I came home from my mission in September of 1961, and then I went back to Utah State University for a quarter. In 1961, if we didn’t join the military, we would be drafted in. I joined the National Guard, which meant that I had to go in for six months of basic training. My first area for basic training was Fort Ord, California. I was there for eight weeks. Then I was transferred to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, which had to be the pit of the earth. It was muddy, miserable, hot, humid, and terrible. I spent eight weeks there. And then the last two months I was transferred to Fort Riley, Kansas. Fort Riley, Kansas, was a dream because it was an “open base”.
What that means is after working hours, after your duty at night, you could leave the base and go into town. Well, it didn’t do much for me as it did for most of the others, because they were mostly party kids. They like to go into town and party.
