Wanted: Spit and Polish

I did fairly well with the academics at OCS but the “spit and polish” aspect found me wanting. I just didn’t have the knack of polishing shoes, lining up the shaving gear, et cetera, and consequently got very few weekend passes. I never got a weekend off except when the battery got a blanket pass. In order for a candidate to qualify for a pass a candidate could have no more than a certain number of gigs (demerits). I never made it under that minimum.

Occasionally the entire base or our unit together might be awarded a weekend but mostly I spent my Saturdays marching up MB 4. That is a point just outside the camp designated as Medicine Bow Mountain. Although it was not a mountain, just a hill, it seemed as high as the Alps with a 50-lb. pack on your back while jogging to catch up with the troops at the front of the pack.

An example of why I failed the gig quota was exemplified during one inspection. The Redbird in charge told me to get a stool and look at the florescent light behind my bunk. It was a short unit and nearly inaccessible as my bunk was in a corner. I dutifully got the stool, climbed up and read the following inscription—in the dust: July 7, 1952. Since it was now late August, it was obvious I hadn’t cleaned the light in several weeks. Another weekend without a pass!

Oh well, weekends were not that great anyway. Lawton, Oklahoma was the only community close to the base and it was strictly an army town. Oklahoma City attracted some of the candidates but liquor stores at that time were state owned and transients such as us would have difficulty obtaining a card to buy booze. Consequently, black market whiskey was the solution for some, but that was dangerous. Not only was it illegal, but the chance of getting seriously sick was a deterrent. An alternative was to go to Wichita Falls, (popularly known as Whiskey Falls), Texas where liquor could be purchased at will. The problem with that was the distance and availability of public transportation. Candidates were not allowed to have cars. Our commanding officer told us the first day, “This is not a mechanized unit. Park your cars for the duration of training.”