My military story is not very exciting! While I will always be and conduct myself as VERY PATRIOTIC and proud of the USA, the thought of being drafted and possibly sent into a jungle the other side of the world to possibly be killed in a war that seemed to make no sense and did not appear, at least to me and some others, that we were protecting our way of life to go fight in Vietnam.

Fortunate enough to have found a college to take me, I managed to keep a student deferment thru 4 schools and 5 years. So no worries initially however I would one day be out of school (June 69) and not have the deferment. About 1967 I signed up on waiting lists for a couple Army reserve units. In Nov 1969 on the Wed before thanksgiving I received a call from the reserve unit at 71^st and Jeffery in the city that they had a position for me!!. Problem was that the lottery drawing for my draft number position was being held over that Thanksgiving weekend and this was for the year I would be eligible for the draft! I politely requested to let them know on Monday following the holiday!

They very rudely (my view) told me sign up now TODAY!!!!!!! or go to the end of the line that I had been in for some 2 years. So I took the sure thing and signed up. A decision that  once the weekend was over,  I would never regret for a variety of reasons. Reason NUMBER ONE, my lottery number was #33 and I surely would have been drafted. Having just gotten married the day after my last class I was not wanting to leave my lovely bride to go fight in a jungle war I did not understand.

So off to basic training I went to Ft Jackson SC in Feb 1970 8 weeks basic followed by 2 weeks leader school, then advanced infantry training (AIT). Many have said NEVER volunteer however I learned how to STRATEGICLY volunteer for ammo detail and ride the trucks instead of marching some number of miles with full packs for our week or two training in the field sleeping in foxholes we had to dig in rocks. I’m not complaining as this was only training and I was riding in trucks and using “facilities” back at the Fort and not pooping with my at the time skinny butt hanging over a log!! I NEVER HAD TO DO IT FOR REAL like the unfortunate folks who had to make the journey to Vietnam. I commend them all for their courage and service to us all!The reserve unit I was assigned to was for combat support training and my opening was for a Drill Sgt slot! So after AIT, the eight reservist I went thru basic and AIT with were now shipped off to Ft Sill Oklahoma in August for 6 weeks of Drill SGT (DI) school with about 40 regular army guys who had just returned from Vietnam. That is one HOT PLACE IN AUGUST! And I might add that all the regular Army people did not like us reservists because we would be going home to our honeys, wives etc. and not to the jungle they had just returned from. BTW, DI School like OCS is about 80% harassment/intimidation trying to get you to quit and maybe 20% learning something meaningful. Not only were the CADRE (instructors) hard on everyone, but our regular Army classmates were mostly not nice! We also had to pass a PT (physical fitness test) including a mile run under 7 1/2 minutes. I could never run worth a darn, even in grade school. Ran 9 min 52 seconds before basic training and 10 min 02 seconds after 8 weeks of basic! With great encouragement and pushing I miraculously made the 7 min 30 seconds to complete drill sgt training. I wasn’t going to let that 6 weeks of harassment go to waste and not get my stripes and SMOKEY BEAR HAT (which I still have and will not let my wife toss it out) I earned that darn thing!!

One of the cool things about Drill Sgt School was that Fort Sill was an Artillery post so in addition to having fired M1”s, M16’s,M72LAW, M60 and 50 Caliber machine guns, grenade launchers etc., we also loaded and fired/shot 105mm and 155mm Howitzer artillery

Interestingly enough, going thru training at the time was some of the lowest moments in my life, difficult physically, emotionally and psychologically but when reviewing pictures of those days when not feeling the pain, they become memories with a smile. Probably needed a better attitude while going thru training. We city kids Really met the entire cross section of people from all walks of life in the US and Puerto Rico intellectually and sociologically. Even the diversity at ETHS didn’t prepare us though it did help. Folks from some of the deep south and other rural places were a new experience for the city kids. I believe we in Evanston were both city and suburban!Well that felt good to relate a bit of my military experience. I’m impressed and surprised if you have read this far. I’m glad if you did because I got satisfaction writing it!

I am more impressed and proud of all those that did serve in the real army (and other branches) and not just the 180 days I did on active duty plus 5 2 week summer camps. I’m too embarrassed to relate the summer camp stories. Good times when you have lots of stripes and are in a combat support training unit as a Drill Sgt!!

Love to all and see ya soon! 9 Days, 16 hours and 19 minutes per Fred’s count down meter!!

DRILL SGT E-7 SIEGALL

I never heard a howitzer until I got to my final assignment in Viet Nam which shared an artillery Fire Support Base.  I arrived at HHC, 14th Engineer Battalion (Combat) about noon.  So, the Personnel Dept sent me to the mess hall for lunch before processing me in.  As I was sitting at the wooden picnic-type table eating my lunch on a paper plate one of those big guns fired.   I just about put my plastic utensil through the wooden top of that table.

You are spot on about the diversity in the military.  While in Basic Training at Ft Leonardwood, MO some troops were transferred to our unit from Ft Dix, NJ because it was full.  One of the guys from Ft Dix was named Militano and supposedly his family had connections with the mob.

Vernon: Thx for the comment! Now I know at least one person read thru my entire rambling!!

 And you were as you say,

SPOT ON with a previous comment to me as to what they call the last person in a medical school class "DOCTOR" (though I probably hope he is not mine!! lol)

Vernon Neece wrote: