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however, our superiors had to remind themselves of their elite status through less spectacular devices. They emphasized spit-shined jump boots, heavily starched fatigues, and highly polished belt buckles. We were required to answer roll call with a lusty “All the way, ho!” some kind of paratrooper motto. When we encountered an officer, we did not accompany our salute with the usual “Good morning, Sir” or “Good afternoon, Sir”; our greeting had to be “All the way, Sir.” The most inspirational moment for our airborne officers came at the end of each drill when we had physical training. After ten minutes of perfunctory exercise, these airborne warriors would double-time us around a dirt track, leading us in gung-ho lyrics they had learned in their three-week stay at jump school: Two old ladies lying in bed, One rolled over to the other and said, `I wanna be an Airborne Ranger, I wanna live a life of danger.’ or `I wanna go to Viet Nam, I wanna kill them Viet Corms: NOT EVERYONE who joined the National Guard or the Reserves in the late ’60’s had to endure six years of checking the water and oil on a jeep; other units enjoy more exotic missions. Consider, for example, some units of the Utah National Guard. Since Mormons are supposedly proficient with foreign languages because of their missionary activities, several units in Utah have a military intelligence mission that requires foreign language proficiency. A 27-year-old Army Reservist from Kentucky told me of a unit in his state with a military intelligence mission members of the unit are trained to censor mail. He recalls that “we spent every drill writing fictitious letters which might include material that should be censored, something like ‘troop morale is really low this week’ or ‘they’re serving vomit in the mess hall these days,’ anything the enemy might he able to take advantage of. When we got to summer camp, we would give our letters to another unit, and they would give us letters they had been writing all year. Then we would all practice censoring the letters. Once a batch of letters got sent to First Army Headquarters at Fort Meade, Md., to be read for some reason: Most of them were sent hack, though, because they were so raunchy the secretaries refused to read them. We had written all kinds of wild, disgusting things about people dying from the clap, and we’d sign all kinds of filthy, raunchy names. It was crazy.” When I asked my friend from Kentucky if he planned to re-enlist, he looked incredulous. “You’ve gotta he kidding,” he shouted. His attitude seems to be typical of a great many men who signed up in the late `60’s. The waiting lists have evaporated, and Guard and Reserve units all over the country are struggling to fill gaps left by the “draft dodgers,” most of whom have no intention of re-enlisting. State and national brass are feverishly looking for an approach magazine and billboard advertising, television spots, recruiting contests, more relaxed regulations that will keep the men they have and that will get some they don’t have. The Texas National Guard, for example, ran a television spot featuring Joey Heatherton explaining that her husband Lance Rentzel served with the Air National Guard. “The Guard takes him away from me one weekend a month,” she cooed, “but you can be sure I give him a warm welcome when he comes home.” The television message had to be dropped when Mr. Rentzel ran afoul of the law on a charge of indecent exposure. Recruiting for the Guard and the Reserves is an uphill battle. The National Guard did announce earlier this year that it had climbed back to full strength for the first time since the draft ended, but with more and more men getting out and staying out, the full-strength situation is probably temporary. With the end of the draft in 1973, the military reserves became the primary option available to the President for quickly expanding military forces in a national emergency. Recruiters are feeling the pressure. LIEUTENANT Glen Cortes, a recruiter for the Second Brigade, New York National Guard, is involved in what he calls “a big sales game.” Lieutenant Cortes is 26. His dark hair is cut medium length, and he wears a mustache. On the day I talked with him in his office at the cavernous, old red-brick armory at 643 Park Ave., he was wearing faded blue jeans, a western shirt, and boots. On the wall behind his desk were brightly colored posters depicting the excitement of life in the Guard. One showing an attractive young lady wearing an Army uniform and working in an airport control tower proclaimed “A woman’s place is in the Guard.” Another pictured a young soldier guiding a jet into position and urged “Get close to a set of hot wheels!” A’ brochure on the desk asked, “What can the Army Guard do for you?” The answer: “More than many people imagine.” Lieutenant Cortes admits that recruiting for the National Guard is extra tough these days. “One of the units in the brigade brought in eighty men last month,” he says, “but in the next few months they’ll be losing a hundred men, so we’re just barely keeping our heads above water.” What can Lt. Cortes offer a prospective recruit? “Well, first of all, the money’s not bad, and there’s also a chance for them to learn a skill that might get them a job on the outside. And we have lots of influential people in the Guard, hooks we call them, people who might can help you out some day. Like we have the vice-president of the telephone company in one of the units here at the armory, and we have the vice-president of the AMA. “Most of the people we’re getting either need to learn a skill or they need the extra money, maybe they’ve dropped out of school. There are a lot of mothers that call me trying to get their sons in.” Every mother’s son or daughter who gets in has a six-year obligation. He or she will spend the first four to six months on active duty with the Army, going through basic combat training and learning a military specialty. Military specialties are varied: computer programmer, light vehicle driver, bandsman, dental assistant, court reporter, interrogator, meat-cutter, switchboard operator, and others. After the active duty tour, the Guardsman serves in his home town by attending regularly scheduled unit training assemblies \(usually two year’s experience receives a monthly pay of $40.96. His monthly pay plus the 15-day training period pay gives him an annual salary of $697.40. A corporal with over four year’s experience makes $59.40 a month, $977.40 a year. A Sergeant First Class with over eighteen year’s experience makes $98.24 a month, $1,598.04 a year. January 31, 1975 11 You’ll be glad you came to the NI141eac 0 HOTEL 45 luxurious, air conditioned hotel rooms, each with private balcony . . . Large swimming pool, lounge area, fine dining, bar, entertainment … 5 minutes from airport, shopping, sightseeing, golf, horseback riding, white sand beach and Caribbean directly in front of hotel .. . Open year ’round . . For rates and brochure see your Travel Agent a write P.O. Box 469 MONTEGO BAY CA