One Year Draft Dodger - There Was A Message

I was 18 years old in 1948, had graduated high schoolweeks we played soldier during the day. In the
and could expect to be drafted for 2 years in theevenings we were either at The Mill Hill in Hyannis
near future. Back then 18 and 19 year olds had anPort or at the Golden Dragon in Provincetown, or
option other than waiting to be drafted. They couldP-Town as it is called, at the northern end of the
enlist in the army for one year, not two, and uponCape. The only serious event during our two week
discharge from active duty spend six years in thetraining stints for the six years was the hurricane in
active reserve. I exercised this option and became,August, 1954. No one was injured but all the cars
as we were called then, a one year draft dodger. Aswere parked on the beach and were damaged by
a result I received a message which can best bewind driven sand. Not severely except for the two
explained by briefly recounting my seven yearend cars where their exposed sides were actually
experience.sand blasted down to the bare metal.
My one year of active duty was pleasant enough.All during this time the Korean War came and went
Reported to the army at their Whitehall Streetfrom 1950 through 1953. Our company was never
enlistment center downtown New York City oncalled back to active duty as many active reserve
August 13, 1948 and was bussed to Fort Dix, NJ. Ioutfits were. During the ensuing years I met quite a
was processed and also took the Army Generalfew guys, one year draft dodgers as well, who were
Classification Tests, AGCT, receiving a verycalled back and spent active duty time either in
respectable score the underpinning for a little lessGermany or on the Korean front. One was a future
than boring 12 months of active duty. Because of thebrother-in-law who was recalled and spent time in
score I was able to request various schools andGermany.
receive approval.The telling point came when in 1956 after being
I was moved to Fort Lewis, WA for basic trainingdischarged from the active reserve the previous year
and my home for the enlistment with an 8 weekI was in New York city walking along 42nd Street. I
exception. After basic I had 4 weeks of combatcame face to face with a familiar face, Freddie S,
engineer schooling and then I requested truck drivingwith whom I had gone through basic training. After
school. After 2 weeks I was set to drive a truckbasic we were assigned to different companies and I
when I noticed a posting that the Colonel needed awould only see him from time to time at the PX. We
Jeep driver. Sounded like my kind of work and I washad no contact after being discharged from active
accepted. But it turned out to be boring, just tooduty but instantly we recognized each other.
many cigarettes hanging around waiting to drive theUpon discharge from active duty he was assigned to
Colonel here and there. I then requested truckFort Hamilton as I had been. Living in Brooklyn it was
mechanic school, Fort Ord, CA, my home away fromlogical that he would spend his six years of active
home for 8 weeks.army reserve at this fort. His outfit was activated
Returning to Fort Lewis I entered the barracksduring the Korean War and they were sent to
mid-day, Tuesday I recall, and found a soldier sittingKorean. He had been wounded and fortunately not
on the floor reading a comic book. Aware that youseriously. He mentioned several people who had been
were not allowed in the barracks during the day Ieither killed or wounded in action and I recalled two
expressed my curiosity. The explanation; he playedof them. We parted ways and I went about my
baseball Monday, Wednesday, Friday and madebusiness. But before I could get in my car and return
formation on Saturday. He was off Tuesday,home I needed a cup of coffee and a few
Thursday and Sunday. Guess who played first basecigarettes.
from the end of May when I returned to Fort LewisReminiscing, the one year on active duty was a piece
until I was discharged on August 12, 1949. So muchof cake. As the army expression went, "could do it
for the one year active duty.standing on my hands." The same could be said
I was transferred to the active reserve for the nextabout the six years serving in the active reserve. I
six years. I lived in Rockaway Beach, NY and I wasthought about it as two weeks training at a beach
assigned to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. When Iresort without maid service. What was stark in my
reported to Fort Hamilton I explained that I lived inmind, that while in the reserves during the Korean
Rockaway and Fort Tilden in Rockaway was justWar I did not get called back to active duty. I did not
minutes from my home. Could I be transferred theresuffer the irreversible consequences of going to war.
which would save a lot of driving time. Within a weekThere definitely was a message from upstairs. Don't
I was assigned to an anti-aircraft battery at Tilden. Ieven think about camping out and definitely - no
would be trained as a lineman stringing communicationbuffet lines. Not camping out was never a problem.
wire. I could hardly wait.But buffet lines was a different story. Over the past
It was one night a week and every August our50 years when buffet lines were in order I have not
company was sent to Camp Wellfleet on Cape Cod,always been with family or friends who could have
MA. for two weeks of training. Camp Wellfleet washelped. On a rare occasion, if I was hungry and
on the beach, very fitting for Rockaway Beach guys.wanted to eat, I had to bite my lip and jump on the
Today I do not see the camp on the Massachusettsbuffet line.
map but I do see Wellfleet as a town. For the two