Jim. *556*

                In 1965, Jim’s life was altered for good. Jim graduated that year in Illinois, and with the knowledge that he couldn’t do much more with his life, he went down to the Draft Board and signed up. (Draft Board - A local board of civilians in charge of the selection of persons for compulsory military service. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/draft+board)) He was drafted immediately to Fort Knox in Kentucky, in which he spent 10 days there. During those 10 days he was taught the lowest basics and training of the military. Once he passed that, he advanced to the next stage of being a student of the military. Jim was transferred to Fort Louis for 10 months to finish the training and gain knowledge of the military technology. As soon as he exceeded the drills, he was sent home to see his family for the last time before embarking to Vietnam. Though most arrived to Vietnam by plane, Jim and his military family were shipped. He arrived in the Southern part of the China Sea. His job was to be on the Central Islands in Southern Vietnam and form a blockade so the Vietnam soldiers could not pass and breach their forces. In September 1967, Jim came home.

                That was the story this man gave us, he kept it brief. However he was willing to answer questions. Some other knowledge about this man is he was married in 1970 to a woman named Linda. But while in Vietnam, he had a girlfriend. He received a letter from her starting with “Dear John…”, his girlfriend forgot his name. In her letter she described how she couldn’t stand the stress, plus there was someone else. This girl got married to someone else, and Jim laughed and said, “To this day I know where she lives, though I won’t do anything to her, I still know.”

                Another moment he experience was a time he thought he got him by a round. Jim believed he was hit, though he didn’t feel anything. When he called about a medic and was checked thoroughly, the medic told him a can of meatballs saved him. What Jim felt was just the juice of the meatballs, warm, on his back. 

When Jim was released to come home, he described how he wanted to re-enlist and go back. He talked about how he and some other men from Vietnam were put in a room and asked who wanted to go back. Jim raised his hand. Though when Jim raised hand, he inquired if he could change his M.O.S. (A United States military occupation code, or a Military Occupational Specialty code (MOS code), is a nine character code used in the United States Army and United States Marines to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a system of Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) is used. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_occupation_code)). Jim was told he could not, and he knew he was done.

When asked, “Knowing what you know now, would you go back and do it again if you had the chance?” Jim answered, “Hell no.” He described how especially from what he knows now that being there is lie after lie after lie, that he has had enough. Jim said that even though you’re there fighting for your country, you are more fighting for yourself, and the will to stay alive. He said he had learned his lesson.