AJChenMPH
Forum Health Inspector
I DIDN'T MIND being in the Army. In fact, I rather looked forward to being drafted. But I never expected to be shanghaied!
It all began one day when I was stopped for a traffic violation. On a routine check, the police officer discovered that my name was listed as being AWOL from the Army. Although I protested my innocence, I was taken to the station house and locked in a cell. Two MPs came and escorted me to the processing center at Fort Dix, N.J. Then I was taken to what they informed me were my barracks, shown my bunk and footlocker, and told to put on my uniform.
Besides having the same name, the missing GI and I apparently looked alike. My fellow soldiers assumed I was the same man. For the next week or so, my life was a nightmare. My unit was still being processed, and I was required to go along.
About a week later, I was told to report to the C.O.'s office. The captain told me the real AWOL soldier had been caught, but instead of apologizing, he treated me as if the mix-up was my fault. He told me to be out of the camp in two hours.
I was overjoyed. I raced back to the barracks, changed into my civvies and hightailed it for the exit. Just as the gate opened, I heard a voice calling my name. A private ran up and handed me an envelope that had been forwarded from my old address. When I opened it, I was stunned. It was my long-awaited draft notice.
"Greetings" indeed!
Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Robert M. Patton
Provided Courtesy of Reader's Digest.
It all began one day when I was stopped for a traffic violation. On a routine check, the police officer discovered that my name was listed as being AWOL from the Army. Although I protested my innocence, I was taken to the station house and locked in a cell. Two MPs came and escorted me to the processing center at Fort Dix, N.J. Then I was taken to what they informed me were my barracks, shown my bunk and footlocker, and told to put on my uniform.
Besides having the same name, the missing GI and I apparently looked alike. My fellow soldiers assumed I was the same man. For the next week or so, my life was a nightmare. My unit was still being processed, and I was required to go along.
About a week later, I was told to report to the C.O.'s office. The captain told me the real AWOL soldier had been caught, but instead of apologizing, he treated me as if the mix-up was my fault. He told me to be out of the camp in two hours.
I was overjoyed. I raced back to the barracks, changed into my civvies and hightailed it for the exit. Just as the gate opened, I heard a voice calling my name. A private ran up and handed me an envelope that had been forwarded from my old address. When I opened it, I was stunned. It was my long-awaited draft notice.
"Greetings" indeed!
Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Robert M. Patton
Provided Courtesy of Reader's Digest.
