The time finally came for R&R (rest andrelaxation)and I was more than ready for it, let me tell you. The deal was that you had to have at least two hundred dollars in cash before they would send you, and to go to Hawaii you had to be married, and also be meeting your wife there. So being married and one horny little devel by that time, I put in for Hawaii and a chance to be with my wife Sharon for a week. I sure did miss her a lot, I missed my son also but we decided to leave him with his grandma, so there would be more time for us to spend together. That was one expensive plane ticket, but worth every cent.
The day came when the XO called me to the command bunker. I thought that I was in trouble. When I got there he had a big grin on his face, he handed me the travel orders and said to have a good time. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep from that moment untill I got to Hawaii. Young, in love, and loneley as hell. I hadn't seen her for eight months, or any other round eyed woman for that matter. I was a nervous wreck for the next week. It was like falling in love all over again. And it felt great.
The flight to Hawaii seemed to take forever and with the time difference we landed almost before we took off. Neat huh? They got us on a bus and took us to the army R&R base. Where all of the wives were waiting for us. But insted of letting us hook up with momma and find a place to stay they hearded us into a large hall and sat us down to read us the riot act about not trying to sneek out of Hawaii on a flight back to the mainland,
and all of that other good stuff.
When they let the ladies loose it was a stampede. What a mad house that was, but it sure was fun.
We spent a few days looking around the island in a rental car. Of corse that ended when Sharon got fried on the beach, she was burned so bad that she couldn't get into the car. So we turned it in, got a refund and walked to everything after that. She learned one painfull lesson about how fast the tropical sun can burn you.
The sun didn't bother me any, I was dark brown from the waist up. In fact the black guys in my battery used to kid me about changin colors. Anyhow, with the extra money we had. We were able to get some things for Sharon to take home to the rest of the family. We really enjoyed Hawaii, but the time came that we both dreaded. I had to go back. That was a big let down after all of the good times we just had. The last night we were together I almost decided to get on the plain and go home. I did not want to go back, I wanted to go home with my wife to my family and friends. Let me tell you that it was a real tough thing to put all of my feelings aside and go back a war that I did not understand or ask to be put into. I was actually forced into this
thing by economics. No one would hire a guy that was draft bait.
Because they did not want to hold your position for you, untill you came back. Like they were supposed to do by law. It seems that everyone with money got to do as they pleased. And Poor slobs like the guys in this war and me. Got to dodge all the bullets. I thought then and do so now, that it was mighty white of them. But then I guess it's been the same throughout the other wars. The rich get richer from the wars and the poor get dead from them. Even if you were lucky and lived through it they treat you like a non person and do their best to screw you out of whatever small, and I mean small, compensation that you were supposed to be entitled to. I really wonder how these people would react if they were put into our position. My guess is that the shit would really hit the fan. And things would get changed fast.
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