What did you learn to eat that you didn’t eat before entering the military life?
Grits. I always eat them with our eggs to this day!
What habit did you learn in the mlitary and still do?
I learned to pack efficiently and in a hurry!
Any Friends do you remember? Do you still keep in touch?
Yes, I made many new friends. However, we did not keep in touch. My husband’s family welcomed me into their home and were are all very close.
Missing home–how did you cope?
I was never away from my home for long, we decided on a plan of making a new life after my husband’s service time, that I would keep my job and save up for a house.
How did military life change you for better? For worse?
I shall never forget when I lived in an apartment next to a group of marines. We were not married at this time. He lived on base. President Nixon had just closed Hanoi, North Vietnam ports. Those Marines cheered! I watched some tanks roll down the streets, and what people knew about this, lined the sides of the streets cheering. We all felt it in the air–that the war had a chance of finally ending. And it did, sadly, not to what Americans hoped for.
I never even knew at the time that Russia and China were using those Nam ports to arm the communist soldiers. I learned a lot in Hawaii about the Vietnam War and will never forget this. I think fake news really began its conception back in the 1970’s.
How do you think the military life affect your kids?
My children and grandchildren have learned from our experiences during the Nam era.
Would you advise your kids to join the military?
If they feel God prompting them to do so, I would not stand in their way. However, my grandchildren do not endorse President Biden, so I doubt this will happen.
Thank you, Catherine! Stay tuned for Part 4!
Rules of Engagement 