The Army & Vietnam
Bill received his draft notice for the U.S. Army immediately following college graduation in May, 1966. Rather than being drafted as a rifleman, Bill enlisted for an extra year and chose to be trained as a military journalist. By enlisting, he also qualified for a six-month delay in reporting for duty that would allow Karen and him some time to adjust to married life. After moving Karen back in with her parents in Chicago, he reported to the army induction center in Chicago on January 6, 1967. Karen continued to work at the HR art studio in Chicago.
Following basic training, Bill received orders to report to Journalism School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was one of the few military training assignments that allowed trainees to live off post. Following a two week leave in Chicago together, they headed to Indianapolis.They settled into a small efficiency apartment just off post. Bill spent the next ten weeks going to class in the morning and coming home to Karen at the end of the day. Karen busied herself with part-time work through a temporary help agency. On weekends, they would explore Indianapolis, including the Indy 500 race track. It was a nurturing time for their relationship.
Following Journalism School, Bill received orders to report to the 2nd Training Brigade at Fort Jackson, South Carolina just outside of Columbia, the state capital. After a 30-day leave in Chicago, they packed up their 1963 Dodge Polaris and a U-Haul trailer with everything they owned and headed to Columbia. Neither had spent much time in the south and they needed to look up South Carolina in the Atlas. They spent the first week there looking for a furnished apartment. When they couldn’t find anything that they could afford, they settled on a one-bedroom, unfurnished apartment in Myron Manor, just outside the south gate of Ft. Jackson. Rent was $63 a month. They were able to purchase the furniture they needed, including a bed and mattress, for $285 and pay it off on time. Bill reported to duty as a Public Information Specialist (PIO) while Karen set up housekeeping and made friends at Myron Manor, which was filled with many other soldiers’ wives. Eventually, Karen took a job as a cashier at a local K-Mart. For a while, she also tried her hand at selling Holiday Magic cosmetics door-to-door, but found that she was a better talker than seller. Life was good. They took advantage of the many post amenities including shopping, crafts, recreation and entertainment. Medical care was also free. They entertained friends in their apartment and took many long weekend trips to Charleston, Savannah and Hilton Head as family and friends came to visit.
In July of 1968, Karen became pregnant with Lisa. In preparation for her birth, they moved to a two-bedroom apartment a few blocks away in Myron Manor. Rent was $72 month. By then, Bill had been promoted to Specialist E5. Life was still good. Then, with just about a year left on his service obligation, Bill received orders for Vietnam. He would have to leave before Lisa was born. That prospect was devastating. They tried appealing to anyone and everyone they thought could influence a decision not to send him. Even though the military once had a policy to delay overseas deployment until the baby was born, it was changed by the Vietnam conflict. Congressmen, Karen’s doctor, the post chaplain, even Bill's commander were not able to intercede. He had to report to his new unit in Vietnam by January 29, 1969. He received a 30-day leave before his report date, which they used to move Karen back to Chicago to stay with her parents and celebrated Christmas. They also redecorated Karen’s old bedroom into a nursery. Bill left for Vietnam in the middle of January. After a few delays upon arriving “in-country”, he settled into his new job with the 69th Signal Battalion at Camp Gaylor on Tan Son Nhut airbase just outside Saigon. Karen went about preparing for Lisa’s birth by watching her diet and reading her Dr. Spock baby book and writing endless letters to Bill. She took occasional trips to Glen Ellyn where she would stay with Bill’s parents for a while. They provided some diversion from her daily routine. On March 7, Lisa was born at Chicago Osteopathic Hospital with Karen’s mother by her side. Bill was notified of her birth by the Red Cross. Even though Karen would join Bill for a brief week of R&R in Hawaii that July, by their agreement, Lisa remained at home in Chicago. Bill wouldn’t meet Lisa until his return from Vietnam the day after Christmas. The time Bill spent in Vietnam was hard on both of them. For Bill, it was because he was away from Karen and Lisa. For Karen, it was not only because she missed Bill, but because she faced ridicule because Bill was a soldier in an unpopular war.
On Christmas Day, 1969 Bill left Vietnam and the U.S. Army for good. He was honorably discharged. The war was behind them and the rest of their life was in front of them. Life was good again.