Between Memorial Day which just passed and the war in Iraq...
which in a sense is still going on, my own military days are coming back into my thoughts.
I joined the Army when I turned eighteen. I had my reasons for enlisting, and all of them seemed logical. Frankly, I'm glad I made this decision. I had a lot of innocent idealism back then. Now I see that I was also emotionally immature. The reality is that the army isn't always an adventure.
In the service I experienced monotony and boredom, as well as some good challenges to grow as a man. I met other soldiers who hailed from all walks of life. I grew up in the Army, at least to an extent.
Yet there was a period, when I was in South Korea, in which I experimented extensively with marijuana and LSD, a hallucinogenic drug. In Asia these drugs seemed to be everywhere. And I was at a rebellious stage in my life. So for a while, I turned on and got high.
Now I can look back from the vantage point of today to see that getting high was a big waste of time. In the long run nothing was accomplished. I could have become a much better and more disciplined soldier had I not got into drugs. I stopped using any drugs when I returned to the States to finish my last eighteen months of my three-year enlistment. However, I began to use marijuana and some LSD when I got out of the service. These things were prevalent at some of the satanic parties I attended in New York City and Westchester County.
My first approximately six months in the service were a blur. Basic Training immediately followed by Advanced Infantry Training went by so fast. It's designed to be this way in this phase of the Army.
My tour of duty in Korea provided me with many experiences. I went out on maneuvers and patrols, sometimes on foot and or traveling inside of an armored personnel carrier, in a region of the world which had the potential for danger. Every month I was here I received and additional $65 in my paycheck for "Hazardous Duty Pay." Not every soldier received this extra income but only those who entered into, or were right next to, an area that is known as the "38th Parallel." It is here, near the border which separates the North from the South, that the military considers hazardous.
In Korea, there was the daily responsibility and even the boredom at having to stand with my M-16 rifle and other gear, guarding a "restricted travel" bridge over a muddy river near the DMZ. At other times, especially during our training exercises and sometimes during our patrols, I ended up having to sleep on the side of a mountain in the freezing cold, or in the oppressive heat, or getting drenched during Korea's monsoon season. It was no picnic. Thankfully, however, much of the time I also slept in the barracks.
I joined the Army when I turned eighteen. I had my reasons for enlisting, and all of them seemed logical. Frankly, I'm glad I made this decision. I had a lot of innocent idealism back then. Now I see that I was also emotionally immature. The reality is that the army isn't always an adventure.
In the service I experienced monotony and boredom, as well as some good challenges to grow as a man. I met other soldiers who hailed from all walks of life. I grew up in the Army, at least to an extent.
Yet there was a period, when I was in South Korea, in which I experimented extensively with marijuana and LSD, a hallucinogenic drug. In Asia these drugs seemed to be everywhere. And I was at a rebellious stage in my life. So for a while, I turned on and got high.
Now I can look back from the vantage point of today to see that getting high was a big waste of time. In the long run nothing was accomplished. I could have become a much better and more disciplined soldier had I not got into drugs. I stopped using any drugs when I returned to the States to finish my last eighteen months of my three-year enlistment. However, I began to use marijuana and some LSD when I got out of the service. These things were prevalent at some of the satanic parties I attended in New York City and Westchester County.
My first approximately six months in the service were a blur. Basic Training immediately followed by Advanced Infantry Training went by so fast. It's designed to be this way in this phase of the Army.
My tour of duty in Korea provided me with many experiences. I went out on maneuvers and patrols, sometimes on foot and or traveling inside of an armored personnel carrier, in a region of the world which had the potential for danger. Every month I was here I received and additional $65 in my paycheck for "Hazardous Duty Pay." Not every soldier received this extra income but only those who entered into, or were right next to, an area that is known as the "38th Parallel." It is here, near the border which separates the North from the South, that the military considers hazardous.
In Korea, there was the daily responsibility and even the boredom at having to stand with my M-16 rifle and other gear, guarding a "restricted travel" bridge over a muddy river near the DMZ. At other times, especially during our training exercises and sometimes during our patrols, I ended up having to sleep on the side of a mountain in the freezing cold, or in the oppressive heat, or getting drenched during Korea's monsoon season. It was no picnic. Thankfully, however, much of the time I also slept in the barracks.
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I was now a nineteen-year-old away from the United States for the first time. At times I got lonely and homesick. I often partied with my fellow soldiers during our times off. And I spent some of my money on prostitutes. They were part of the features of any village that surrounds an army post.
D. B.
D. B.
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