Many years ago I was in the Army, and stationed in Germany. I was the Battalion Commander’s secretary, and Command Sergeant Major Middleton was the Battalion Commander’s right hand man. CSM Middleton was a bulldozer of a man. I secretly believed he was Frankenstein’s monster. He looked the part with his large body, squared shoulders…
Merrill Barracks in Nuremberg, Germany became my new home. I was transferred out of the motor pool up the battalion headquarters where I was to be the new personal secretary to the battalion commander, Col. Garrison. The 71st Maintenance Battalion headquarters resided in Merrill Barracks, an enormous structures that took up an entire block. It…
The Army sponsored the Nuremberg International Ski Club. I was a beginner skier at the time, so this was my perfect opportunity to learn. I joined the club, which organized ski trips every month to the Alps. The first trip I went on with the group was to Lech, Austria. We had a great bus,…
I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany first. Then was taken to Furth, where I was assigned to the motor pool. I went to the company commander’s office and was introduced to him, and he was told that I was his new motor pool clerk. He was polite enough. He called for the motor pool sergeant to come…
I made it through basic training, and through AIT (advanced individual training). I had been trained for the position of a 71T, or as we said in the military, 71 Tango. Sounds pretty interesting, doesn’t it? Mysterious? Exciting? 71T is an equipment maintenance clerk. I was trained to work in the motor pool. But that…