GOING HOME AFTER LEAVING THE ARMY

Trying to think back on when I was discharged from the Army on February 1, 1968 from Fort Stewart, Georgia.   I remember wearing my class A uniform and carrying my duffle bag with all my belongings, including my medical kit all packed in an ammo box.    As a medic on a crash crew, this was the medical kit we all carried in the our ambulance when going out in the field during flight training of helicopter pilots.  I think we had to wear our best looking uniform when leaving the service, not sure why, since we were officially civilians.    Don't remember if I was allowed to take the medical kit or not.   Somehow I ended up at the Atlanta Airport to catch a plane to Dallas, Texas.    I assume I took a bus from Fort Stewart to Atlanta, really don't remember, maybe too many beers the night before.  Do remember spending lay over time at the airport in Dallas wandering around.   Back in those days during the Vietnam War,  there were many military people wandering around airports.  Some were going on military leave, others were returning from Vietnam or going there and like myself some were going home.   The bars and restaurants at the airports were well occupied by military people consuming food and drink   Military Police were common in larger airports to make sure everybody in uniform was behaving themselves.   When I arrived at the San Francisco Airport at night, my dad was going to pick me up, but nobody was at the arrival gate when I got off the plane.  As I made my way through the airport I discovered my dad enjoying a beer in one of the airport taverns, I may have joined him for one more.   After arriving home it took a few days or weeks to adjust to civilian life.  

After leaving the military we were entitled to $40/week of unemployment insurance until we found a job.  The people at the unemployment office told me I qualified for work as a hospital corpsman and should apply for that type of employment.   That did not excite me and not pursuing that kind of work my unemployment money was cut off after a a few weeks.   I had saved up some money while in the Army, spent $800 on a used 1963 Ford pickup, took on some part-time work doing construction and farm work, and took a road trip up to eastern Oregon living out of my truck.    During my travels I looked at the possibility of attending Lassen College in Susanville, in north eastern California, and ended up there in August of 1968 under the GI education bill.