Casual detachment was what the military should have been. Up at 0500 and shower, dress, eat and there were no people with clipboards observing you because they weren't using us for guinea pigs for whatever experiments they were running.
At 0700 hrs we received our job assignments -- a new one every day and there we worked until 1700 and it was eat dinner and stay in the barracks.
This is where you stay while you wait for your formal discharge from the military.
A black lady had been there "running the clock" until she could get discharged with full benefits. I didn't ask and she didn't tell. She did show me how to run a floor buffer and a some secrets of the janitorial trade.
I felt euphoric at being able to rack in at 0900 and I enjoyed hearing "Taps' and on the weekend we could take a military taxi or ride the military bus around the base.
It would have been nice if there had been any Jewish families on base if they had at least made inquiry to see if any Jews were there and invited us over for Erev Shabbat dinner or perhaps a kiddish and taken us to a synagogue but they never did. iIm not sure there were any Jews there even though it was a very big base at the time. Considering the way I was treated, I would never have admitted it.
it was particularly gratifying to see the women who had tried to beat me up find their way into Casual Detachment the same as I did but UNLIKE me, I made sure they did NOT enjoy their stay and they soon had to find another barracks. They remembered how well I had defended myself from their onslaughts and now they were apologetic and expressed remorse. In the military, nobody sees a thing when street justice or bullying is administered.
There is an extremely ugly side of the military most people never see. Once you experience it you are never quite the same.
The military during Vietnam War era was NOT a happy place to be.
I was told the military was different today.
I hope so.
i love and support the troops still.
Because I am an AMERICAN.
At 0700 hrs we received our job assignments -- a new one every day and there we worked until 1700 and it was eat dinner and stay in the barracks.
This is where you stay while you wait for your formal discharge from the military.
A black lady had been there "running the clock" until she could get discharged with full benefits. I didn't ask and she didn't tell. She did show me how to run a floor buffer and a some secrets of the janitorial trade.
I felt euphoric at being able to rack in at 0900 and I enjoyed hearing "Taps' and on the weekend we could take a military taxi or ride the military bus around the base.
It would have been nice if there had been any Jewish families on base if they had at least made inquiry to see if any Jews were there and invited us over for Erev Shabbat dinner or perhaps a kiddish and taken us to a synagogue but they never did. iIm not sure there were any Jews there even though it was a very big base at the time. Considering the way I was treated, I would never have admitted it.
it was particularly gratifying to see the women who had tried to beat me up find their way into Casual Detachment the same as I did but UNLIKE me, I made sure they did NOT enjoy their stay and they soon had to find another barracks. They remembered how well I had defended myself from their onslaughts and now they were apologetic and expressed remorse. In the military, nobody sees a thing when street justice or bullying is administered.
There is an extremely ugly side of the military most people never see. Once you experience it you are never quite the same.
The military during Vietnam War era was NOT a happy place to be.
I was told the military was different today.
I hope so.
i love and support the troops still.
Because I am an AMERICAN.