Employed 6 part 3 Army

On our last day as civilians we were fed lunch and dinner and put up for the night at the National Hotel. The next morning, after breakfast, we were each given a bag lunch as we filed onto the bus to Fort Ord. (The Army travels on it's stomach). Arriving at the fort we had just enough time, before dinner, to go thru the many lines to be issued uniforms, shoes and boots and all that goes with them. After dinner we were treated to our first "formation" at which several
of our soon-to-be drill instructors gave welcoming addresses as well as pointers
toward successful soldiering.
l had a lot of fun in Basic. There was some slogging and crawling, in training. ln the mud, even. Lotsa marching, hiking. One day we actually hiked fifty miles
carrying fifty-pound packs,(in about eleven hours). We were taught all there is to know about the M-1 Garand rifle:Cleaning, assembling and dis-assembling,and
loading and firing. With instruction, comes testing. l'm pleased to report that l did quite well firing the M-1: scoring high in the "Sharp-Shooter" range. Only
two points short of "Expert Marksman" range;the top category.
Knowing that basic would be as close as l'd ever get to combat made every day
a lay-down. l put a lot of myself into it and did my best,(our peers are our most
severe critics).
Mom surprised me by showing up at Fort Ord  on the Saturday before the last week of Basic, to celebrate my 18th birthday. She had flown to Monterey and
rented a Chevy convertible. We visited the Seventeen-Mile Drive, Carmel By The
Sea, Pacific Grove, and of course, Fisherman's Wharf.
During that last week of Basic, our C.O. spent a half-hour-or-so with each recruit, to let us know where we'll be assigned and what we'll probably be doing.
He told me that l would be reporting to ASA HQ in Fort Devens, Mass. There, to 
be tested to determine what job in the ASA would best fit my abilities. One test
measures language aptitude.A high score could result in an invitation to attend
The Army Language School. Those graduating there are considered the top 1%
of the Army.(for whatever that's worth).The captain said that there are many
occupational specialties at ASA. Al's (students' nickname for A.L.S.) is probably the most-sought of the ASA schools (Monterey is a nice place to go to school, no
matter what you study, and becoming proficient in another language can be a
big plus for anyone. l certainly agreed with that and so soon after visiting Monterey for the first time, l liked the idea of spending up to a year there. But,
l dropped out of High School Spanish in the first month of my freshman year and never had another thought about languages. l was pretty sure l wouldn't be
returning to Monterey any time soon.
My orders gave me ten days to report to ASA HQ, so my first stop on the way
back to Elko county was reno; l was anxious to share my news with Ted and Ben.