TEST WEEK

The last week was test week. Some things never change. Part of test week was the live fire course. We were all warned not to shoot our buddies or the drills. Darn it! Besides the ammo, we got two practice grenades. We had to seek cover, provide fire cover for our buddies, shoot enemy pop up targets with real bullets, pretend blow up enemy gun sites, walk through a short mine field, go through a tunnel where we were watched to see if we put on our gas masks as soon as we smelled chlorine gas, (I did, believe me, I put it on fast.), and answer questions along the way. I got through the course without shooting anyone, even though I was tempted. It would have been so easy.

The last part of our test, was the twenty five mile hike, but somebody goofed with the map and we actually did thirty. Most of us survived. We left at dawn and some of us took darn near forever. I got back at one in the morning. Then I had to ride around in a truck for three hours picking up stragglers. Most of us got to sleep late for the first time in eight weeks that next morning.

That evening, I shipped out, or trained out. I was on an Amtrak headed for AIT at Fort Lee,