Clint Morey - Big Sky Writer
Don't Play With Things That Go Boom
Ep 10 Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again
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Ep 10 Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again

Don't play with things that go boom

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First of all, I need to apologize to those of you who listened to the end of the previous episode. I said this episode would be called “I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane.”

You know, the 1969 hit song by Peter, Paul and Mary1.

Well, I changed my mind.

I’m going to use the same song but I’m going to use the line following “I’m leaving on a jet plane.”

So, this is …

Episode 10: Don’t Know When I’ll Be Back Again.

After a little over a third of a year in training, the Army gave us a month of vacation time. They called it “leave.”

I decided to spend my leave at home.

Occasionally I do make wise choices.

I spent time with family and friends, attended my church, went to many of the fun places I had enjoyed before going into the Army.

It was a very good time.

But the day finally arrived when it was time to leave.

My orders were to report to Fort Lewis, Washington, where I would then be loaded onto a plane and sent to Vietnam.

So, I got on a plane at the Los Angeles International Airport and flew to SeaTac — the Seattle-Tacoma airport. I got a ride from there to Ft. Lewis, and was given a place to call home. It was actually just a bunk.

The next morning, the guy in charge gathered us together and handed out orders for our flights to Vietnam.

Everyone got a set of orders.

Well, not everyone.

Yep, you guessed it.

I don’t know why this kept happening to me in the Army, but I didn’t receive any orders.

The guy in charge came up to me and said there was a problem.

Problem?

What kind of a problem could there be this time?

I graduated from Basic.

I did my Temporary Duty (TDY) thing.

I got past the security clearance thing.

I graduated from Fire Direction Control school even though I fell asleep during the exam.

How could there be a problem?

What did I do wrong this time?

The guy in charge was very nice and said it wasn’t my fault.

Something not being my fault was a nice change in my Army career, but what could the problem be?

“We can’t send anyone to Vietnam unless their shot records are up to date,” the guy in charge said.

“I got all my shots,” I explained.

“I’m sure you did,” the guy in charge said. ”But the Army lost the records.”

“The Army lost my shot records?”

The guy in charge nodded.

“Which means what?” I asked.

“Which means you’ll have to get all the shots again.”

I couldn’t believe it. “All the shots?”

“All your shots,” he repeated.

“Even the one for the bubonic plague?”

“All of them.”

So, while lots and lots of men came through Ft. Lewis, got their paperwork approved, and were sent off to Vietnam, I was set up with appointments over the next several days to receive the entire sequence of shots the Army had given me in Basic Training.

And they didn’t use the “gun” to deliver several shots at a time. They administered my shots individually with hypodermic needles.

I’m really not into having needles stuck in my arm over and over and over, but the Army didn’t care what I thought of the process, even though it was their fault I was going through this thing.

I have to admit, I was particularly uncomfortable taking the Black Death shot again. The reaction to that shot laid me up for an entire afternoon after receiving it in Basic Training.

When it was time for me to take that shot, none of the medics warned me of the after effects, but I was prepared to have my day destroyed.

After the shot I waited and waited and waited but nothing happened.

Apparently back in those days vaccines actually kept you from getting the disease. My body had enough of the right kind of antibodies in it from the first shot so that I didn’t have any reaction to the second shot.

They said it would be a couple of days before they had room for me on a plane so my days were free.

FAMILY

One of the benefits of spending several extra days at Ft. Lewis was being able to visit family.

I don’t know if the Army felt guilty for having lost my shot records — no, I’m sure they didn’t — or if they were just trying to be nice — I doubt that also — but they did let my have time off (more leave time).

My Uncle Ray, Aunt Mae, and Cousin David lived in Seattle and they picked me up and gave me a tour of the places in their lives.

PHOTO

I hadn’t seen them for years and it was a delightful time.

I’M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE … FOR REALS

But finally the day arrived.

Time to board the plane for the life-changing adventure that I hoped would include a return trip in about a year.

The plane was very nice. It was a commercial airliner with a regular crew — which is just another way of saying they had comfortable seats and cute stewardesses. I assume the airlines contracted with the government to do these flights.

Whatever the reason, I enjoyed the set up.

That was important because it was a very long flight.

We had a layover in Japan, and I remember walking outside of the airport and taking a few steps in the area just so I could say I’ve been to Japan.

Are you ready?

This is my first chance to use it.

Ready?

Hey, I’ve been to Japan.

Pretty cool, huh?

THINKING

Because it was a long flight, I had a lot of time to think and I have to admit I actually thought about the possibility of being killed.

It was not a pleasant thought because I had a lot of plans for my life. I wanted to get married. I wanted to have kids. I wanted to be a good dad.

But I knew there was the very real possibility I would never have any of those experiences.

Would I die? Would my legs be blown off? Would I be damaged so that even my friends couldn’t recognize me when I returned?

You know, the kind of thoughts that probably cross your mind when you start off on a new adventure.

There was one bright spot if I didn’t return.

The Army had a life insurance policy that would send $25,000 to my grandma. That’s back when $25,000 actually was a lot of money.

I knew my grandmother would miss me, but the money would help her and she deserved it.

Finally a voice from the captain said we were approaching Vietnam. We would be landing in a place called Cam Ranh Bay.

There were a couple of lessons I learned during this stage of my Army life.

LESSON 1 - God is in control

I obviously came back from the war, but we have no guarantees of what will happen in the future. Get your life right with God today. You don’t know if you’ll get tomorrow.

LESSON 2 - Take the time to connect with people

Even though the Army lost my shot records, that mistake gave me the opportunity to spend time with family. Don’t complain about the mistakes or speed bumps in your life. Enjoy the people God has placed in your life.

Thanks for listening to this episode. 

If you enjoyed it, please share it with others.

In the next episode I’ll share with you the story of my first four days in Vietnam. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Now before I go, I'd like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.

“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)

1

The song was written by an unknown singer-songwriter in 1966 who managed to go on to a fairly good career. His name was John Denver. But the tune in my head is the version by Peter, Paul and Mary. If you read the comments on YouTube, you’ll see that many Vietnam veterans also had that song in their heads. Here’s a version on YouTube

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Clint Morey - Big Sky Writer
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