On 04/06/2014 03:59 PM, micky wrote:



snip

You seem like a smart guy. The recruiter told me I was probably smart
and could get assigned to missiles in Turkey or Germany. I don't know
because I failed the physical.

Where did they assign you?




Missiles in Germany.

At the end of basic training I was told that I'd be in air defense
artillery and would not be needed in Vietnam. I breathed a huge sigh of
relief.

I drove a tracked missile launcher:

https://www.google.com/search?q=chap...1669&bih=8 73


Most of the people in my unit were drafted out of engineering or
technical schools. Even though we had college deferments, they drafted
anyone who ...in their words...were not serious students.

I was going to appeal, but truth is, they were right. I figured I might
as well just get it over with.


We were thankful for not being shipped off to Vietnam...but at the same
time, we felt kind of useless over in Germany...merely showing the USSR
our presence.

With the recent events in the Ukraine I now realize that if we were not
there, the USSR would have just marched right in...so possibly we did
some good after all.

Even in 1970, the effect of WW-II was still present. One thing I really
noticed is that there were almost no men of my father's age. Most were
killed in the war or figured out a way to get the hell out of there.