Training at Camp Howze, Texas
Training with this Infantry Division was quite vigorous. It didn't matter if I had a bugle--it was just extra weight. I remember one 'funny' incident. The captain was directing an assault on a house (fake house) and he asked me to blow RECALL--so I brought the bugle up and with my dry lips I make a loud squawk! The captain turned around and said, "Geeezusus Key-ryst". He said it as if he had a mouth full of shit! I recovered and blew the call. The bugle they had given me to use was bent from use in the civil war I think or the Indian raids-or Mexican war!
Often the troops were aroused in the morning
in a surprise "move 'em all out" exercise. We were ordered to pack
"A" bag and "b" bag. All the bags- and have them at a
central location, then with our full field packs in formation led on a
forced march. One canteen of water. Water is fuel for the body.
Never leave home without it! We were not allowed to drink unless the
command was given. That made a person even more thirsty!
On one such forced march, I was plain dying of
thirst. On the hour we were given a break. If you were caught
sipping water it was the hoosegow for you! BUT I am a farm boy and ingenious!
Ha! On occasion a cub plane would come as if strafing us and we dispersed
into the grass along the road way. Grass grew shoulder high.
While laying there I took a joint of this grass which became in effect a
soda straw, I took off the cap of my canteen and inserted the straw under my
elbow away from view. I was laying in a sideways resting position. I
helped myself with a sip or two with out being caught. The sergeant
walking back and forth looking for GIs sipping water. I saved my own ass from
dehydration. This is really serious. You never are the same person
after heat exhaustion.
On another such forced march we were first
given breakfast and there were salt pills by the plate to take. I
forgot my salt pills which help you somehow retain water. I told the Lieutenant
that I forgot my pills and he said, "that'll teach you". I went
on the forced march which was on the double. The orders were that
stragglers will not be picked up. It was an 18 mile march-with about 9 yet
to go. I began to straggle and ran out of energy and dropped out of line
exhausted. Others did also. The jeeps and trucks went on by
just as they were ordered. I finally straggled the rest of the way to where the
outfit was bivouacked. It was an 18 mile march! Try it sometimes!
I tried to find my company. I fell into a sage
bush, unconscious. I was staring up at the sun when I came to.
A few medics found me. The Captain of the medics dripped water into my mouth
from his hanky which he dipped into his canteen. The other medics
were doing CPR work on me. They left me there with a full canteen of water
and said, "Don't drink it all at once". When they left I went 'out
again' but I woke up on my own. The canteen was empty. I must have
drank it all in one gulp.
I straggled over to a group in the bushes.
They were lucky in a mobile outfit. They were in nice shade. They had a
6x6 and a trailer hitched to it. I asked if I could fill my canteen from the
jerry cans on the 6x6. I stood on the trailer hitch and drew the can over
the tailgate and began pouring water into the tiny canteen hole from the
big mouthed jerry can. I was spilling some water which was precious. The
GIs hollered at me, "Hey god dammit, you're spilling water!" and I
passed out again. I fell off the trailer hitch in a heap. I woke up
on a jeep with some GIs rubbing my arms and legs and chest. They took me
to the medics which were located in the shade in a dry creek bed. It must have
been at least 10 degrees cooler there I laid on a stretcher with
about a hundred others who were in various stages of heat exhaustion.
I remember urping up everything and almost my anus!
The irony of this was, my pack was misplaced by the
medics. At pay day they deducted the cost of the pack and bayonet
and other of my issued equipment. Luckily, I went to the medics and a
benevolent Medic thought well enough to toss in the ambulance all my
equipment.
At other training I always tried to do my best
which was never the best. I ran so hard in competition that I tasted blood
in my throat and I did it on purpose to see if I could really stand the rigors.
I seemed to be in good shape, except for the heat exhaustion. That
ain't fun. It never rained while we were in Camp Howze. The humidity was
very high. Your uniform was stained white with salt from your
sweat. In the latrines sweat poured off your elbows while sitting on
the can.
The training session was finally over. I had infantry
training twice as some sort of punishment for
begging to get out of the army on a hardship discharge. Things were
not going my way. That was the last time I had a bugle in my hand. I
didn't even see one after that except maybe the one an Army band might
have used in a ceremony.