Stateside women Vietnam Era

[Andy]

Did I ever mention to you that a drug dealer from our town did some trading with a guy who was stationed at Ft. Devens? The serviceman got about a pound of marijuana and the dealer got a case of hand grenades. Going on that raid was somewhat frightening. We got all but one of them back but never found out who the military guy was, other than an officer. Turned that end of things over to CID and they did not get lucky. You weren't working for a smoker were you??? Did you loose any grenades while at Devens? I've checked your records you did loose a few type writer ribbons. There isn't much of a jump from the ribbons to grenades.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[judyvillecco]

Yes anywhere else. There had been race riots at Fort McClellan prior to my Basic Training there so all that had gone before. I guess things were so stirred up by the time I got up there to Dix they were getting the Nam shell shocked DI's back along with God knows what other rejects and the men weren't even acting civilized at times. Not everyone was that way but a lot of them were. Women were under 24hour guard and couldn't go out alone. Rape billboards were posted on the base warning us to go in groups. Even in groups you got mauled and manhandled. It wasn't a pretty scene and the so-called ranking officers were too busy fraternizing and looking the other way. Women officers didn't have any power then. It was a zoo like something surreal.

[judyvillecco]

Well this topic is dying on the vine. A friend of mine Laurice Sirratt was stationed with me at Fort Dix. She was a southerner like me except she was from Arkansas. When we were in Basic she acted tough like nothing was going to get to her. This Black DI liked to put us in "front leaning rest" due to us wearing mens shirts which didn't fit too well and his thrill was to hear the women gasp and moan and cry due to the length of the front leaning rest while he walked around checking things out from all angles. Sirratt caught him and yelled out well I'llllllllll beeeeeee. Loook at heeeem! He's a lookin down our shirts and checkin out our b s! At which point being caught the DI ordered her to do 10 more but she refused to stop glaring at him, We learned to drop our heads to cut off his view. I still have a picture of that ugly duck! Sure wish i could find Sirratt!

[Keith_Hixson]

Don't know about typewriter ribbons but my electric typewriter broke down. They gave me a new manuel. I went to the disposal and found my old electric. Took it back to the office and tore it apart, found out what was wrong and fixed it. All it needed was a replacement belt which had broken. I made a new belt out of some boot laces. It was still working when I left. We kept the manuel type writer as a back up. I guess I stole my electric out of disposal. The ole sarge said I wasn't suppose to it but said he'd look the other way if I took it. I salvaged two extra wool blankets for sleeping. Two blankets never could keep me warm in the winter, gets cold in Massachuttes in the winter. When I checked them in the Supply Sarge called me a thief because I returned four blankets rather than two. I told him I didn't steal a thing, because if I stolen them I wouldn't be checking them in. He said you got a point but it ruins my books. I had been in headquarter company for almost two years. We had gone through three supply sergeants during that time. I don't think they knew what was on the books.

They had a big robbery of the PX a few months before I got out. Don't know if they ever solved that one.

Typewriter ribbons. ??? Don't know nothing.

Keith

[xgrunt]

they shipped me to the Nam from Ft Dix. I had to spend about a week there waiting for a planeload of fellow cannon-fodder to all show up. Of course the first thing the Army did was take our regular issue of cloths and give us our jungle issue. So there I am running around in Feb in light weight fatigues freezing my a** off while everyone who was being shipped to Germany had all their cold weather gear. I used to buy those little cans of chili out of the vending machine just to use as hand warmers. Flew from Dix to Chicago[sp] to Alaska then Japan then the Nam. Long long flight to say the least.

[judyvillecco]

Yes it was cold up there and common sinse and the military don't mix. What did you think of Fort Dix when you were there? Pretty forsaken place wasn't it. It's the armpit of bases.

[Packo]

that all army bases were the arm pits. An exception to that may be Ft. Derusy and Ft. Shafter, both in Hawaii.

Packo

[Keith_Hixson]

Is Dix still open? They closed Ft. Devens a few years ago. I'd like to go back and visit it. Make a house call on Andy and wonder around the post.

I have a good friend here in Ellensburg who spent 9 mos at Devens in the Army Security Training School, he had to sign up for four years active duty. Spent almost all of his Army career in South East Asia Countries doing intelligence work. He was only in Vietnam on short assignments but was in Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines doing what ever them secret folks do.

Ft. Devens was a pretty post. Lots of trees parade field was pretty, good golf course. Newer buildings in most places. A couple of Lakes for swimming and fishing.

But, they closed it. I understand they closed it when Andy moved back to Mass. Felt they didn't need a military presence there any longer with conservative, pro-military Andy there.

Being in Post Headquarters Company, we had a Major as Company Commander. Over 1,000 men and women in our company. We were mostly paper pushers for the bass. If you did a good job at work, nobody messed with you in the company area, unless you were a real jerk. Polish your brass, shine your boots, keep your sleeping area clean and life was pretty simple and easy. We had paper pushers for JAG, Inspector General, G-1, G-2, G-3, Post Supply, Post Chaplain, guys that ran the firing range, etc. all belonged to our company. Most of the guys worked with Captains and Above more field grade people than any other officer MAJ, LTC, & COL. Our perspective of the Army was a lot different than those who were in regular Army Companies. I even met a few Generals. There wasn't this awe of officers that the average soldier had. The one complaint the guys had was that the Women's Barrack's was on the other side of the Fort. Same Company but split Barracks (I wonder why? ) Some of the women complained that they had a woman's commander in their barracks area that was a real pain. We had one company commander that had his arm blown off with a grenade in Nam. Only person I saw that got by with saluting with his left hand. He was only with us a few months then he was discharged. A good guy, had a silver star and had been an infantry company commander in Nam. Our barracks was a massive concrete block structure. Our mess hall must have been able to seat a 150 - 200. We had pretty good cooks. Lots of the non-coms, and married guys lived off post, so the total number of guys living in the barracks was probably about 200 - 300 mostly E-5's and below with a few E-6 and E-7's thrown in. The meal that packed the mess hall was the noon meal. Breakfast and the evening meal had much smaller attendance because the off post personal went home. Movie theatre just around the block. The guys that ran the movie theatres were in our company also. The Post Print Shop guys were in our company. I still keep in contact with one of the printers, Tony is from New Jersey. Pretty casual for military life.

Keith

[judyvillecco]

Yes Dix is still there although it has changed a lot. Lots of buildings torn down. Prisoners there now among other things. Guess their talking about making it a Federal prison camp. Not that it wasn't when I was there! Especially for us women. Yes we were isolated from the men as much as they could get us but with about a 100 women to 1000 or more men what can I say. We were the ones behind lock and key for our own protection. The men saw us though. They bore their private parts out windows if they saw you dare look up and pinched you in chow line and of course no one saw anything..officers looked the other way. heck part of them were participating. Bunch of crud in command their but then that's no secret. That place has been investigated for years for its form of "tailgate' I just happened to be one that was there. Funny how quiet the guys are about it for their sisters in arms.

[judyvillecco]

Hey this was lost in the flurry and I couldn't find it in the snowstorm that blew through Florida the past few days.