Category Archives: Infantry OCS

Garlic: Not just for vampires and spaghetti

After an OCS chum said his wife’s doctor advised consuming garlic as a non-prescription hedge against Covid, I remembered an article that said Israeli consumption of garlic is second only per capita to China. The claim is that people who consume a lot of this pre-antibiotic folk remedy for infection, get bitten by fewer mosquitoes and generally stay healthy.

Reminds me of my Texas mother when we lived in Libya, in North Africa, when I was six. My 5-year-old sister and I liked to run barefoot through the dirt, which bothered mother no end. Whenever she caught us at it, she would turn to the lore of her Texas upbringing and make us eat a clove of garlic each to stave off the ringworm fungus, among other things. It was awful. So we worked hard not to get caught.

The night of MLK’s murder

I was in Infantry Officer’s Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA, on April 4, 1968, and don’t remember much, except we were shocked and there were no racist remarks among us although most of us were white. Others in the class have better memories, including that we were prepped in case we had to go help disperse rioters, practicing advancing on line for several hours with fixed bayonets chanting “back, back.”

See, the guard wasn’t trusted in those days, it being a haven for draft-dodgers from the Viet Nam war, so the regular army was put on standby. Nowadays the guard is mostly combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two classmates recall hearing C-119s at a nearby airfield taking off every eight minutes or so most of that night ferrying an infantry brigade to Detroit. One then-class officer recalls being designated a sniper and issued live ammunition in case we had to move out quickly. We never did, happily.

Later that year, in the Sixth Cav, at Fort Meade, MD, we also trained for riot control but fire discipline was emphasized. We were to disperse, not punish, the rioters. And we lieutenants were told that if one of our enlisted even chambered a live round without permission from regiment staff, we’d be going to prison. Heady times.

UPDATE: Well, one classmate recalled another one using a slur against Dr. King, but he won’t identify the fellow, effectively tarring us all (except him, of course) with the same anonymous brush.

Russ’s stone is up

Our OCS buddy Russell Wheat’s stone went up today, six months after ordering due to a shortage of granite. His stone is on the right, next to his father’s in the middle and mother’s on the left. Relieved we don’t have to go back to fix anything. It was a long haul to Higgins, Texas, from Austin via Amtrak to Oklahoma City and thence to Higgins in a rental car to arrange everything. Now it’s done. Only awaits the combat veteran’s plaque in front of the stone. Rest easy, old friend, and have fun when you’re not.

Unvaxxed die

Lee, one of my OCS chums, has lost his daughter to the Wuhan virus, just a little over a month after her husband died of it. Neither were vaccinated. Both had co-morbidities. They leave two young daughters. Our hearts are broken.

Son-in-law died

Lee, one of my OCS buds, lost his son-in-law to Covid this evening. His daughter, who is also on a ventilator, is still hanging in there. Son-in-law had co-morbidities with lung problems. Pretty deadly for a lung disease. At least he’s in a better place now, though it will be hard for his wife (when she finds out) and other relatives.

UPDATE: Not long after, his wife, Lee’s daughter, also transitioned as the docs were trying to wean her off the ventilator. Heartbreak all around, especially for their two children. At least they’re together again.

Cancelled reunion

My OCS buds have canceled their every-two-years reunion due to high covid variant catchings in the city of choice, New Orleans. One of my least favorite cities (and you, too, El Paso). Bar and I weren’t planning to go anyway. Still tired after our Higgins sojourn. And her breathing continues problematic. Just walking exhausts her. So far, our Moderna vaccines are keeping us safe. We only go out on Sundays, for Reiki healings and chat with Cindi.

Cub Scout banter

So-called. Messages about the weather and sports on our OCS forum. Politics is verboten. Past arguments about politics degenerated into name-calling and, so for the best, it was banned. Reducing us to Cub Scout banter about whose temperature is higher or lower and which team did what when. Pretty deadly. We do talk abut the pandemic, lately most of us promoting the vaccines, and keep apprised of each other’s health.