CHAPTER 18: WE’RE IN THE ARMY NOW…
- David "Joe" Sanders
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Finally making it to 17. US Army here I come. Begging for discipline. So here we go.
CHAPTER 18: WE’RE IN THE ARMY NOW…
Joe’s seventeenth birthday is almost here. It means nothing to anyone except him. To him it is the day he is eligible to enter the military. Joe and I cannot wait. We did all the necessary paperwork prior to his birthday. All that was left was to take the physical, sign the papers and say the oath on January 31ST.
With that done we spent Joe’s seventeenth birthday as a member of the United States Army at Fort Ord, California. The army medical examiners had blown right past the suicide and depression; they were only interested in another inductee.
Joe had passed the entry tests with very high scores. He would be eligible for almost any job the
army had to offer. But our only thoughts were to get into combat and that is the basis for how we made our job training selections, Airborne, Combat Arms.
It was January 1973. The Viet Nam War is still going on but has been greatly scaled down, most people were being pulled out and very few sent over. If only Joe could have been one year older, we would have been able to make the fight. There is only a small chance that we will be sent to war now. We really want to go to Viet Nam, bad, hoping this time maybe we can both die an honorable death.
Going to Nam was the only reason that I was agreeable to let Joe enter the military. I damn sure was not looking forward to the drill instructors telling us what to do. I had never let anyone else have that kind of control. Turns out that we loved the basic training/boot camp. With my help boot camp was a breeze for Joe.
The only rough spot was the shooting range and getting used to holding a rifle. The first shot was definitely the hardest. The last rifle I had held was the one that started this mess. Any of the physical things that Joe may have had difficulties are where I would take over and really give him a second wind so to speak.
There were a lot of things like first aid, drill & ceremonies and the general code of conduct that may have been difficult for one person to remember. But again, with the two of us working as a team we were able to always pass everything they had for us with a rating of 100%. At the end of the first four weeks of basic training, we were one of only three people that had scored the maximum on every test, which earned us a three-day pass, a thing that was very rare during basic training.
I did not know the other two people that scored the max on the tests well enough to know if they had the outside help like Joe did. I was pretty sure Joe, and I were kind of a unique case. But we gladly accepted the reward of the extra three day pass along with them and took it with a great big smile on our face.
After basic training we had a short break and then were sent on to Jump School. Most people in the military get sent to a thing called A.I.T (Advanced Individual Training) after basic training. I never knew why but that was not the case for Joe. There was to be no A.I.T We were sent straight from basic training at Fort Ord, California to Fort Benning, Georgia for some very intensive physical training along with learning to jump from large transport airplanes in the prestigious Military Jump School.
Jump School was another great stop for us and it was full of people that thought they were the toughest the military had to offer. This was the single Jump School where all four branches of the service sent their groups for airborne training. So we had people from all special operations of the military in one class. For some this was just a part of their specialized training. An important step in becoming the military’s finest.
The same jump school class was made up of all, it was a beginning of working together for groups like Navy Seals, Marine Recon, Army Rangers, Green Berets, Air Force Special Operations and Paratroopers. It was also the same training for officers, along with enlisted men. No one got a break.
Every one of them thinking they were the best of the best and as tough as it gets.
We loved it. Jump week was the best, I don’t know what I liked better, the jumps or their choice in a pre-jump song, “Blood upon the Risers, Brains upon the Chute” These were some first-class bad asses, but none of them had ever taken a bullet through the brain and lived through it. We were sure none were as tough as the combination Joe and I made up together.
Most of these guys would probably have second thoughts when facing life or death situations, not us. In one way we were already dead and in another way we looked forward to death. Life had no meaning. Joe was too young and too lost to be afraid of death. I was looking forward to it. The only thing we were both living for was the hope of finally being able to die an honorable death.
Joe and I agreed, we truly wanted to die while earning a Medal of Honor. Finally getting rid of this terrible trap we now shared together. Jump School was fun and hard, but too quick. Our next stop was Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Home of America’s Guard of Honor, The 82ndAirborne Division.
**Reach out to me at any time.
I am not only willing, but I also look forward to taking a share of your pain. Email: David@bondedabrotherslove.com. You will get a caring same day response.
Nothing scripted.
You are not alone, and you matter.
If You’re Struggling
If you or someone you love or know is in a dark place, please know you’re not alone and there is help available. Reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. There are people ready to listen, ready to walk with you, and ready to help.
Immediate assistance is available:
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
📞 988
Veterans Crisis Line
📞 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1) | 📱 Text 838255
Survivor Support / Crisis Group
🌐 https://www.crisishotline.org 📞 832-416-1177
💡 If you know someone who needs to hear that they are not alone, share this story. Together, we can create echoes of hope that outlast the pain.
For more than five decades, I carried this story in silence. Silence nearly broke me, but telling it is what keeps hope alive.
Bonded: A Brother’s Love : One Bullet. A Thousand Echoes my hope is that it offers understanding, connection, and even a reason to hold on when life feels unbearable.
📖 Order your copy today and join me in breaking the silence. Together we can spread hope, honor the lost, and change the future.
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