kshansen wrote:
Yep my brother-in-law by first wife was standing in line at the draft board when the Marine Guy comes walking down the line and pointing to they guys he wanted to "volunteer" to become Marines. Patrick was lucky and got passed over.
Then I guess while he was going through Boot Camp someone found out he had a four year degree from Syracuse University and was part way through Fordham Law College in NYC. Next thing he knew he was shipped to Carlisle Army Barracks in PA and spent his time in the Army writing speeches for Generals!
I was going through a "phase", of some sort, at 17.
I applied to the Peace Corps. They sent a polite reply....."umm, please reach out to us again when....ah, you know how to do something other than play 'great first base' ~!"
Then I went to the Marine recruiter (I forget why) Man, we
breezed through that induction physical - going to the head of every line!
Then, in 1967, I decided to see the Big Sur
first..... (from a J. Baez album cover)
Hitched from Amherst, MA to San Diego with a back-pack and Martin guitar.
Bathed in a stream in the Big Sur.
Caught a ride to 'Frisco (in a hard-top Ford convertible!)
The owner took a 2nd floor apt on Haight street, and offered me a job as his cook.
So, spent The Summer of Love smack in the middle of Haight/Ashbury*.
Less than 2 yrs later I was gathered up by our Uncle and was off to Vietnam as a conscientious objector combat medic.
Frankly....in my memory it is a toss-up where I saw the most drug usage: the rear areas of Vietnam (where the REMF's resided) or Haight/Ashbury.
we did not tolerate 'dopers' in the field
O.S.
*"dirty, smelly hippies" ....is one reason why our credo was: "Never trust anyone over 30!"
Our girls smelled just as good in 1967, as they do today. All that long flowing hair was kept clean and brushed....just as every girl does. Teenagers were no more or less promiscuous then , than they are today. We just smiled and hugged a lot more in those days.