Just a Basic Day - Sleep Tight

Sleep Tight

C - 8 -2 I found out meant Charlie Company, eighth battalion, second brigade.  To me it broke down further when I was told to go into the second platoon, third squad area of what is commonly called WWII barracks.  These are two story oblong buildings that were probably designed before WWI.  The design I suppose was adequate and efficient so when they needed a lot of them they didn't reinvent the wheel, just got out their rubber stamp.

Sand Hill was the place where all basic training trainees learned to be soldiers.  It was almost like it sounds, plenty of sand, rock, gravel, cookie cutter buildings, and little green vegetation.  The structures from barracks to admin buildings were all painted a sand tan color.  Ergo, Sand Hill.


There was another unique feature of Sand Hill - a lot of guys running around in Smokey the Bear hats yelling at everyone that did not have one, mostly us filing off the buss.  We were yelled at to run hear, store our duffel's, run hear get your bed material, run here to eat lunch, run here run there and then here again.

Our particular nemesis was a red cheeked white drill sergeant named Redman.  As far as yelling drill sergeants go he wasn't that bad.  He in a voice of calm demeanor if drill sergeants have such things, taught us how to dress in military style, hang our clothes, make our beds, how to respond when spoken to, pack our footlockers, and numerous stuff that we all had an inkling on how to do, but not to army standards.  That old adage there is "right way, the wrong way, and the army way" was certainly true.

We were lined up, marched to the chow hall went through a line with the cooks and servers yelling at us to hurry up and someone else yelling at us to hurry up and eat.  As soon as you were done you had to run outside and go to your barrack and stand by you cot for inspection.  Before the inspection came we were told to "fall-in" next to the barracks.

A captain, our company commander I found out later, said that if we did not like it here we could all go home at anytime.  He said out contracts with the army and ROTC allowed such but just as a warning our home draft boards would be notified and we would be placed on priority draft status and he would see us again in 6 months.  "Now is there anyone here other than the young boy I have already talked to that wants to leave?"  The use of the word "boy" did not escape any of us.

We were dismissed, told to go to our bunks and go to sleep immediately.  It was 7:00 PM.  We all went to our bunks but how many of us slept I do not know.

Just a Basic Day - Arrival

Arrival

When I arrived at the main gate at Fort Benning I was told to follow the signs that would lead me to the reception station for the ROTC candidates.  Instead I was directed by sign to a huge parking lot where I was told to park my car, get my belongings and stand behind my vehicle until a bus picked me up.  I was not alone, there were many cars already parked, there were about a hundred waiting for a bus, and the cars kept coming.

The army realized in the middle 60's that they were running out of officers, especially young lieutenants.  West Point could not keep up with demand, most draftees were not interested in going to officer candidate school, and the college ROTC programs were dwindling fast.  The army decided to offer incentives to colleges and universities if they would establish ROTC programs, which is what CMSC did.  The new programs needed senior cadre so they developed a two year program where by you went to basic training at a specialized facility which gave you credit for the first two years of ROTC training and you spent your junior and senior year attending military classes while completing your college degree.  After that you only owed the government two years of active duty, the same as being drafted.  Seemed like a deal to me, besides they paid you during the school year a small amount.  I think it was $50 a month.

It was a popular program.  Not only did you get paid to go to school you put off the inevitable draft and when you finally did go into the army, which back then was only a matter of time, you went in as an officer.  I really thought to myself that if I was going to have to go in the army any way I might as well make more money than a private to be shot at.

A bus came by and about 50 of us were herded on and taken to the receptions station.  We were told to go sit under "that tent over there" where they had all sorts of food and drink.  This isn't bad I thought to myself.  Eventually I and 25 others were told to get in line and we started being processed.  Name, date of births, family contacts, sign forms, it went on and on.

The 25 were then taken to a small assembly area where this scare crow looking captain welcomed us to Fort Benning Basic Training Detachment.  He told us that this is where "we train you to be soldiers" and he hoped we would enjoy are stay.  Seemed like a pretty nice guy I thought.

As soon as he finished some guy started yelling at us to get up, stand in line, do not get out of order, don't lose the foleder we were given and he marched us single file into a giant warehouse yelling at us all the way to keep in step and not get out of order.  The warehouse contained all the military clothing and other items we would need immediately.  We were given quick exams and then shots via air guns by guys who had probably gotten there the day before.  Some times the air guns would not be flush with the skin and the pressure would blow away part of the skin.  There was many an arm dripping with blood by the time we got out side where another bus awaited.

We all filed on and I was the last one to get a seat.  I heard the guy behind me who seemed to be in charge tell the driver, "Sand Hill, C-8-2."  Off we went.

Basic Training

Around the middle of May in 1968 I pointed my 1964 Ford towards Georgia.  As far as I was concerned it was about as far away as Crisp Lake and Van Horn as I had ever been.  Not really I guess because I had been to Florida several times with my grandparents, but this was the furthest I had ever journeyed by myself.

My destination was Fort Benning.  I was being given the privilege to participate in a basic training sessions for two year ROTC candidates.  It was a privilege because if I had not wormed my way into the program I would have been doing basic in Fort Lenard Wood and my classroom the following fall would not have been CMSC (what it was called back then.)

I was not familiar with the interstate highway system back then, I don't really even know if they had one as such, so I cut across Missouri towards Memphis.  Once at Memphis I kept driving until I reached Tupalo, Mississippi, spent a short night and hit the road early.

Not much of the nitty gritty of the trip do I remember but I do recall entering Alabama and the first thing I saw was a great big sign saying Welcome to Alabama.  The next sign said George Wallace's White Way.  I noticed the highway was new and was pretty white.  I thought to myself that who ever this George Wallace is he has a nice road named after him.

I spent the second night about 30 miles from the Georgia state line.  I called a friend of mine I had not seen since high school, Mike Putman.  I knew he was going to medical school in Georgia and his family had moved there also.  He was thrilled to hear from me and was ready to drive to where I was, which was pretty far, but his mother decided that wasn't a good idea.  I told him that when I got settled in at Fort Benning I would give him a call.

The next morning I sat out towards Columbus, GA located next to Fort Benning where I would spend the next six weeks or so.  I had no idea what to expect but knew there was no going back, at least that day.

Another explanation

There were not many letters written in April due to the fact that is when we took our trip to California to see Dad.  By me I mean both my grandparents, Margie, and I.  Margie was Dad’s girlfriend and is mentioned a lot in the letters.  I remember her.  Tall blond.

Margie seemed more in a hurry to get there than we were, so to the best of my recollection I can only remember stopping once on our way out there but we must have stopped over night some place else.  I know one night was spent in New Mexico at a motel that was shaped like Indian Teepees.  I remember stopping at the California border and having to surrender any fruits and vegetables we might have been carrying with us.

I remember seeing Dad as we drove up in the evening standing by his barracks and the guest house we stayed in.  The people who ran the guest house were black and I spent a long time talking to a very attractive black lady.  I guess she thought I was a cute little boy.  A black soldier walked in on us as we were talking and told me he was going to tell her husband that she had been talking to me.  Sort of scared me.  When we checked out my grandfather gave me some oranges to give to the lady.  The same soldier was standing there as I went to the lady’s door and I still remember being some what intimidated and afraid he would tell her husband.

The only two things I remember about Camp Roberts is we went and played Bingo and one of the prizes was a pin that wrote underwater.  I thought that would be a neat prize.  We didn’t win anything.  The other thing is when my grandparents and I were driving around the base one afternoon and ended up on a road that we discovered was restricted for civilian traffic.  An army vehicle came up upon us and my grandfather grabbed my army cap and put it on his head so they would think he was a soldier.  I am not sure to this day if he was serious or not.

The weekend we were there we all drove to San Francisco.  My grandfather wanted to two three things.  Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, which we did; eat in China Town, which we did; and ride the cable car, which he didn’t for reasons now I don’t recall.  We took a boat and drove around Alcatraz, visited the Red Wood Forest, and I am sure much more but that is all my 5 year old brain can recall. 

I don’t remember taking Dad back to Roberts but I do remember Margie stayed there, we stopped in Los Vegas, by grandmother bumped my head with the handle of a slot machine, some place in Arizona or New Mexico we saw tumble weed, got caught in a sand storm, went through the Petrified Forest, and saw the Painted Desert.

Dad mentions a couple of more new people in his letters of April but I did not know any of them.

The last letter Dad wrote in April was the first and one of the few times he mentioned anything about some “special training” he was going to receive based around “army intelligence.”   If you want to find out more about that go to my blog “The Adventures of Conley McAnally” and find the blog I wrote in November 2010 called “Spy Dad.”  It really is an interesting story and was not finished until dad's funeral.

April 30, 1953

Thur April 30, 1953

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

Well I guess you are home by now.  I am still on the 60mm motor.  Margie and I went to the show last night again.  I don’t know what I will do tonight. 

I had something happen today that may be good news and may not.  They called 16 of us out at noon to go to be interviewed by Government Intelligence.  It is a secret of some kind.  They sent 5 back because they had been charged with some crime.  They took down our life history, every place we lived, when you and Dad were born and where and all that kind of stuff.  All he told us was that we would finish our basic here, take our leave as usual and then go to a 2 week school which has something to do with aircraft in one way or another.  Then we would go to our port after school.  We will still be infantry as far as I know but will have two weeks of some kind of training.  I will have to wait and find out.  It may work into something good I hope.  They told us not to talk to anyone about it and even among our selves.  They will probably be around checking on my credit and character references.

I don’t want you to say a word about this to anyone at all.  I will let you know more when I find out more.  It must be pretty secret or they wouldn't have told us not to talk about it.  They picked us up in a truck and they just told us to get on, that was all they said.

Well how was the trip?  I got your card you mailed Monday.  I guess I will close for now, I’ll write later on.  I sure miss having you here to see at night.  I really had a swell time when you were here on your trip.

Love, Ted

April 29, 1953

Wed morn  April 29, 1953

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

Thought I would take a few minutes this morning to write you and tell you I had a swell time last weekend and I sure hated to see you go back.  Margie is still here.  I saw her Monday night for a little bit and went to the show last night.

Guess you will be home by the time you get this letter.  Wish I had made the trip back with you.

We had the .45 pistol Monday and it rained all day long.  Got kind of wet.  Tues we start the 6mm motor and will be in it for about a week.  That will just bout finish our weapons.  Won’t have many more.  Will close for now.  Will write later.  I miss having you here.

Love, Ted

April 13, 1953

April 13, 1953

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

I guess you thought I had forgotten how to write.  I have been busy.  My training is about the same.  We double time a lot.  We went for about 3 ½ miles without stopping the other day.  We are still on machine guns.  I fired this morning and came in at noon for KP to relieve the guys who were on KP so they could fire.  Everyone has to do it.  I got off just a while ago.

Sat Keith and two other guys and myself got a pass and left about 1 pm and went to Pismo Beach.  It was really nice there.  We stayed in a motel looking out over the beach and the ocean.  We hitched hiked and had no trouble getting a ride.

Sunday night when we got back I went to the guest house in the East garrison and put a deposit on the rooms.  It cost only 1 dollar a day per person.  Margie cannot stay there because she is single.  I stopped at another guest house on the way backs in the west garrison and made a reservation for her.  It was the same price as the other.  Girls only can stay there.  It is kind of an inconvenience that way.  I paid for a day for you $3 and a day for Margie, $1.  The reservations are for 22 April.  When you get here come to Btry A-44 orderly room and ask for me.  If I am not there they will tell you what time the troops get back.  Better just send Dad in because they don’t like a lot of people in there, it gets confusing.  There is a parking lot on the next street back of the parade field. 

I have been looking forward to you arriving for quiet awhile.  I don’t know just what we wan do when you get here.  But we can see when you get here.  It has been cool here so don’t forget your coats.

I just got your letter.  Glad everything is ok.  I don’t have any tires left to give him.  I let them go with the car.

Well Saturday they took some of us to be interviewed for leadership school.  I signed my name but may not take it.  It’s a sharp school.  Shoe strings have to be pressed, floors so clean you can eat off them etc.  It would be another 8 weeks of training after I finish my 16 weeks here.  It would be in the heat of the summer.  You have to give a 5 and 20 minute talks on different subjects etc.  I don’t think I would like that.    The guys that don’t go to officer’s candidate school go directly to Korea.  I have until about my 15^th week to decide.  I might be lucky enough to get some other school.  They interview us in our 8^th week for schools.  Very few guys with A1 profile get to go to most schools unless they have had some college.

The guy who got his money stolen never did get it back.  They made us go to bed at 9 instead of staying up all night.

Margie said she saw the note Jan gave Arkie.  Arkie showed it to Margie.  That makes me mad that she does that.  She had better not cause me any trouble personally more than she has.  I would just as soon she didn’t keep my name.  Sometime why don’t you go down and talk to a lawyer and see what he says.

I guess I will see you before long.  You probably won’t get to many more letters from me before you leave.  I will write again when I get a chance.

Love, Ted 

Ps  I got a letter form Lowell and Virginia and one from Jimmie Miller.  Tell them I will write before long if you talk to them.