I found some old letters I wrote home when I was in the US Army (December 2, 1969-November 30, 1972). I was looking for old photos I thought I had, but found this pile, most likely saved by my mother. I will read through them, for the fun of it and to get better dates on what I did while in Europe. Or didn’t: I found references to trips to Denmark and Spain that I didn’t take, probably because of motion picture jobs that came up.
Written during my first trip out of Germany, a job in Greece.
Typed on a portable typewriter I took with me to Greece, apparently, though I don’t remember having it with me. Oh, for spell check! Computers make corrections neater, faster, and less obvious.
The thing I remember most about this trip was the six hole biffy, the Turkish-style squatter that was wooden planks over a trench latrine with six strategically placed holes. Burlap bags hanging over the opening offered some small privacy from the farmer’s beautiful (and no doubt heavily haired) daughter who made an effort to be across the ravine separating their farm from the camp anytime there were soldiers out and about.
This matter of privacy was a concern to one of the Green Berets on the trip, and he used the biffy facing in instead of out. His ill-placed “offering” converted the biffy into a five holer for the duration of our stay.
I never wanted to be a soldier, so I was very fortunate to be accepted for training as a motion picture photographer, then to be stationed from July 1970 through the end of November 1972 in Germany.
Here I am, making a light check so I can set my exposure correctly. My team leader, I guess, took this of me when I was in Greece for a joint Green Beret-Greek special forces exercise involving a jump from a plane into the Mediterranean, a long swim ashore, followed by storming a hill and taking an “enemy” position.
The swim was in December. Ugh! I felt sorry for them and glad for myself that I had no aspirations to be a hardcore soldier! The motion picture photographer job in Germany and Western Europe was just fine with me!
You were good-looking, Doug – what the heck happened? :surprise:
I put on 40+ years and more than 40+ pounds, but that’s just a wild stab at an answer!
You’re a good sport!
Most times! My button issues get me going, but the vicissitudes of time don’t push any of my buttons. (Try owing me money, though…!)
I don’t borrow money from anyone because paying-back is not in my budget! O_o
I don’t borrow money, and, thanks to a very bad experience with a former friend, I don’t lend money or do anything like cosign. I still haven’t got repaid, as I will remind her on the first anniversary. I doubt she intends to repay me.) I just looked it up, and it was my day after Christmas blog. She’d promised to repay me the money “before Christmas”, which I took to mean December 25, 2013.
http://phainopepla95.com/2013/12/09/post-nr-250-a-hard-lesson/
http://phainopepla95.com/2013/12/26/post-266-the-449-39-question/
Sprichst Du etwas Deutsch? 🙂
Nur ein bischen, und nicht sehr gut. I have little opportunity to use it, and I am very out of practice.
Kann ich Dir auf Deutsch schreiben?
Ich kann ein bischen Deutsch schreiben, aber I am very much out of practice!
Entschuldigen! Ja, Sie koennen auf Deutsch schreiben, und es will fuer mich ein Ubung sein.
Great post, your army days are most interesting *smiles*.
– sonmi upon the Cloud
Thanks! Much of it is less scatalogical than this, though the vocabulary used to bescribe it might still be a bit “rough”! Ha!
You’re a wealth of historical information, tell us more! Still with the boys featuring of course, not to be disparaging about them at all heh.
– sonmi upon the Cloud
I might have more photos and letter excerpts to share, but will have to take a look.