Fort Eustis, Virginia
Ft. Eustis was the home of the Army Transportation School where intensive training was conducted in marine, rail, amphibious and other modes of transportation. I had been there after basic training a year earlier for my own training as a Marine Engineer, MOS 61C. The current MOS (Military Occupational Speciality Code) is apparently 88L, Watercraft Engineer.
I wasn't expecting much from my A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training)… the Army has acronyms for everything. Based on the mostly physical indoctrination I received in Basic Training at Ft. Benning, I was looking forward to more of the same. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the quality of the civilian instructors and course material to be top notch. We learned the principles, operation and maintenance of diesel engines and propulsion systems. Of course, there was still the morning formation, calisthenics and retreat in the evening.
Additional training included learning how to put out oil blazes in a steel building that replicated the conditions of an onboard fire. We also toured a cargo ship and saw the engine room. I don't remember how long I was there but I do remember a lot of what I learned to this day.
I was appointed "class commander" for some reason. This meant I was in charge of roll call, sick slips, and marching the class of about 30 men to and from the training facility. I also got a private room down the hall from the dormitory. I'm not sure why I was chosen for the job. It could have had something to do with the fact that I was the only reservist in the class.
The food was good, supervision relaxed and the class members got along with each other. We had some free time and were allowed to leave the post after duty hours. There were a few draftees who grumbled about almost everything but nobody paid much attention to them. The curriculum was not easy by any means but most of the class took it seriously. Looking back, this was the most enjoyable time I spend in the Army, if there is such a thing.
In the summer of 1968, my reserve unit was called up and we were sent back to Ft. Eustis to get us ready for something. We all knew we were going to Vietnam although we never found out 'officially' until just before departure. We spent a few months doing all the usual army busy work, going to the firing range, and marching, marching, marching. That's what the army does when they can't think of anything else or planned events don't materialize. I honestly don't remember much about that period. I know it was our first introduction to the LCM-8 or 'Mike Boat'. This was a big jump from the tug boat we trained on back home. The photo of the well deck came from that time period.
Whether it was expecting the worst or making an educated guess, our premonitions came true. At the end of our training period in September we were informed that we would indeed be leaving Ft. Eustis very soon. Suddenly everything was urgent. At some point we were issued jungle fatigues. That seemed like the final confirmation of our destiny. The next thing we knew we were in the air.