Veterans Asshattery

[Mike Cl]

In boot camp, 1969, half my company was from small towns in Indiana. The other half was from New York, mostly Harlem. This was not an accident.

In '68 in my boot camp, there were something like 3 blacks.  That was for the entire company.  I had boot at Ft. Lewis, but I don't think that had anything to do with it.  Looking back on that, it is a bit odd.  But we did have two guys drink a can of brasso to get out of the Army.  It worked--but caskets were never my thing.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

In '68 in my boot camp, there were something like 3 blacks.  That was for the entire company.  I had boot at Ft. Lewis, but I don't think that had anything to do with it.  Looking back on that, it is a bit odd.  But we did have two guys drink a can of brasso to get out of the Army.  It worked--but caskets were never my thing.

Indiana was Klan-heavy back then, I suspect there was a jiggery-pokery done with the date for joining up. I had joined in February.

Good thing was that I met a guy that I served with up until 1971, damn good man even if I couldn't understand him with he got excited.

[stromboli]

We're all the same age. Boot camp San Diego summer of '68. One (1) black man in my company. Most were from Michigan a bunch of (according to them) swingin' hip, do it now guys that all talked street lingo. Me a small town Utah boy scared the black man had a straight razor ( I had heard stories) and was going to slit my white throat while I slept. Shit you learn. On the other hand I spoke a little Spanish from high school and because I knew Mexican sheepherders growing up. The one real tough guy in the company was a Mexican American I got to know. dude was badass; a slight, soft spoken guy who had fought Golden Gloves and had the fastest hands I have ever seen. He could punch your lights out faster than you could get your hands up above waist level.