WE CAME PRETTY WELL SMASHED, CARRYING A FIFTH APIECE AND I MUST ADMIT IT MUST HAVE LOOKED PRETTY AWFUL. THE C.O. SAID JACK I'VE BROKE YOU SO MANY TIMES I JUST CAN'T DO IT AGAIN. SO I'M TRANSFERRING YOU BOTH TO A REPLACEMENT UNIT TO GO TO GERMANY, THE BULGE ISN'T OVER AS YET AND THEY NEED MEN VERY BAD OVER THERE.
WELL NOW TO THE STORY...
THE WAY IT WAS SET UP EACH TYPE OF TRAINING SUCH AS MARKSMANSHIP,COMPASS, MORTAR ETC. YOU HAD TO PASS IN EACH ONE SO AS TO GET A PASS FOR THE WEEKEND OR STAY IN CAMP AND DO IT OVER.
WELL ON THIS PARTICULAR EVENING WE WERE GOING TO RUN THE COMPASS COURSE.
WE HADN'T STUDIED FOR THIS COURSE SO WE FIGURED IT WASN'T ANY USE TO WORRY ABOUT IT. SO WE EACH GOT SOMEONE TO GO OUT OF CAMP AND GET US A BOTTLE. WE JUST DECIDED TO GO OUT ON THE COURSE, SIT DOWN GET DRUNK AND JUST WALK THROUGH THE COURSE AS BEST AS WE COULD.
THE WAY THE COMPASS COURSE WAS SET UP EACH PAIR GOT A MAP WITH THE INSTRUCTION TO PROCEED THRU THE WOODS IN WHAT- EVER DIRECTION THE MAP STATED, ABOUT THREE MILES. THE OBJECT WAS TO START AT A PARTICULAR STAKE WHICH HAD A NUMBER AND WE WERE TO END UP AT A STAKE AND WAIT FOR AN OFFICER TO CHECK US OUT. WE HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT STAKE TO END UP AT.
SO WHAT THE HELL WE WERE ASSIGNED A STAKE AND WE PROCEEDED TO WALK IN ABOUT TWO HUNDRED YARDS AND THEN WE SAT DOWN OPENED OUR BOTTLE AND BEGAN TO ENJOY OURSELVES. THE MAP WASN'T OF ANY USE BECAUSE WE HADN'T STUDIED. WE NEW WE WEREN'T GOING TO SEE A PASS THIS WEEKEND.
WE WOULD WALK A LITTLE AND THEN DRINK A LITTLE AND THIS KEPT UP UNTIL WE HAD WALKED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WOODS. WE FOUND A STAKE WITH A NUMBER ON IT AND SAT DOWN TO WAIT FOR OUR FAILING MARK.
I DON'T REMEMBER HOW LONG IT WAS BECAUSE WE WERE PRETTY WELL OILED UP. BUT FINALLY AN OFFICER CAME UP READ THE NUMBER ON THE STAKE.
THIS I'LL REMEMBER FOREVER. THE OFFICER SAID YOU TWO ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO EVEN CAME CLOSE. PERFECT SCORE YOU CAME OUT AT THE RIGHT STAKE. SOMEONE HAD TO BE WATCHING OVER THE BOTH OF US THAT NIGHT.
WELL NEEDLESS TO SAY WE WEREN'T IN ANY SHAPE TO GO ON PASS, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO STUDY THE NEXT DAY...
LUCK WAS SURE WITH THE BOTH OF US THAT NIGHT...
I'M SORRY THAT I DIDN'T STUDY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY USEFUL WHEN I GOT TO GERMANY. YOUNG AND FOOLISH......