And My Helmet as a Pillow (ePub)

This autobiographical account describes funny moments and some quite hilarious, but also has highly poignant and sad memories. They include the moment when a private soldier fainted three times in a row: before, during, and after his first vaccination; the hand-grenade class intended to wake up zombies; the story of the vagabond knife; actions of two of the three conscientious objectors in my outfit; the soldier that confused two lovely Chevrolet Corvette automobiles and drove away with the one belonging to the company commander; the private that smashed 5-gallon water cans instead of the large coffee cans he was supposed to crush. It also includes unfortunate moments of fear, of hearing three bullets flying over my head; to the horrible occasion when a comrade and I had to pick up the bodies of two American soldiers killed in action during the Tet Offensive. The account also includes the strange event that occurred throughout a memorial ceremony we held for forty-one fallen comrades. In the course of the ceremony, a dust devil formed and traversed the football field where we were formed. We interpreted it as a farewell message from our fallen friends. This was my stint in the United States Army during the time of the Vietnam War and of the Tet Offensive, a time when I saw death working overtime. It all started at the train station of Harvey, Illinois, on May 30, 1967 and ended in Fort Gordon, Georgia on May 29, 1969. It is real and it is true.