Betty Jo, The Kids, And Me.

Betty Jo, The Kids, And Me.
We were married on 12- 28- 1963, and I left on Jan, 1, 1963 for Fort Hood, Texas. I was gone for 6 months and we missed each other a lot. I came home for a 2 week leave in June, I told her I wasn't going back to Texas without her. So Betty Jo, packed a suitcase with some clothes, a set of sheets and left with me on a Grey Hound bus, bound for Texas, at the tender age of 17. It took us 2 days to reach Belton, Texas. About 5 miles from Fort Hood, where we got a hotel room. I left the next day to report on post at Head quarters platoon.

I came home that day and got Betty Jo, to search for a place to live in Killeen, Texas, a mile from Fort Hood. We left our bags at the bus station in Killeen, to find a place to live. We started walking down the street and after 4 blocks and seen a sign for rent on a nice house. Betty Jo, knocked on the door and a sweet older lady answered the door she, talked to us and took us in her car to show us a little 2 room apartment, for rent. It had a shared bathroom, but we still took it. Then she drove us to the bus station to pick up our bags, and drove us back to the apartment.

After that we walked about 10 blocks to a Pigley Wigley, Store and bought some aluminum pie pans, and bowls, and a square fry pan, because it was cheaper. It was a long way back to the apartment, after that we went to a pawn shop to buy an iron, to press my uniform. Betty Jo, bought a wind up clock which she hated later because of its loud tick tock. Betty Jo, didn't know how to cook her first cake fell and did not rise. She cooked a Meat loaf that was burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. I never complained I cut off the done part and ate it, through away the raw. She watched her mother cook, but did not know anything about temperatures in the oven. She bought her a Betty Crocker cook book, and became a good cook. Soon she was making pies, cakes, candy, etc. We had little money at the end of the month, but there was a little grocery store a few blocks away who gave us credit in September.

Betty Jo, I love you, I don't tell you enough? It seems every time I decide to tell you my mind thinks of something else. So I have decided to once and for all tell you of my love for you. Do you remember those beginning years of our marriage when I was a soldier? You stayed at home and washed my clothes and fixed our meals, when I was away at Fort Hood? About half way through the month we would run out of money and you lived on crackers and jelly? I ate better because I could eat at post during the day, usually by pulling KP on post. After a couple of months, we got a job baby sitting 5 kids and living in the their home. Then we could afford to eat what we wanted by not paying rent.Marie, was a nice German lady, who's husband was in the Army in Korea. Marie said he could have went to Germany instead of Korea if he had wanted, too. I don't think she ever forgave him for that.

We grew close to the children in a hurry, Mopsy, Peggy, Tommy, Freddy, and Connie the baby. I had Connie completely rotten, she took her first steps to me, and at night she was the last kid to go to sleep. Marie said she was going to kill me.

I bought a car off of Marie, a 1959 ford station wagon. we drove the kids all over Texas, around Belton, and Waco. They enjoyed the rides we took them on, they were good well behaved kids.

My life in the Army as a draftee, was not so good. But I went as a man to serve my country, the best I could. My dad served on the Normandy, beach head in France. I thought I did not want to dishonor him, by going awol.

After well over a year in Fort Hood, Texas. I was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for Air Calvary training and on orders for Vietnam. That meant Marie would have to get another babysitter, and Betty Jo would have to move back to Kentucky on her own. I only had 6 weeks until my ETS was due. Not enough time left for us to go to Georgia together.

One of Marie's friends Joyce, started watching the kids, but one night she called us and asked us to watch Connie, overnight. We did, and I guess I did spoil her rotten, she cried until Joyce brought her over to us. We loved all the kids a lot and missed them when we left them.

Betty Jo, moved back to Kentucky I went home with her for a couple of days, but I had to report back to Fort Benning, Georgia, on orders for Vietnam. My brother Wayne was also stationed at Fort Benning, on orders for Vietnam, but I got to see him before he left. I only had 6 weeks left to serve at that time, to short to go to Vietnam.

The next few weeks I sure missed Betty Jo, the Army put me and about 20 others in a barracks by ourselves to pull detail picking up trash on the highway. I got lazy with nothing to do except lay around the barracks and sleep day and night. I had a friend who was an E-5 who lived in our barracks and he had a car. So I went to see my brother Wayne who was taking AIT training at Ft. Benning we went to see him. He was shocked to see me and the E-5, when we walked in the barracks they hollowed attention. It sort of give me the big head at first, of course that was before he went to Vietnam and contacted Agent Orange.

There was a night club in the area of the 1st Cavalry barracks. It was shared by the Infantry and Cavalry troops stationed near it. On a Saturday night when they got enough beer in them the Cavalry troops would sing (Around Her Hair She Wore A Yellow Ribbon), all the Infantry troops would boo.

Besides that it was quiet there any other time. After awhile it got real boring waiting for out E.T.S. to come.



By: Kings