Dad, Oct 8thI have been up since 0230 with a 2-hr fireguard shift. It’s just about 0430 and the lights will becoming on in about 5 min. Today is Sunday, one of our more relaxed days. We get a couple hours to go to church, the rest of the day is barracks maintenance.
We had pugil (?) training and combatives yesterday. And the day before was bayonet training I am really sore. My muscles are near failure. Things aren’t that bad. The worst part is missing Angela and the girls, The lack of freedom is a little annoying but I can see the method behind the madness, which makes it a little Easier to deal with.
I sent my address to Angela. There is a very specific way letters need to be filled out. Can you call Angela and get it and write me. I could use a letter, maybe a little advice or inspiration. Sorry about the handwriting, writing in the dark wasn’t the easiest. Lights are on now, and people are starting to get up and move around.
My graduation is going to be on Dec. 2. I will have more information on it later. But I wanted to see if you might be able to come to it. It would mean a great deal to me if you could. I may or may not have anything like this to celebrate again and I want the people who are important to me to be here. I am trying to find a way for Angela and the girls to get here also. I don’t know if she can handle all the kids and flying all alone. I really want you all to be there though. It will be a very proud day for me, and I want you all to be with me.
I got the address:
PFC Corey Rutherford
B Co. 2-10
495 Iowa Ave Unit 22
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO 65473-8958
*(On the back of the envelope write "2nd PLT.")
I love you,
Corey Rutherford
My observations:
I was in good shape when I went into the Army in Feb 1963. I was older also than most of the guys; my 22nd birthday was spent in Basic Training. They were drafting guys at 21 then and the ones that joined were 17-19. I felt much older. I had just spent a year bumming around Europe and was up for almost anything.
The first week of Basic they used to call zero week because it didn’t count as one of the eight weeks of Basic. That first week they march you around and issue you uniforms, give you shots, check your teeth, give you tests, and generally get all of the misc. things that have to be done, done. Every once in a while they grab some guys out of line and they have to pull KP. The Army moves on its stomach and they always need people to help prepare the food and clean up after.
It was a lot like the movies of basic they try to fit you but it’s not supper important because fat guys get skinner and skinny guys put on weight. "Smoke em if you got em," always meant you were on break.
Most of the stuff you end up doing is training. "Fire watch" not needed but it teaches you about guard and makes sure you do it and don’t go to sleep. I remember one time I don’t know where I had to guard an ammo dump. It was one of those dug outs with dirt piled up over it. I was there in the dark for 4-6 hours in the middle if no where, in the middle of the night. After walking my area for a while (you couldn’t smoke), I sat down on the side of the bunker and waited. I would hear the jeep coming with the change of the guard. That was a bad break in discipline.
The Army was not my favorite place. After I had been out for about a year I was driving and had the thought suddenly came to me "I’m free. I can do anything I want." I will try to add more of my Army experiences as we get more news from Corey.
