At last, it is announced at Monday Morning Training formation that, starting this Saturday morning, there will be an Inspection every Saturday morning which will include; personal, weapon and barracks after which for those who pass, a weekend pass all the way to 0500 hours the next Monday morning.
OK, the Field First Sgt. tells us, this means every "Friday night G.I. party" everyone restricted on Friday night to preparing which includes scrubbing clean, the walls and floors and all personal belongings including ones self, to be ready for Saturday Morning.
I couldn't help but notice Leroy who always was ahead of everyone else in well organized foot and wall locker layouts, well starched uniforms, shined shoes, brass and clean rifle and too, was always helping
the others who lagged behind in their preparation, shining their brass and shoes all
with a smile on his face. That was Leroy was always helping someone or picking up
trash throughout our area of responsibility.
And on Saturday morning, of course, everyone passes, we'd kill anyone who didn't,
because if one failed, the whole squad would be restricted and "no pass" too.
Thanks Leroy, you are quite a guy. After every Friday night barracks clean-up,
Leroy would walk through out the whole place cleaning little spaces that was missed
or or overlooked, never complaining or critisizing any one, just picking up and
looking after the rest of us, always with a smile on his face, that was Leroy.
1949 Cadillac
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Friday G.I. Party
Back to basic training Monday morning formation our unit roll call Platoon Sgt. announces "one absent without leave", we all are in shock, who? then the First Sgt. asks? and the name "Recruit Endo".
Endo was the smallest guy in the unit, He looked around five two or three and weighted about 100 lbs.
We are dismissed for Breakfast and afterwards back in the barracks we see Endo and we ask, "where were you? and He replies,"
I just got back, I missed the bus and my parents drove me in this morning, did I miss anything?" and about that time the Field First Sgt. yells, "Endo - report to the orderly room." We then go out to our first hour of Map Reading training and Endo joins us about halfway thru the course after which the First Sgt. enters and interrupts the class with this announcement, "You men are restricted to the Company area and will remain restricted until one of you reports to sick call with an injury". Wow!, we ask the Platoon Sgt.,
"what it means?" and he explains that it is an unwritten rule and Company practice that when one member breaks a rule, like Endo did, the whole unit will be punished and remain punished until they punish the individual with injury within the unit, the proof of punishment being the injured person reporting to the dispensary for treatment, it is called, "Unit Punishment" and the unit have an option to name a champion to represent the offender if for what ever the reason, the offender is incapable of taking punishment.
Endo declares that he'll take a punishment and accept the injury, Leroy steps up and says, "No, you're too small to take a punch, I'll take the punishment for Endo". So the tallest guy in the unit, a David W. is delegated to punch Leroy hard enough to warrant a trip
to the dispensary which would be recorded. So it happened Leroy gets a punch to the face which produced a swollen chick and black eye.
The restriction is lifted and we again get to visit Betty at the club and suck up some beer and more importantly, weekends down town. Thanks Leroy, "you're the main man" in our group.
