After a battery of tests the Army asked if I'd be interested in going to Officer Candidate School for six months to become a 2nd Lieutenant because I showed "leadership skills". I declined. I had heard that platoon leaders in Viet Nam didn't need to waste their money on long playing records

I was drafted at the end of January, 1968 (pre-lottery).  This was at the height of the Viet Nam war which I opposed, but I didn't have the courage to go to Canada or jail so I went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood outside of St. Louis, Mo.

I was asked if I'd be interested in serving as a squad leader in basic training which I agreed to. This involved an extra 2 weeks of pre-basic training but didn't add any time to my 2-year active duty requirement. I figured it would give me two more weeks before I'd have to go to "Nam".