KS - Miss. to Mont.

2- The reason much of the following is remembered is because there is a file folder in my small study/computer room that contains documents, maps, military orders, etc. pertaining to my 3-year enlistment in the U. S. Army. This “adventure” began in the summer of 1959 in Great Falls, Montana, because that was where my oldest sister lived and also where the previously mentioned varmint reduction escapades took place.

After high school graduation, I traveled across the country, the first stop being in Mississippi to spend a couple of weeks with kinfolks. My Dad’s two brothers lived on adjoining acreage and each of them had one child apiece. One was a girl and one a guy, they were about the same age and about a year younger than I. They both had vehicles available to them and we traveled around the place quite a bit.

This was farming territory and both uncles were involved in that enterprise, as well as one of them working an outside job and the other owning and running a general store on his property. Since this was farmland, their schools ran later in the summer and started later in the fall because of harvesting. In other words they were still going to school when I got there. The first Friday night I was there, the local school had a basketball game and my girl cousin asked me to go with her – even got me a date.

The boy she was dating had a cousin to go with me, so we double dated to the game. The girl’s name was Wynette Pugh and during the time I was there we saw each other all we could. This girl was really talented, she could play the piano and sing as good as anyone I had heard up to that time in my life. Even though I was young and pretty naïve, without a lot of kissing experience, I still knew that when this girl kissed me, I didn’t have to wonder if I had really been kissed.

After meeting this girl, I had the vague feeling that both my aunts down there had a conspiracy going against me spending much time with her. Years later I found out that my suspicions were true, they didn’t think she was the girl for me. The girl later changed her name to Tammy Wynette and became famous in the country music field.

Then it was on to Great Falls, Montana. My purpose for traveling there was to visit with my sister a while and then join some branch of the armed forces – since the choices back then were to either join or get drafted at some future unknown time. Being one given to the non-enjoyment of suspense, I decided to join up and get it over with.

My original intention was to join the Air Force – for the very intellectual reason that I liked the blue uniforms. Two things influenced my decision to join the Army. First was the fact that an Air Force enlistment was for four years and the Army was only for three. Second was the fact that my bro-in-law was in the Army, serving in the capacity of Army recruiter in Great Falls, Montana and he sort of reasoned me into it – helping me choose a field in that branch of the military to which I would be the most suited.

TBC ec