United States Air Force.

I remember July 17^th.very well. It was the day I was leaving for the United States Air Force.  I joined the Air Force instead of waiting to report on my draft day.  My dad took me to Lisbon Ohio where a bus was waiting at the court house to take me to Cleveland Ohio. A group of about ten boys were met  by local church women who gave each of us a small Bible, a cheap razor,and a pack of chewing gum.  The bus ride took about two hours and delivered us to the famous Terminal Tower in Cleveland.

We were processed for a couple of hours and sworn in. All we were allowed to bring were the cloths on our back. We were to catch a plane that night but trouble was brewing in Cleveland and we were sent to a Hotel for one night. That night turned into three because we found ourselves in the middle of the Huff Area race riots. We spent three days in dirty cloths and were not allowed to leave the Hotel.

On the fourth day we ,somehow, were transported to the air port to board a plane for San Antonio Texas the site of basic training.  It was not a straight through flight though. We stopped in Detroit and another four stops before arriving In  Texas.  24hrs. later

We arrived at Lackland AFB after a 24 hr. flight including layovers.  We were bused to our base and issued winter field jackets from WWII.  WE stood at attention for over an hour until we were led to our barracks.  We finally received some sleep after 48 hrs. of being awake.

The build up to the Viet Nam war left a shortage of supplies. That meant no uniforms for another seven days. We still had to wear the clothes we had on our backs that we had when we left Lisbon almost two weeks before.  I actually spent the first week wondering what a big mistake I made and eating anything they put in front of me. I wish I could tell you things got better but it took a while for that to happen. I did enjoy the day they cut my hair off because the weather was hot,hot,hot. That felt good.  I did not enjoy showering with 60 other guys and they made you shave every day whether you needed it or not.

I was an experience That I did not enjoy but it went fast and after rounds of testing I was sent to Keesler AFB in Mississippi for a year of electronic training.  These two states ,Texas and Mississippi are two states I never will return to for any reason.