I was hoeing cotton in Eagle Lake bottom. The cotton was full of Morning Glory vines, these things were very difficult to get out of the cotton. it was a very hard job.

The idea of joining the Army had been on my mind for sometime and had always wanted to be in the Army since I could remember. I made my decision there in that hot cotton patch to try to enlist in the Army. The very next day I went to Denison Texas. Johnny Ray Sweeney and I went to the Army recruiting office. Johnny was the right age, I however, was only sixteen. The date was July 25 1948. I was was sixteen on March 11, 1948. I would not celebrate another civilian birthday for sometime to come.

My first problem was to talk to my dad into signing for me to go in. That means he would have to swear that I was seventeen. I pleaded like a Philadelphia lawer. It took some talking and pleading and he at last agreed to accompany me down to the recruiting office. The necessary papers were filled out and signed. The recruiter then said we would have to go to Durant, Oklahoma, the county seat, to get a copy of my birth certificate. I thought the jig was up then. I did not want to go back to the cotton patch again. I was very nervous on that drive from Denison, Tx to Durant, Ok. We arrived at the Bryan County Courthouse and went to the records dept. after careful search it was determined to that I didn't have a birth certificate on file. somethings are just ment to be. A major turning point was rounded. I would leave Monday morning for Dallas, TX for the swaring in ceramony.

Johnny Ray had no such problems as he was plenty old enough,. He was the ripe old age of 18.

Now all that remained was sweating out the rest of the weekend. Looking toward Monday. and the interurban ride to Dallas, Tx. The interurban was like a street car, but it ran between the little towns and cities between Durant, Oklahoma and Dallas, TX.

Our first night in Dallas was spent in the YMCA. It was nice. Nice soft beds, clean sheets and a hot shower. Life was good. I never gave a thought that I might not pass the physical and mental exams. Here I was 16 with only a nineth grade education, trying to get into the Army. There was no doubt in my mind I wopuld not succeed. The possabilitgy that I would have to return home was not a thought that could be tolarated,

I am getting ahead of myself. John and I returned home to pack our meger belonbging and regale our former classmates with what adventures we would have in the Army.

Mom was very upset with my dad for having signed for me to enlist. I remember hearing them arguing during the night. It was hard for me to get to sleep because it was so exciting to me.

I went to church the next day, it being Sunday. Mom packed my stuff that afternoon. There wasn't ver much to pack as I wouldn't be needing much. She was weeping while she did this. I on the other hand was very happy.

Sunday afternoon I went to Kemp an got with John and we talked about our upcoming adventure. We met up with some of our friends at the school. We sat out front and talked all afternoon, One of the guys told me that he thought that I would probably be back because the thought that my bad eyesight would keep me out. I had thought about that too. I was hoping that would not happen.

Early Monday morning me and dad left the house to go Kemp. Mom was very teary eyed and she hoped that they would send me back home. My uncle Hubert had an old Chevy and he took me and dad to Dennison. I don't remember much about what all took place before I left other than a few more papers had to be signed. Dad shook hads with me and away I went to a new life.

John and I arrived in Dallas and started a battery of test including medical exam, mental exam and appitude test, It was during this time that I decided to go into the medical corp John went into the medics but opted to be a cook rather than an aidman. I found out later that it was always nice to have a friend in the kitchen. We passed all the examanations and were sworn in the Army. We spent another night in the YMCA and was put abourd a troop train headed for California. This was my first experiance on a train. I enjoyed everything. They gave us a partial payment of our regular pay, so we were able to buy things on the train and at the regular stops, I had been to California twice before during WW 2. Those times we had went by bus. I enjoyed this more as we were able to move about the train, You could walk all the way through the train to the end and stand on the observation deck. Going through the mountains was a wonderful experiance. We arrived at Ft. Ord and begain more processing, We were issued uniforms and other essentials, Among these were my first razor, a toothbrush and a sewing kit. The worst thing possible,,,, shots, there were eight in all. The one that caused me the most trouble was the small pox, it festered and was very unompfortable. we began basic training, learning to march and do close order drill. We had no more than got started than we were told we would be going to a place in Washington State, a place called Ft. Worden.

We arrived in Washington state the first week in August. We were sent to Ft. Casey on Whidby Island. There would be no awols during basic. Ft. Casey had been an old coast artillery base during WW 2. It had been closed since the war. Our first duty was to get it in shape to train the troops. We were divided into groups some for this task and another for that one. The barracks were in terriable shape and were want of repair the troops set about getting them in to shape. I remember helping to put windows in the barracks. The thing that sticks in my memory it was working the jpariade ground it had grown up very badly. We were marched out to the edge of the pariade ground and were put ing a ling single file line givent the command of left face and the nco's began to issue the tool we were to work with,. I was given a set of small sissors, the type children in school are given to cut thing out with. We then found how we were going to use these implements. I remember looking across the field at a large white house on the other side. It was in front of me, We were told to get down on our hands and knees and cut the grass in front of us. It seemed like a long way across that arade ground..Everytime i looked up that large white house seemed as far away as ever. Thus began my eight weeks of basic training at Ft. Casey Washington. There on that parade groundI learned my left foot from my right, how to keep in stepm how to salute and how andto whom to say :"sir"

Charles W Evans