Germany continues and than back to the states

Cyndi and I started talking through letters and phone calls. Through this we rekindled our relationship while I was still in Germany.  I am not sure how long before I returned this took place to be honest.  My memories of that entire eighteen months are spotty at best. I used to have a whole bunch of pictures and some memories from my time in the service, but nearly all of it was lost when I couldn't pay for a storage unit in the mid-90's.  In there was everything I owned at the time and all of my life memories. Huh, just like mom, I lost my own life history along the way.

Germany included what I wrote yesterday, lot's of time in the field playing Army, when in garrison, lot's of typical military things, and nights and weekends, partying. I did enjoy some of the Army stuff.  Driving tanks, trucks, and, getting to fire some pretty awesome weapons for the time. The M16, M223, M60, and one of the best ever to live fire, the M50.  I have always had a love for driving and I did a lot that in Germany with the military.  I drove tanks, jeeps, and trucks.  All over the place.  On the autobahns, in the woods, and right through little towns that where everywhere in Germany.  When I was working, I always did my job and was a hard working soldiers. The behavior when drinking effected this some, but, like many in the military, you do your job hungover or not.  You just did.  There were a few times when we were heading to the field on an early Monday morning after a long weekend of partying that we would all still be drunk or high.  It's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves or someone else loading equipment onto trains.  We always had on mission with these scenarios.  Load up the equipment so we could get in the sleeper cars and sleep it off until we hit our destination.

I left Germany in June of '86. After nearly getting medically discharged for my drinking, and somehow figuring out how to get signed off from the bank and many other places you have to before leaving, I left Germany fairly unscathed. I did get a summarized article-15 for getting caught on piss test for smoking hash.  Lost some pay and had to do extra duty.  I was also required to go to some classes to learn why doing drugs was bad. Interestingly enough I never remember being offered any help for my drinking. It was pretty much "Douglas, just control your drinking".  Oh how I was trying.  They really had no idea. 

I went home for 30 days leave. I remember staying at Cyndi's parents place. They had moved from their place in Tacoma to a new place in Spanaway that they ended up owning for a lot of years.  I don't have a ton of memory of this 30 day period.  My next duty station was Ft. Campbell, KY, home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). 

At this point Cyndi I were engaged. Seems I was seeking the same thing mom had wanted her whole life.  Get married and have a happy family. We were planning for me to go to Ft. Campbell alone being I only had about 10 months left of my active duty commitment. We were going to get married when I got out.  I remember well getting to Ft. Campbell, getting lonely, calling Cyndi, and us deciding to move up our wedding.  She came down, on a Greyhound bus if I remember correctly, and we got married by a justice of the peace in her home.  I will never forget the day......the justice of the peace was a full on southern woman and told me to spit my gum out before I said my vows.  That began my first marriage and my last year of active duty in the military.   

Clarksville, TN, and the highway that ran in front of it, 41A, was full of soldiers and every business catered to them.  All the trappings one might expect.  Military tailors, shopping, restaurants, apts, pawn shops, rent-to-own stores, car dealers, strip clubs, bars and nightclubs.  We had our first apartment right in the thick of it all. I bought my first car for $500 from a Captain who was leaving.  A 1975 Plymouth Grand Fury (retired state patrol).  That thing was a beast and it was fast and loud.  Right up my alley for being 19 and a soldier. I thought it was the coolest car ever.  We outfitted our apartment with everything we could buy on credit of rent-to-own.  Neither of us were skilled in the budgeting area and I think we thought money grew on trees. We were both barely 19 years old, I with my childhood that was frought with all that you have read, Cyndi, who's dad was a raging alcoholic and a mom who was bouncing all the balls to try to keep it all together for him. Neither of us were ready for marriage, let alone ready to live across the country and in that environment. Cyndi never really stood a chance with me.  

To close this one up I give you the picture below that Cyndi JUST sent me that really encapsulates our time living on 41A just outside of the gates of Ft. Campbell, KY in 1986-87.  See that bottle of Jack Daniels?  Well, Cyndi always said the same thing to me over and over again.......David, drink your beer, but can you not drink Jack Daniels?  Unfortunately I would rarely heed her request.I am far left, Cyndi is next, my good friend 'Bert from Germany is in the middle who was now also stationed at Campbell, and, our new friends Fawn and her husband John on the right.