Pictures While at the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

My locker – and this is my main locker, I know, because my cigarettes were in it. The reason this picture is so big is because I wanted to show all the little junk in it. Hey, remember Commodore 128 computers? My other was filled with military stuff (officially "gear" and "equipment").

The "310" on my Kevlar helmet is a roster number for the time I was in Air Assault school, where one learns to ready heavy equipment for helicopter transport (e.g. a five-ton truck), to repel out of a helicopter on tethers, and to do many, many push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and a few high-speed road marches.

These were my Buddies. I still have them. For at least half a year, I took them on all my road trips (they sat in the back seat – always with seat belts on.)

In this picture, they are "at home" in the barracks, keeping an eye in case my room gets inspected by any one of the higher-ups. Less chance of finding dust if they see the buds.

Sergeant Langreck (from northeastern Iowa), who was my squad leader, is walking the other way. Holmes is on the mop. He was from Oklahoma, and he was one who always took care with whatever he was working on, even when it came to the hated GI-Parties. He was our barracks fix-it man, and he did the best job of it. Everything was "squared away."

Specialist Price (a part Eskimo dude) put this sign up in the Latrine. Of course, he also called upon the image of President Kennedy — for to implore us to keep things clean.

I think this was after the time Price was cleaning the latrine and doused it with bleach. He had to wear a gas-mask.

Our common areas were the cleanest in the company, certainly, and, I think, the batallion     . . . And that came from Sergeant Major, not just my spin.

Here's a lovely day at the firing (rifle) range. (That's not me, by the way; I'm taking the picture.) This was the first time that I was on the administration team – keeping the scores, making sure clear on the line, all fired, keeping score, making sure weapons were "rodded" before leaving range, et cetera. The grass was overgrown that week, which made it all a pain in the ass.

Like I said, I took them everywhere. Yep – big, tough soldier boy had stuffed animals! But he could still shoot-to-kill.

Matsumoto and I –

Here we are at Clarksville's Oktoberfest. Lots of us had been in Germany before, which is one reason Oktoberfest is prima-popular in Clarksville. Lee Ann was originally from Hawaii, and we often went to bars in Tennessee before she returned to Aloha-land.

This picture came from a night when a bunch of us from Charlie company went to a house party in Kentucky. I am featured doing a "Beer Bong" here. First time I ever did one like that, but it was no problem for one who'd already done all sorts of "guzzling" contests before then. Must admit, though, it gave me a bit of a rush.