LETTERS

LETTERS

THE EYES AND EARS OF THE SERVICE

Being in the military, I’d like to try to give to you some first hand knowledge of what it is like. But first, let me say that if you don’t have to go—DON’T!!!

When you first come in, if you have enlisted, (like me)they will treat you extremely well. They’ll tell you of all the things you might encounter in your stay in basic training, but they leave out the little things, like, why you have to serve in the military.

You have finally arrived at the station to which they have told you to go, and now the military life begins. The first thing that your drill sergeant will tell you is that as of now, “I am your mother, father, and girlfriend—but don’t try to screw me.” Everyone laughs without realizing that this brutal sadistic bastard is going to try to teach you to kill people. It doesn’t mattter whether you want to or not, because now you take orders from Uncle Sam.

So begins your life in the service. As the days progress, you have your hair shaven and you are vaccinated

for all sorts of diseases and now, you are one of America’s finest. Whether it be a sailor, soldier or airman, everyone is supposed to be proud of what you stand for—killing, maiming, and all other routine things that the military stands for. You are now out of basic training, and you are a Real Man. You wear your uniform proudly, and really believe that what you are doing is right. It never occurs to you that there might just happen to be two sides to the story. It doesn’t sound feasible that our great country just might be fallible. When this thought finally pops into your head, they quickly try to give you peace of mind by having undercover agenst pose to be your friend, to try to find out why you are a Communist. Sounds funny, doesn’t it?—but it’s not. It happens to be the way the military operates. If you don’t agree with them, the chances are that you will be branded a Communist. Not an American, looking for a solution, but a COMMUNIST!

You now enter your first home base. This is where your first permanent shipment is to. From there, the chances of going to Southeast Asia are pretty high, especially if you are in the Army. The civilians don’t like you, because you are now a second class citizen. The military doesn’t like you because you have learned to think for yourself and so, you must be a Communist. Where do you go from here?

This is a good question, and I wish that I could answer it right now, but I can’t. Can someone please help me in my quest for an answer? Please write to Creem Magazine with any solutions for a poor desolate second class citizen like myself. All letters will be gratefully accepted.