What
is a Veteran?
A
“veteran” –whether active duty, discharged, retired or reserve—is someone who,
at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United
States of America”, for an amount of “Up to, and including his life."
That
is honor.
Jim: I am honored to be asked
to speak about veterans and share my story of serving in the US Army. How many
of you have a veteran in your life? A father, husband, brother, friend?
Chloie: Jim as you all know is a quiet
man of few words. That was never more true
than December 2, 1969 when The Selective Service conducted its first draft
lottery since 1942.
I was in the dorm at Texas Tech along
with many other girls sitting by the radio listening to the numbers being
called for the draft. We were anxiously awaiting the numbers for our boyfriends
and brothers, knowing that men we loved could possibly be drafted to serve and
end up in Viet Nam.
The first third of the 366 numbers
drawn would be drafted; the second third would be possibly drafted; and the
bottom third would not be called to serve.
The unthinkable happened when my
former college roommate’s husband was number 1—September 14! I could hardly breathe until at last Jim’s
number was called—April 2—number 271. He
was in the bottom third—he would not be called to serve.
Little did I know that he had
already decided at some point that he was going to enlist when he graduated
from Texas Tech.
Jim: Being part of the
military was something I just knew I would always do. My granddad Hale served
in France in WW I, my dad and many of his relatives and friends served in WW II
and Korea. It just seemed like the natural thing to do with my life—sign up and
serve.
Chloie: I could not wait to talk to Jim
the next day to celebrate his lottery number. But when we met on Tuesday
morning as I was all smiles and so thankful that he was safe from the draft, he
told me he was going to enlist!. I tried
to explain to him that he did not have to sign up—his number was in the bottom
third—he was safe from the possibility of going to war.
Remember I said Jim was and is a
man of few words…he had never mentioned to me that enlisting was part of his
future and we were even talking about getting married. But Jim’s few words
carry a lot of weight. He said to me, “It’s something I’ve got to do. It’s my
duty to serve.” And so it began…
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Jim: February 1970—My parents
took me to Amarillo for induction and I was sent to Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri
for basic training. When I left Amarillo
it was 50 degrees out and I was wearing my Levis and boots. When I arrived at
Ft. Leonard Wood, the snow was a foot deep and it was the coldest I’d ever
been.
Most of the guys in my unit were
city boys from Chicago and Peoria, Illinois. And most were high school
graduates or drop outs who had been drafted.
I got to call home occasionally on Sunday afternoons. Phone calls were few and far between and only
lasted a few minutes. So letters were the main way my family heard from me.
In early May 1970 I got my orders
to report to Ft Benning, Georgia on June 6 for Officer Candidate School. I
called Chloie and said let’s get married when I get home.
Chloie: The army does not give much
information and certainly not in a timely way. Jim could not get a specific
date for when he could come home so setting a date for our wedding was
difficult. We decided to get married on Wednesday, May 27, hoping that would
work.
He got home on Saturday, May 23.
We got our license on Monday and had a wedding shower that evening. The rehearsal dinner was on Tuesday, and we
got married on Wednesday. We left for our honeymoon to San Antonio and Dallas, and were gone for 9 days. We
came back so I could start summer school at Tech and he left 2 days later for
OCS.
I did not see him
again until the end of August.
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Jim: OCS was a highly
pressurized situation for 22 weeks. I had different leadership positions that
changed every 3 days. We were either in the classroom discussing infantry, armor,
and artillery tactics, or in the field where we practiced map reading, leadership
strategies and marksmanship.
Chloie: Mother, Daddy and Ruth (Jim's mother) helped
me move to Georgia in August 1970 after I graduated from Tech, bringing enough
of our wedding gifts to set up housekeeping.
Family members were allowed to
visit their candidates on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and we happened to
arrive on a visitation day. So that evening I went to an OCS wives meeting
where I learned about the rules I was to follow. These rules were very strict
and were strictly enforced. Public displays of affection, traffic violations,
or any other inappropriate behavior could result in having our soldiers
dismissed from OCS.
I had not seen Jim since early
June and needless to say, I was so excited. However, the public display of
affection rule also applied at our visitation times. Wives were not allowed to
touch their husbands AT ALL. Mother and Ruth hugged Jim and Daddy shook his
hand while I just stood there smiling sweetly.
Jim: Chloie arrived at the 12th
week mark when we were intermediate candidates and we celebrated with a banquet
and dance at a hotel in Columbus, Georgia.
Chloie: The 12th week party
was a special event marking the first time the candidates had been off post and
had the chance to celebrate with their wives or girlfriends. I wore a semi-formal
dress that Ruth made for me. We also had
to wear gloves to go through the receiving line to meet the field grade
officers and their wives. Some girls did not have gloves so we would take ours
off after going through the line and send them to the back of the line for
those who didn’t have any.
I just want you to know that as a
girl from a small town in Texas, I knew more about good manners and hospitality
than most of the wives from large cities. I have Mother, Bettye Green,
Madeline Hegi and the School of Home Economics at Texas Tech to thank for that,
as well as all the ladies of Tahoka who set such a good example for me. As
military wives, we were involved in all kinds of teas and balls and I never
felt inadequate to handle a social situation.
Jim still had to live in the
barracks at that time. My apartment wasn’t ready for about 10 days so I lived
with Monty McGinty and her son during that time. Her husband was in the class
ahead of Jim so it was good to have a face from home so nearby. Fred and Mable,
Monty's parents, came for a visit, bringing me gifts from home and taking me
sightseeing with them.
After the 12th week
party, the candidates were able to come home on most weekends unless someone
messed up, but the wives would not know that until we went to pick up our
husbands at noon on Saturday. On several occasions, the XO
would come out and say, “Go on home ladies. Your men won’t be coming home
today.” We would sadly drive back to town and have a slumber party.
On the weekends when Jim was at
home, I would cook a big breakfast on Monday morning and have him back on post
by 5:30 a.m. The first time I dropped him off, there was a sign that said “No left
turn between the hours of 0600 and 1800”. I had no idea what that meant so I
would not turn left for fear I would get a traffic ticket. I made many right turns before I was able to find my way off post. I was terrified of breaking one of those
rules.
Jim: At the 18th
week mark, we became senior candidates which signified that the hardest part of
our training was over. At that point we were choosing which branch of the army
we wanted to be in. The top six candidates got to choose infantry if they
wanted it. I chose the oxymoron unit—army intelligence-- and received orders
for Ft. Holabird, Maryland.
The 18th week party was
a huge formal event and a real celebration. From that point until
graduation, the candidates were able to leave post in the afternoon and spend
the night at home.
Chloie: About the 20th week,
Jim had to go on bivouac for a week. We decided that I should go see Jim and
Andra Solomon in Columbus, Mississippi where they were stationed. I went to the
bank on post to get some cash to buy my bus ticket and headed into Columbus. In
my excitement, I failed to notice a school zone and was pulled over for
speeding. We had a Ft Benning sticker on our car so I knew the policeman would
know we were military. I was absolutely sick. I went straight to city hall to
pay cash for my ticket. I did not want to write a check and leave any kind of
paper trail that could trace me back to Jim.
I then had to drive back to post to get more cash for my bus ticket.
When I told my girlfriends what
had happened they were equally horrified for me so I was sure Jim was going to
get kicked out of OCS. All I could think of was how disappointed George Claud (Jim’s
dad) was going to be if Jim was dismissed. And the fact that I couldn’t tell
Jim right away what I had done made it even worse.
The next day I left on the bus for
Mississippi. I sat right behind the driver the whole way with my nose buried in
my book. We had a long layover in the downtown Birmingham bus station which in
1970 was quite an experience for a young Texas girl.
When I told Jim Solomon what I had
done, he died laughing and assured me Jim would not get kicked out of OCS. I couldn't relax until my Jim got back and I could tell him what I had done.
We wives took those rules very seriously.
Jim: The last week of my
training I was privileged to raise and lower the post flag every day. That was
a great honor for me. Traffic stops on military posts and soldiers stand at
attention at these two times every day.
You may not know that at movie
theaters on post before the feature begins, the Star Spangled Banner is played
and the audience stands in salute to the flag.
Another great honor for me while
in OCS was leading my platoon as we passed in review for graduation before the
base commander.
Patriotism is alive and well on
our military bases throughout the world. Soldiers respect the service of
veterans that served before them and want to continue the honorable standards
they lived by.
We formed many friendships at OCS
and still hear from one good friend every year on November 19, our graduation
day. Some of the guys in my company went on to lose their lives in Viet Nam and
others still suffer from wounds, malaria and the effects of Agent Orange.
As a 2nd Lt., we left
Columbus, Georgia the next day with everything we owned in our car or on top of
it! What an adventure to tell our parents and friends goodbye and drive up the
east coast to Maryland.
Chloie: For the first time since May
27, we lived together every day. Being assigned to Ft Holabird in Baltimore,
Maryland afforded us the wonderful opportunity to live just 20 miles from
Washington, DC, as well as in the heart of so much early history of our
country. We visited the Capitol several times, toured Williamsburg, Gettysburg,
Ft McHenry, and even spent a weekend in New York City.
Jim: Ft Holabird was a small
post, with a chain length fence around it. It was in the heart of the
industrial district of Baltimore. I was adjutant to the deputy commander of the
intelligence agency.
In February 1971, we learned that
Ft Holabird would be closed and the intelligence unit would be relocated in Ft
Huachuca, Arizona. Of interest is that Watergate prisoners were sent to Ft
Holabird to serve their sentences.
June 1971 found us heading west
and ready for another adventure. Ft Huachuca is located south of Tucson very
near the Mexican border. It is at the base of beautiful mountains and was a
great assignment for us. My Aunt Barbara and Uncle Sarge lived about 50 miles
from us and we visited Tombstone, Bisbee, and Nogales, Mexico. We made so
many good friends there and again were able to travel and enjoy that part of
the country.
I was very fortunate with the
assignments I was given and being honorably discharged as a 1st lieutenant. Chloie
and I grew up being away from parents and family.
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It was with pride that we took him
to Amarillo to be inducted and watched him fly away to Ft Knox, Kentucky for
basic training. It was a proud day for us and our daughters when we attended his
graduation. He was sent to Ft Hood, Texas and six weeks later was deployed to
Iraq. In three years he served two tours in Iraq and now serves in the Army
Reserve.
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Times have changed from my time in
the military to Matthew’s experience. We wrote letters while Matthew emailed and
called us on computers. We could communicate with him on Facebook and Skype
with him, allowing us to see his face.
In my era, soldiers were not honored or respected, but thankfully that is not the case today. Viet Nam veterans were spit on when they returned home. But Desert Storm veterans were welcomed home by ticker tape parades. Matthew has been thanked by strangers and had meals paid for by anonymous Americans.
In my era, soldiers were not honored or respected, but thankfully that is not the case today. Viet Nam veterans were spit on when they returned home. But Desert Storm veterans were welcomed home by ticker tape parades. Matthew has been thanked by strangers and had meals paid for by anonymous Americans.
Chloie: I never welcomed Jim home from
war but we had that experience with Matthew twice. Both times he returned from
Iraq our family was at Ft Hood to welcome him home.
Families gathered at the parade
field and were able to watch the soldiers come off the plane on a large TV. They were hard to identify because they all
were wearing shades and caps. Children would crowd to the screen searching for
daddy. When we heard a man say, “Look, there’s your mommy,” our hearts were in
our throats.
Jim: The soldiers boarded a
school bus and were driven to the parade field where balloons, flags, music and
Welcome Home signs were waiting. The bus parked across the street from the field
and the soldiers got off. Over the PA system, the announcer said, “Move that
bus!”, and it drove away. Then we saw
our soldiers march in formation onto the parade field where they were commended
for their service to their country.
When the soldiers were dismissed,
families ran onto the field carrying signs so their soldier could find them. These
were two of the most thrilling events of my life!
I love my country and am proud to have served in the military. I am so thankful that our soldiers and veterans are respected and honored today.
I love my country and am proud to have served in the military. I am so thankful that our soldiers and veterans are respected and honored today.
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Chloie: Jim was never in harm’s way
during his time of service. But he was willing to be. For that, I have the
greatest pride and appreciation for him. It was an honor to be a military wife
and because of that experience, I was able to wholeheartedly support Matthew’s
decision to enlist.
Jim: You probably have stories
you could tell of the veterans in your lives and I appreciate the opportunity
to share my story. God Bless our
Military and God Bless America.
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| Jim & Chloie Jan give Veterans' Day talk at Phoebe K. Warner Club, Tahoka, Texas November 10, 2015 |
Jennie, thanks for telling Jim and Chloie's story! That is just awesome! Lots of prayers said for our military over the years! Thanks Jim and Chloie for your service!
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