their tour over there and it changed them big time. Even now I have a greater appreciation of our servicemen and women who serve. I actually got a chance to talk to an Army Snipe yesterday at the gun range, he works there and we talked at length about his job while in the sandbox, 3 tours. The range even has a Barrett 50 cal. sniper rifle just like the one he used that you can rent and shoot at the range. I am going to do it. Not meaning to steal you thread Randy, but once I start I seem to ramble.

 

Thanks to all that served, you have my respect and heartfelt thanks!:thumbsup:

 

I was in Knoxville, TN and after completing all the physical and paperwork requirements, I stood with a bunch of other guys and was inducted into the USAF. It is amazing how many details are still so clear to me of that day 45 years ago.

RandyA

 

[Dragonslayer]

I remember rolling into the Draft Board physical screening with a draft lottery number of 14 and sitting in a wheel chair due to a motorcycle wreck. I remember the belly laugh from the Doctor as he told me I would go to war after the women, children, dogs and the cats.

 

I remember being disappointed because I wanted to serve.

 

Thank You very much for all of you that did serve.

[blue mtn. jim]

It is hard to believe that the years have gone by so fast, but it was a young man's game. The T I's had a skill that you did not notice at the time, but to take 50 kids from all parts of the USA and turn them in to fighting machines is amazing. They taught you to give your life for someone you only new for six weeks or so,AND NO MAN LEFT BEHIND. PERIOD. AND MAY GOD BLESS THE USA.

[bongobobny]

June 21, 1967 was the day I became government property. A couple of months before I had received my greeting letter from good old Uncle Sam. It was quite the moral decision to make living 20 minutes from the Canadian border but I chose to serve. After taking aptitude tests they offered me Radar Maintenance school but I had to sign up for an extra year. Figuring Viet Nam would be over in a year I took it. Didn't work out that way, after a year of school and another year in the Philadelphia area I missed Woodstock and spent my final year of service in Vietnam. Set free June 2, 1970.

 

Thanks to all who have served and are serving and God Bless!!

[etcswjoe]

I went to the MEPS station in Bekely WV and I still remeber that day, I don't think I will ever forget this big kid that punched out the Doc. They had us all lined up in our skivvies to do the hernia test and as soon as that doc touched this kid he went flying backwards. The young man left there screaming that he was not going to join any outfit that did such things (I cleaned up what he actually said.) Never did see him again.

[sanderjack]

There was 4 inches of snow on the ground when I reported to MEPS in Nashville, TN. We took a bus to the airport and flew to Orlando, Fl for Navy Basic Training. My company commander was and Electrician's Mate 1st Class (E-6) and I learned a whole bunch of new words the first day there (most of them cannot be repeated here...lol). My mother said I would be out within 6 months and my sister said they would kick me out before the year was out. 33 years later, They finally told me to go home.

[Black Owl]

There was 4 inches of snow on the ground when I reported to MEPS in Nashville, TN. We took a bus to the airport and flew to Orlando, Fl for Navy Basic Training. My company commander was and Electrician's Mate 1st Class (E-6) and I learned a whole bunch of new words the first day there (most of them cannot be repeated here...lol). My mother said I would be out within 6 months and my sister said they would kick me out before the year was out. 33 years later, They finally told me to go home.

 

You shudda stuck around. You might have found out you liked it..... :rotfl:

 

[Howard B]

I figured I did not want to sleep in a hole in the ground that I had to dig myself, so I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. May of 1962. Boot camp was done at N.A.S. Los Alamitos in California. All two weeks of it. Warm summer weather and we got a day off in the middle of boot camp. Two years later I was discharged and sent home from the Phillipines. We saw a lot of places from Nevada to the east coast of Africa. Some I would like to see again, some not. Oh, by the way I worked on jet engines from the A-4 Skyhawks. The squadron was VA-192. Mostly good times.

[ronjolly]

A hot Aug day, (25 Aug) Humid thought I would go inside and talk to the Army Man. He told me how cool it waz to be in the Army. 24 hrs later I waz standing in front of this Drill Sgt calling me all kind of things. In the most humid ,hotest sweatiest place on the east coast, Ft. Jackson, SC. Funny 1976 I was standing there waiting on that same bus to unload the new recrutes. Now I waz "The Drill Sgt". did 2 yrs at Ft. Jackson transfered to Ft. Benning Ga.

Then on to Ft. Lewis 72-75 (2/47 inf) Ft. Jackson 76-77, Ft. Benning 77-82, Ft.Stewart 82-84 (Bco 2/19)

Berlin, Ger 4/502 inf.82-87, Washing DC ROTC Georgetown Univ. 87-90, Korea 8th Perscom 91-92, Ft.lewis 92-93 99 (Spt Bn) Ft. Polk 93-94 (2nd ACR),

Ft. Lee CASCOM 94-99. (Whew) Miss it.

Thanks to who have served, and who wanted to, Thanks.

[Yammer Dan]

I went to the MEPS station in Bekely WV and I still remeber that day, I don't think I will ever forget this big kid that punched out the Doc. They had us all lined up in our skivvies to do the hernia test and as soon as that doc touched this kid he went flying backwards. The young man left there screaming that he was not going to join any outfit that did such things (I cleaned up what he actually said.) Never did see him again.

 

That's where I went thru in 68 Joe. It wasn't me!!!

[Raider58]

30 years ago this month, I remember stepping off the bus at marine corp recruit depot San Diego at midnight,ran us around for about an hour, got hair buzzed, then hit the rack at about 2:30, only to be awakened at 5:00am by a garbage can flying down the high bay. Great memories, 6 year marine Sargent. Loved every minute!!

[Flyinfool]

I tried to join the AF right out of high school.

I took the aptitude tests, scored in the top 1%, and they told me I can go into anything I want.

I did not pass the physical because of my size 13 flat feet. They said you can not run with flat feet and they only have boots up to size 12.

 

I really wanted to be a fighter pilot......

 

Thanks to all of you that were accepted and were able to serve.

[Venturous Randy]

After being inducted with five other rednecks from NE TN and with me having some ROTC or my name starting with an "A", I was designated to carry all our paperwork going to basic in San Antonio. So, to keep from carrying around our orders, I put them in my suitcase and we went to the airport bar and started drinking and 18 was legal then.

So, after two planes and a bus ride we arrive at basic training, except we have a big problem. My suitcase with the orders inside was lost by the airlines. As you can imagine, we got off to a rough start, not including all six of us being somewhere between being drunk and hungover. As those of you know that have been through the military, everything evolves around the paperwork. From that point on, everything we did required the six of us to be processed separately. To get our shots, our clothes, our pay or whatever, the six of us were singled out and as you know, our TI"s just loved that.

To make all this even more stressful, just as I was leaving for basic, I found out my girlfriend was in a motherly way.

to be continued...

RandyA

[cowpuc]

After being inducted with five other rednecks from NE TN and with me having some ROTC or my name starting with an "A", I was designated to carry all our paperwork going to basic in San Antonio. So, to keep from carrying around our orders, I put them in my suitcase and we went to the airport bar and started drinking and 18 was legal then.

So, after two planes and a bus ride we arrive at basic training, except we have a big problem. My suitcase with the orders inside was lost by the airlines. As you can imagine, we got off to a rough start, not including all six of us being somewhere between being drunk and hungover. As those of you know that have been through the military, everything evolves around the paperwork. From that point on, everything we did required the six of us to be processed separately. To get our shots, our clothes, our pay or whatever, the six of us were singled out and as you know, our TI"s just loved that.

To make all this even more stressful, just as I was leaving for basic, I found out my girlfriend was in a motherly way.

to be continued...

RandyA

 

WHAT, no computers to handle the paperwork...

From what I have read about other's military experience being "singled out" is the LAST thing a GI wants to be, bet you guys built some muscles and cleaned some floors over that situation..

Soooo,,, did your ROTC get you higher rank, did all six of you get home ok, did you get to ride during your service time and what ever happened to the kid???? Sorry, cabin fever has my patience wearing a little thin..

[Black Owl]

WHAT, no computers to handle the paperwork...

....... bet you guys built some muscles and cleaned some floors over that situation..

 

 

:rotfl: Come on, he was in the Air Farce. 3 hots and a cot with 24/7 maid service..... Sheez