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Kingston,Mi | Got a number of 56, year after year I would receive a notice that I was up for induction only to disappoint the draft clerk by having enough college credits to renew my exemption until I had to take 1 additional quarter to get a class required for my major and it was only offered every other year. Received a letter telling me to report for induction in November of 1971, stopped at the draft office to see if I could postpone it until I graduated from college in Dec. of 1971, sure was the reply, see you on the bus in Dec. Ask if I could enlist, the answer was NO!, you have been drafted. Left the draft office turned a corner in the hall that lead up to the second floor where the 4 services had recruiting offices and walked into the first office and ask SSG Allen if I could enlist as my number was called. Sure you can enlist up until you take the oath, what do you want from the Army? Don't want to go to Viet Nam, he answered we can do that, what do you want to do as a trade, I answered something to do with soils, (minor in Soil Science and the army has soil scientists in construction) he quickly checked and there where no openings at that time. So what else interests me, well I like being a mechanic. He answered we have just the M.O.S. for you, generator operator and mechanic 52d20 running generators on a Pershing missile battery in Germany, the only place in the world where the Pershing missile is deployed. So signed the enlistment paperwork, reported for my pre-induction physical then 5 weeks later reported to the Induction Center in Detroit and left for Fort Knox carrying all the records for the bus load of inductees on Jan 20th 1972. Missed my next younger brothers wedding which was 2 weeks later. Never did get to Germany as I lucked out and trained as 52d30 and stayed in Virginia as cadre in the company until discharge in 1975. | |
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