I spent 8 years in the US Army and wanted to make a career out of it and retire. I began with Basic at Ft. Campbell, Ky., the coolest place I’d ever been to. Then, I took Advanced Infantry training at Ft. McLellan, Ala. This place was a mini Vietnam, as it had the highlands and swamps. Afterward, Ft. Benning, Ga., and on to Nam. After my tour, I ended up at Ft. Bragg, NC, and was sent to Parachute Rigging School in Virginia. Learning to pack your own chute was definitely a confidence builder! My direction changed when the military was converted to a voluntary unit while stationed at Ft. Bragg. Now you have people who couldn’t even read a map telling you where to jump from the Huey or whatnot. People were getting promoted for the wrong reasons, and I knew then my time was up.