Memories

Green, I was as green as a field of rice. USMC boot camp was a revelation but I successfully completed it in the allotted twelve weeks graduating on Dec. 15, 1959.  It was two weeks before Christmas so the Corps in its wisdom mandated that I take two weeks of my annual four weeks of leave and report for duty at Camp Pendleton, CA., after the first of the year.  Going home on my time off was the only option I considered but the question was how?  The Corps had flown me from Omaha to San Diego for boot camp on a DC-6, my first flight.  Flying home? Too expensive, and I didn't have a car so Greyhound Bus seemed my only option.  So bus it was; north to L.A., east on Highway 30, to Omaha and the north to Arlington, S.D., and home...30 hours of blue highways.  (Here a little excursus: Ed was also on the bus, we were in the same platoon in boot camp but really got acquainted on the bus. We shared office and barracks for my entire enlistment.  We always stayed in touch after our discharges but when we moved to Davenport, IA., we were near his farm which is by Calamus. This became the opportunity for our wives to also become great friends.)
     But, why didn't I think of taking a train?  At this distant remove I have no recollection of even considering buying a train ticket.  The train option is on my mind because I just finished Once Upon A Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen, Bob Greene. From Dec. 25, 1941 until April 1, 1946 volunteers met every troop train stopping in North Platte from 5:00 a.m., until after midnight...as many as 8000 servicemen a day on up to 23 trains.  The trains stopped for 10 minutes to take on water for the locomotive.  The men were given sandwiches, coffee, milk, snacks, cakes and cigarettes...free!  12,000 people lived in North Platte with help from surrounding communities they served 6 million military personnel!  Passenger service continued until 1971 and two years later the depot, which had housed the canteen, was demolished.  I do remember that the bus home from boot camp passed through North Platte but there was no canteen offering refreshments.
    On June 4, 1962 I was discharged from the USMC...YES, honorably 😀, and two years later on June 6, 1964 Joanne and I were married.

Takk for alt,

Al

Probably good Joanne didn't knw me when....