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- Army Beer Hall (December, 1970; Week Five in Basic Training)
Army Beer Hall (December, 1970; Week Five in Basic Training)
- By Dennis L. Siluk
- Published 04/7/2007
- Stories
- Unrated
Stalemate: Army Life (January, 1970; Week Seven and a half in Basic Training)
Part Six
We marched back and forth like children walking in formation to school, not half miles though, but four and five miles a day. No one had the right to resort to tears nor calmly and flatly refuse, a few I think wanted to, we had a fat boy in the group, and the sergeants run him ragged (by the time he left, he must had lost forty pounds, he was most grateful to his oppressors) didn’t even fight back, emotionally or physically. Most of the trainees just did what they were told, had to do, thought they had to do. I learned later on in time, one can hate the Army and love it at the same time. And then one becomes codependent on it, with it. This never took place at this stage of the game, but down the road of life it would.
Most of the recruits just did what they were told, not creating any static, or disruptions. The first day they had asked if any of the soldiers were lawyers, or studying law in college, and a few raised their hands, and I never saw them again. Not sure if they got special treatment, or a special platoon, but I knew that if you were in college, the chances were you’d not be drafted until after you got out, or if you were married prior to 1965. I guess I felt, they felt, the rule makers of the country felt we (the others) were dispensable in comparison. Anyhow, as I was saying the men were almost on automatic control for the drill sergeants at this time, acting without thinking, like robots, what they wanted I suppose.
They seemed to have immune perversity while I often emanated an inner outrageousness for such control. I suppose that is why a nation selects our youth, they are so vulnerable, gullible, and patriotism is high, and not reviewed for wrongness. When I select a church (or any organization) to belong to, I review its doctrine, its code, no matter what, listen to the preachers, if they preach the gospel fine, if they preach something that sounds like it, I need to do some thinking, more thinking, and deep thinking—do I want to belong to this or not, kind of thinking; it is a decision with me and myself, my life, the only thing I got here on earth.
People are deceiving; self-interest is stronger than going to Hell. A nation run by a lunatic is not wise to follow. And it is obvious from history: it is easier to enmesh the masses with a big lie, than the few with a small lie. Hitler, and all his kind in history have done so, and continue to do so, and have proven me right, and the blind follow the blind.
On the other hand, it was good for me I suppose, I had a judge that said in so many words: go in the Army, or face the consequences, it was on some minor charges, but I am sure he would have made them look big had I not done my duty (I think it was traffic tickets, 21-of them, way overdue, and I didn’t have the money to pay for them and correct the situation, or problems that would have come from it, perhaps a year in the workhouse is what I might have been facing.) Oh, well, it kept my record clean, they wash the tickets away, the Army was dealing with me, and in time the Army would be like the World’s Fair for me, I got to travel, which I loved, and got paid for working out, which I loved, but orders, they were the quencher, I had to adjust to that, control, that I didn’t love.
And so the battle between me and the Army was half over, nothing was hard for me in the Basic Training world, wasteful perhaps, but not difficult. I was throwing time away, and they were throwing dollars my way, and travel, and training, and so we both got something out of it, the tax payers I’m not sure. And if I was going to save the world, this was a good place to start. It was now 1970, a new decade for me, an ultimatum had been settled, I accepted, this was better than the old stalemate I had back home, and found myself again in, while in the Army, and so I had to learn to bark like a dog to my masters, somewhat, and I would get my biscuit, and I did.
As time would prove, the Army became an intricate part of my life; it provided a roof over my head, a job, or employment, and college down the road.
4-3-2007
We marched back and forth like children walking in formation to school, not half miles though, but four and five miles a day. No one had the right to resort to tears nor calmly and flatly refuse, a few I think wanted to, we had a fat boy in the group, and the sergeants run him ragged (by the time he left, he must had lost forty pounds, he was most grateful to his oppressors) didn’t even fight back, emotionally or physically. Most of the trainees just did what they were told, had to do, thought they had to do. I learned later on in time, one can hate the Army and love it at the same time. And then one becomes codependent on it, with it. This never took place at this stage of the game, but down the road of life it would.
Most of the recruits just did what they were told, not creating any static, or disruptions. The first day they had asked if any of the soldiers were lawyers, or studying law in college, and a few raised their hands, and I never saw them again. Not sure if they got special treatment, or a special platoon, but I knew that if you were in college, the chances were you’d not be drafted until after you got out, or if you were married prior to 1965. I guess I felt, they felt, the rule makers of the country felt we (the others) were dispensable in comparison. Anyhow, as I was saying the men were almost on automatic control for the drill sergeants at this time, acting without thinking, like robots, what they wanted I suppose.
They seemed to have immune perversity while I often emanated an inner outrageousness for such control. I suppose that is why a nation selects our youth, they are so vulnerable, gullible, and patriotism is high, and not reviewed for wrongness. When I select a church (or any organization) to belong to, I review its doctrine, its code, no matter what, listen to the preachers, if they preach the gospel fine, if they preach something that sounds like it, I need to do some thinking, more thinking, and deep thinking—do I want to belong to this or not, kind of thinking; it is a decision with me and myself, my life, the only thing I got here on earth.
People are deceiving; self-interest is stronger than going to Hell. A nation run by a lunatic is not wise to follow. And it is obvious from history: it is easier to enmesh the masses with a big lie, than the few with a small lie. Hitler, and all his kind in history have done so, and continue to do so, and have proven me right, and the blind follow the blind.
On the other hand, it was good for me I suppose, I had a judge that said in so many words: go in the Army, or face the consequences, it was on some minor charges, but I am sure he would have made them look big had I not done my duty (I think it was traffic tickets, 21-of them, way overdue, and I didn’t have the money to pay for them and correct the situation, or problems that would have come from it, perhaps a year in the workhouse is what I might have been facing.) Oh, well, it kept my record clean, they wash the tickets away, the Army was dealing with me, and in time the Army would be like the World’s Fair for me, I got to travel, which I loved, and got paid for working out, which I loved, but orders, they were the quencher, I had to adjust to that, control, that I didn’t love.
And so the battle between me and the Army was half over, nothing was hard for me in the Basic Training world, wasteful perhaps, but not difficult. I was throwing time away, and they were throwing dollars my way, and travel, and training, and so we both got something out of it, the tax payers I’m not sure. And if I was going to save the world, this was a good place to start. It was now 1970, a new decade for me, an ultimatum had been settled, I accepted, this was better than the old stalemate I had back home, and found myself again in, while in the Army, and so I had to learn to bark like a dog to my masters, somewhat, and I would get my biscuit, and I did.
As time would prove, the Army became an intricate part of my life; it provided a roof over my head, a job, or employment, and college down the road.
4-3-2007
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This article is part 4 of a 5 part series. Other articles in this series are shown below:
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Army Beer Hall (December, 1970; Week Five in Basic Training)