Why I Served

On December 13, 1978, I had just passed the entrance exam to enlist in the Army. That evening I was on a Trailways bus leaving Roanoke, VA going to Richmond, VA. I went to th hotel and checked in, then out to eat and to bed. On December 14, 1978, I went through an entire series of medical examinations that included, x-rays, visiting a psychiatrist all the way to getting caught up on my vaccinations. I was then taken to a room where over one thousand of us to the oath of enlistment. After we had said, so help me God it was then that most realized we had just signed a blank check payable to the United States government payable for an amount up to and including our lives.

After I had taken the oath of enlistment, I was told that I would be assigned to Europe. I really didn't want to go to Korea where it was problematic. As told to me by people who were stationed in Korea, they said when you arrive at the demilitarized zone, the North Koreans know everything about you. After my oath of enlistment, I was taken from my hotel to the train station in Richmond, VA. My first stop on my way to Europe was the in processing unit at Ft. Jackson, SC. I arrived from Richmond into Columbia, SC at almost three in the morning. When I arrived at Ft. Jackson they showed me my bunk and said they would let me sleep in. They woke everyone up at four thirty, and me at four forty five. I asked what happened to me sleeping in, and they replied we let you sleep in, fifteen minutes.

Our first day consisted of eating breakfast at six in the morning. They tried to have us march everywhere, but for folks like me who was in ROTC; it's hard to keep in step when everyone else is out of step. After breakfast we went back and cleaned our barracks. We then were taken to get our haircut, the barber asked how do you want it? I said well you are cutting it all any way so take it all. To make matters worse, I had to pay for my haircut, either cash which I had or taken out of your check. The next stop was to get our military identification cards. After getting our identification cards, we were issued our fatigues, boots, and duffel bags. We had to wait on our uniforms as they had to put our last names on them. We were also issued our dog tags.

The reason I served was to protect our country from being taken over by Russia. That was a continual threat while I was growing up. We are still under a constant threat from a communist take over and our freedoms being removed. I was also taught that America was the greatest nation in the world and that people from oppressed countries fought hard to get asylum here. Another reason I served was that my family took military service very seriously. Everyone in my family on both sides served from the Revolutionary war all the way through to the cold war. As I mentioned earlier that we are the greatest nation, I also found out how hated us Americans were. In 1980, I was with my friends at Octoberfest in Munich. We had just left the pub and was walking down the street. Five minutes later our table blew up from a terrorist bomb. I also saw the dependent youth activities building shot up as we were holding baseball tryouts outside. We also had to be on the lookout for vehicles displaying Russian license plates near our military bases.

I also enlisted because I was told gays weren't allowed to serve and I am gay. I went into the Infantry the toughest job in the military. I was also raped while in the service by my roommates. Did I report it? No men don't report these types of incidents. I dated men while overseas, but had to be careful because getting caught meant getting kicked out of the service. I also missed getting back from leave on time and was busted for it, but again it was a learning and growing process for me. I have no regrets for anything I did while in service. I was discharged because I was injured and was on my first reenlistment. I wanted to make the Army my career. I also came back from Europe with a different perspective on our nation and just how blessed I was to live in America. I also experienced a different culture while in Europe, the food was goo and people were so nice to me. I also came back in love with a different sport, soccer.

Another reason I have no regrets is I learned about myself and how far I could push my body. I learned mental toughness, but also learned respect for others. I learned to work as a team instead of individually. I learned that I could count on the man in the fox hole next to me. I also overcame many fears and learned that I could do things I couldn't do if I put my mind to it. I learned about the country I was living in, Germany. I learned much later in life that some of my relatives came from the city I was stationed in. Now I know something about my home country, even if just a little.

While in the military, there were times I hated my decision especially when it was bitter cold with snow flying and we were in the field on training exercises or extreme heat. Did I really hate it at times we all do, but at the age of sixty and looking back on my time served; I have no regrets and would do it all again.