Breaking the Chains

Between eleventh and twelfth grade, I lost my virginity at sixteen. We had sex whenever we could after that. In my senior year, we got pregnant, and my life changed dramatically. I decided the only thing I could do was take responsibility for my actions. We got married, and it was a big wedding with all the trimmings. We never got to attend our prom in high school because we got married before it happened. I was still going to high school every day with my wife, while living in her mom’s apartment. I didn’t know how I was going to pay for myself, let alone a wife and child. I did what anyone with a brain would do. I went to the ARMY enlistment station just down the street from the high school. I didn’t enlist that time. I looked at the options and liked one MOS (Military Occupational Specialty): 19-Delta Calvary Scout. I loved riding my enduro on trails more than riding on the street. The Army had a tank scout position. They rode dirt bikes ahead of the tanks, looking for the enemy. Besides getting pregnant, that was why I joined the Army. But Uncle Sam had other plans. I was excited about becoming a tank scout. Plus, I could have the baby for free and get paid. The recruiter sent me to this place downtown to take a test and get a physical. Even though I was married, I was still seventeen and needed my parents’ permission to join the army. My mom fought this decision with everything she had. I mean, I was planning to get married in April before school even finished. The year was 1979. Anyway, I did end up taking the oath and joining the ARMY. The Army didn’t start on the right foot, though. I went down to get started. The recruiter said I didn’t need to bring anything since the ARMY would provide everything. I said my goodbyes and took the bus to the induction station downtown. When I got there, they looked us over again, and you were either accepted or not. They also had MOS counselors there. I knew what I was going to be. The tank scout, or so I thought. While speaking to this counselor, I was told that my test scores were way too high to be a tank scout, and they wanted me to be a 21-Golf. I asked him what that was. He said it was a person who programmed and worked on nuclear missiles. I liked electronics more than riding dirt bikes. They switched my MOS from 19-Delta to 21-Golf. Then they stuck us all in this auditorium. A guy came in and said Raise your right hand. He then said If you’re not sure you want to do this. Now was the time to leave. I left and took the bus home, grabbed my car, and went to our construction class canoe trip. We had this canoe trip every year. Getting high and drunk while floating down the Great Miami River. The canoe trip was over, and I went back to my new wife’s mother’s apartment, where we were staying. When I showed up, there were two men there wearing suits. They asked me if my name was Homer Walker, and I answered yes. They then told me to sit down. They explained to me that I was AWOL (Absent without leave). They gave me a choice to either show up tomorrow at the induction station or they could take me to jail tonight and then to Leavenworth, the US Penitentiary. I told them I’d be there in the morning. That’s how I got into the ARMY. The next day, I went to the processing station downtown and took the oath. It was my first flight, a one-way flight to Oklahoma City. I’ve never been on a plane before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I hated the fact that people could smoke next to me. The next flight was in this small two-propeller plane that wasn’t fun to fly in at all. We landed in a small town called Lawton. Then we were taken to Fort Sill processing center. I was placed in a room with about sixty other guys. The next day, they took us to get our clothes, vaccines, and haircuts. After that, I was called out and told that there had been a mistake and that I would be shipped off to Fort Knox. They wanted me to be the tank scout for the 19-Delta. Luckily, I had my paperwork with me that said otherwise. So, I was held over for two more weeks while they sorted everything out. They assigned me to show the new recruits where they’d be staying and take them to get their clothes and haircuts. Once everything was figured out, I was sent off to bootcamp.