I wanted to join the local police force, passed all the tests and went to a hiring board. I was told, "We don't need Rambo Types".

Psh... f**k no. 15H, aviation hydraulics. No xfer to the real world, but i can sweep a floor like a motherf**ker

I went to school on the GI Bill with a wife and two sons. How'd I do it? My wife babysat for a neighbor. The GI Bill paid the tuition and books and other miscellaneous school expenses. Working as a plant manager in manufacturing after receiving my undergraduate degree supported me and my family and loans and savings helped cover any gap. I earned a Bachelor Degree, a Masters Degree and a Law Degree.
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i'd never given a thought to flying before the army. knowing i'd be drafted i took all the tests to see what i qualified for. the recruiter said that i qualified for any enlisted mos or i could enter the warrant officer aviator course. i went home and gave it alot of thought and dad finally convinced me to work on something that wasn't used in vietnam so in signed up to be a nike hercules electrical maintenance technitian, 24q i think it was. it was a big missle that i'd built a model of when i was a kid that was based around the major cities in the u.s. that would shoot down russian bombers with a nuclear warhead that could take out whole formations with one shot. cool shit, i thought, and they didn't have them in vietnam.

i was in basic training one day shooting pool in the dayroom one sunday with other delinquents who like me got too many gigs that week and got restricted to the barracks when the first sergeant came in and hung up a huge poster. it showed a huey medivac helicopter that was being boarded by a bunch of pretty nurses with the help of the crew chief and medic. a kid about my age was looking back out the pilot's window. he wore these cool sunglasses, flying gloves and a neat looking flight helmet and looked like he was saying something like, 'man, look at the a** on that redhead,' into his nifty looking boom mic. the caption said, 'if you have a high school diploma this could be you in less than a year.' that did it. army advertising at it's best. i said, 'hey top, where do i sign?'

the army being the army i had to go to nike hercules school at fort bliss for six months where they spent a ton of money and time for me to learn to do something i'd never actually do. from there i was assigned to a missle battery near n.y. where i barely unpacked before i had to report ft wolters, texas for primary flight training. so much for dodging the war.