After being frozen in Korea, I had orders in hand and reported back to Fort Knox. This time I was assigned to the Weapons Department at the Armor School. General Patton's son, General Patton, was head of the Armor School at that time. General Patton, the son, was just like his father before him, you did not want to be on his bad side. I was a platform and also a small group instructor, in any subject that pertained to tanks, how the move, shoot and communicate.
We, my wife and I, had to kids at that time, our oldest, son Michael, and recently born daughter Michelle. They assigned us quarters at Pritchard Place this time, it was for senior NCOs. Being I was the senior NCO in our quarters, I had to make sure that everyone cut their grass, that they did not accumulate trash behind their assigned quarters, everyone had name plates on their doors and that no junk cars were littering the parking slots in front of the quarters. From our upstairs window, you could look out across Dixie Highway and see the gold Depository across the way.
Everything was going great. Up til now . . The U.S.Army had in effect at that time the following suggestion: If you had completed a hardship tour (Korea) then you were given 18 months at your home base, mine being Fort Knox. Then they would send you on a long tour (Germany) for two to three years with your family. I had been working for about 8 months of my 18 months home base tour, and I only had about 6 months left before I needed to re-enlist. I was coming up on 17 years of service. I had 6 months left before I could re-enlist and finish up my home base tour and then be sent on a tour to Germany.
One morning at formation, the first Sergeant called me out of formation and wanted to see me in his office. I was thinking, what did I do wrong now, I could not think of anything to be called out for. Well, he told me that I needed to report to a certain Captain at 401st Personnel Services Company. The First Sergeant told me that he had heard through the grape vine that I had come down on levy for overseas duty. Before going and reporting as ordered, I visited my friend, the Sergeant Major who had connections in the Pentagon. He called his friend and was told I had come down of levy for Korea again. I asked the Sergeant Major how that could be as I had just finished up a tour there. Well, his friend at the Pentagon said that there was nothing I could do because the Brigade Commander over there said I did such a fine job for him he wanted me back, requesting me by rank and social security number. What he said was that I should just accept the assignment and go on. So with this information in hand, I headed to the 401st PSC.
I reported to the captain as ordered by the First Sergeant. I did not like this captain's attitude one bit. I was really in not mood to be doing this right now. I should have waited a day before reporting to her. Off the bat I told her that I did not want to go back to Korea. She said I was going. So, there we were, in a Mexican standoff. Yes you are, No I'm not. Finally I pulled up the idea about serving one short tour right behind another short tour. She said no regulation for that. I pulled up another card to throw into the pot. My ETS (Separation date from the Army) is in 6 months, a tour in Korea was 13th months. I also told her I had saved up a little over 60 days leave and I would take it. So, finally she said "West, when you re-enlist you will have enough time to finish the tour in Korea. I told her that there would be no re-enlistment unless she changed my orders to Germany, then I would re-enlist to finish up my time. She told me that I had to re-enlist. West you are a career soldier and you have to re-enlist to finish your time to retirement. Finally she said I will send you over for only 6 months if this is the way you want it. She had me backed up into a corner with no other way out. You go right ahead and send me. I will take my 65 days of leave after I report into Korea, that after that I will be sent to clear country for my ETS. Then I will write to my senator, Mitch McConnell and tell him about the waste of time and money on this circus. By this time she was red in the face and told me to come back tomorrow and sign a letter of intent not to re-enlist, basically finishing my military career with only 17 years.
After this slight altercation, I went back to the Weapons Department to finish my work for the day. Before I left for the day the First Sergeant called me and wanted me to stop by his office to see him before I went home for the day. When I entered his office he was smiling and he asked me what was I thinking? The captain had called him up and really chewed him out for my actions. I spent about an hour telling him about the little 'card game' we had about my assignment. West, he said, you are throwing away 17 years. I said yes, but I was not going to go back to Korea.
So, after about 6 months, I said the same thing General MacArthur said at his fair well speech to Congress, Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. So I bid fare well to the U.S. Army. Welcome civilian life.
What year were you at Ft Knox when told to report to the 401st PSC? I was assigned to the 401st from April 67 - November 67. We serviced the 7 / 17th Air Cav and the 8 / 1st Air Cav, and some other units at that time.
ReplyDeleteI was also there in 67 when we got attached to the 17 and was issued field gear and I think we moved to the air base for a week or so!
ReplyDeleteI was there from Feb 67 to Sep 67. There were a few of us who returned from combat units in Vietnam to the 401st. What a let down. But, at least we had each other. We made up our own unit crest for the company, a typewriter with wings, and called it the 401st flying typewriters. I was in charge of the transient barracks along with my regular assigned duties. Got an Article 15 for not going to training about Vietnam. I told the CO that I had already been there and didn't see the need. He gave me the Art 15 anyway. CPT Pfaff. Other than that and a few other things, I don't remember much about my time with the 401st.
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