My Garden Angle

Sometime during my stay at Fort Hood, we received word that two officers, one captain and one lieutenant, had been killed and placed in a large trash can.  Everyone assumed that theywere killed by a returning Vietnam soldier who felt that they had somehow been disrespected or mistreated by them while in Vietnam.  They had both not long returned from the war.   Because of this situation, our Division Commander ordered. (later reduced that order to highly recommended), that all staff duty officers, (SDOs) must wear a side arm (pistol) while on duty and especially while conducting their rounds … we were required  to walk through the battalion several times during our over night tour of duty.  
 

I felt extremely bad about this new requirement to wear a gun to protect myself from my own troops and decided that I was not going to wear a weapon while on duty as the battalion duty officer.  This situation was a very sensitive issue because all the other duty officers elected to wear a weapon while on duty. However, I was able to get an excuse for not wearing one. 

Lt's were assigned as duty officers every couple of weeks or so, sometimes more often, depending on who was available.

One night, while on duty and making my rounds, I noticed a big black guy sitting on the steps of his barracks.  It was around 2 AM.  I approached him and asked what he was doing out so late.  He told me that he could not sleep!   A couple of weeks later, I was out making my rounds again when I noticed that same big black guy sitting on the steps of his barracks.  He again told me that he could not sleep.  I proceeded on my rounds.  But I was beginning to be suspicious.  The next time I had a duty officer, I checked on this guy.  Again, he told me that he could not sleep.   OK, I said, now that you have exhausted that 'can't sleep' lie, why don't you tell me the truth?  

Following is what he said, "Sir, you are the only officer on all of Fort Hood who refused to wear a gun when you are on duty.  I am here to make dam sure that no one tries to hurt you.  This young soldier and I had never spoken before we met on those steps for the first time in our lives.  He didn't know it, but he had just stolen my heart.   I found out later that this soldier was from New York and was a contender for the Golden Gloves in boxing but had gotten into some trouble and the Judge had given him a choice, … Prison or the Army.  

After retiring from the army, I worked inside a prison for eight (8) years, and I can tell you this:  I would trust some of those young men quicker than some of the people I know who live just down the street from me.  

Dowdy's Aximum:  Do what you feel in your heart to be right and don't worry about anything else, let God do the rest.  Soldiers have a way of stealing your heart.