Friday, June 5, 2015

Benchmarks Along the Journey

June 5 .... for me, as with all of us, there are dates that are speed bumps along our interstate. Filling those special and unique dates are memories, hopes, disappointments; the spectrum of emotion and each of you reading this are thinking of some of your speed bumps just seeing this.  I have several special dates in my hard drive such as my wedding anniversary, our children's birthdays, my first grandson's birthday of Oct 1 that forever changed my life.  I remember the dates of my salvation experience of August 15, 1960 vividly as if it was yesterday.  But June 5 is and always will be special to me for there is a major component of my life, the military, that I rarely have opportunity to speak about but will briefly here.
 
June 5, 1970 was the first day of Basic Combat Training at Fort Bragg, NC. I was older than most of my fellow recruits. I chose to join the Army even though the draft was alive and well but the decision for me to join the Army, the National Guard to be more specific, was founded more on a need to fill a gap that began with my dad; a World War II combat veteran.  Like most little boys then, we played Army every day and each day, Monday through Friday at noon, a band of us would gather at George French's den to watch war movies on Channel 13 out of Birmingham.  America always won thus that was as it should be; America Wins! Most days we would retire to the battlefields of Norris and Hill Avenues, break up in the Americans and Germans, hide, and initiate combat operations with china berries being the ammunition of choice. It amazes me I can actually see this screen and not have been blinded by the hard green berries but I made it.  The War would last a couple of hours or until our mothers would beckon us home but we would fight another day valiantly ... but the Americans won.  I bought with grass cutting money I earned Army surplus insignia, canteen belts, back packs, would have bought grenades but they were out that day; SMILE. Americans won!!!!
 
As the years crept up on me and I had friends going off to some place, Asia, where ever that was and then I would hear my best friend was killed by a booby trapped child. I could not register what that meant. Then there was another and then another; boys I had known well but no more. Then I had friends that came back from there acting, well, much differently. I thought it was me that had somehow changed and did for many years.  But reality hit me that it was Vietnam and America was not winning apparently.  But way down deep in my being I yearned to be there, to be part of it, to contribute to the freedom that America represented.  I saw the impact of WWII on my father that came in the form of alcoholism; a terrible, heinous addiction that is made even more terrible with the generational scarring that is burned into the family living through that. I will leave that point here for there are still deeply rooted scars I have buried so do not care to unearth but many of you know exactly what I am talking about for far too many of us lived it.
 
But I wanted to be part of making America a winner; badly did I want that. But during that time I was wanting to get my college education. The lottery clearly indicated being drafted would not happen and while there were many thrilled about that for themselves, I was actually quite disappointed deep in my gut.  But I wanted to be part of making America win.  I was actually asked to join an Armor battalion NG unit, the same on my father had been in that mobilized into WWII.  I jumped at the chance and June 5, 1970 was a day in infamy for me as I unloaded a truck inside Bragg along with twenty other young boys when these men in these strange campaign hats upended my life beginning with twenty five push ups while still on the truck with five others jammed next to me doing the same thing. And there was the new colorized language that was frightening and filled with words and profanity I had not heard before. I thought I had turned right instead of left. But I knew where I was and found myself loving the structure, the marching, the competitiveness and the order of things; loved it! That was BCT and America won. That story goes on but I want to jump three years ahead to June 5, 1973!
 
In 1957 an Officer Candidate School for Army National Guard was established in Alabama called the Alabama Military Academy that after a one year stint of very structured, very educational and very high expectations to be met, you were commissioned an officer in the US Army!  I served under several of the men that graduated from AMA and was asked on several occasions to choose to attend the Academy. As a newly wed and building a career, and wanting to finish my degree, it was a major decision but I made it and June 5, 1973 as a Sergeant E5, life changed for me once more. I will paste in a paragraph I put into the AMA FB site earlier today to give you a flavor as again I was the oldest member of my AMA class which made the physical issues more challenging but worth it:
 
At exactly this time 43 years ago at Fort McClellan, AL, George Bowdoin was speaking sweetly in to my right ear and Bob Tanner even sweeter into my left ear and Al Golden was poking my left ear gently with his swagger stick and blue senior cadet helmet liners were buzzing around like wild coyotes howling; welcome to AMA Cadet Williams. Thus begin a 13 month journey ending 20 July 1974 to create the happiest, most humbled, hyper excited men to make that journey to my butter bar pinning. Having had many experiences in my life before, during and since that journey, the AMA experience has positively impacted my life in more ways that any other venture I experienced. Great family of officers I share a brotherhood / sisterhood with around this world. The values of AMA are unswerving and Forever the Bond ... meaning just that! What a blessing to count myself part of that amazing fraternity and COL Alton R Barnes and his legacy will go on and on. Just wanted to share my anniversary that so many have trod! And yes, IT SHALL BE DONE! AMA 18.
 
I will close with the reality that life for a set of choices that lead to the speed bumps on the interstate of life.  The military component of my life was, is and will continue to be a major portion of my life for it has fingerprints on every decision I make to this very day.  Attaining accelerated rank and command positions in some tough units with some tough guys made me tough and resilient and caring and knowing that with the right focus and drive, mountains can be moved and yes, America can win!  A highlight of my life was in 1981 when my unit I was commanding, the 31st Armored Cavalry Troop was awarded the esteemed Draper Armor Leadership Award. It was the first NG unit in the southeastern US to ever win that Award for it was an Award for 143 men and our machines of war that worked harder, fought harder to be the best than any other group of  men in my life. I was so honored by the Award I could not stop crying from joy for days after. 
 
So June 5, for me, is a day the Americans won!

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