ARCOM

 

On this Veteran's Day, I'm thinking back on my time in the military.

I was drafted in 1966 at the height of the Viet Nam war, but never went more than 200 miles from home - Ft. Polk, Louisiana for basic training, then Ft. Hood, Texas for the remainder of my time in service.

On arrival at Ft. Hood I was assigned an E-8 (master sergeant) slot - I was the radio/tv section of the 2nd Armored Division public information office -so I made all promotions in minimum time.  Later, as head of the radio/tv section for III Corps and Ft Hood, I made Specialist 5 (E-5) after only 13 months in the Army.  That wasn't that unusual in a war zone, but almost unheard of stateside.

Shortly before my discharge, I was awarded the Army Commendation Medal.  The accompanying paperwork cites the fact that I created and hosted Post Time, a nightly radio show from Ft. Hood, broadcast on a local Killeen, Texas radio station.  What it doesn't say, and what probably was the real reason for the award, was that I also ghost wrote speeches for Ft. Hood's commanding general.