re: #4 William Lewis

From downstairs:

It would have been very permissive and I hate thinking about that scenario. The only reason I don’t know how many would have died from us is how few would have been left after the nuclear, chemical and very possibly biological weapons being used in the early 80’s in middle Europe…

Yet they hammered us, monthly, about not obeying illegal orders. About not doing the wrong thing. About being better than what They had been in WWII and We had been in The ‘Nam (though they _NEVER_ said that name even though the lessons were obvious to anyone). The Army in 1983 was in a damn strange place. I only understood just how bad crazy it really was when I got back to the states and got out of active duty and about 6 months later in a fit of boredom joined the National Guard.

We went to the nearest training post. All day we did normal training. Then that night? Out came a half barrel, a bonfire, and it was a fucking frat party just with out the sorority chicks. I was deeply shocked. Even the stoners on active didn’t party like those senior NCOs.

Things were changing, though. A year later, no more parties in the field.

Less than a decade later I watched a half dozen good troops end up in the stockade over less than a lid of pot because an ambitious 1LT wanted to make a name. He did but not like he hoped, thankfully. “Health & welfare” my ass. I didn’t smoke since I was into alcohol, but didn’t give a rats fuck if people did as long as the job was done.

Finding the balance has always been the bitch in this.

Yup, I remember many of the same things.

One of the more memorable was the Sunday morning drill after the St Patrick’s Day Saturday night libations. The uniforms were green, the faces were green and so was the throwup in the bathrooms.

By that point I was older, had a wife, house, and civilian job, and was no longer into partying.

Heh, when the Battalion XO needed people for the surprise drug test, the very first person he volunteered was O3 me. Because he knew I was going to be clean. I did not disappoint him. I guess that I am _really_ boring.