Exotic Adventures: Narrative of the 20 Years That I Spent in the United States Military

Being married while in the service of the United States does not work out, unless you are an officer or a higher-rank NCO. As a lower-rank enlisted man and married, even with two paychecks coming in, there is never enough money. When this story took place, I was single, with the exception of when I returned from West Germany. I was married in Germany, and as we returned to the States, there was never enough money to live the same way that we had lived while in West Germany. When I arrived in Vietnam, I received a “Dear John” letter requesting a divorce. When I returned from Vietnam living on base, I requested to move off base because it was so noisy in the barracks. The amount of money that the government allows a lower-enlisted man is $105 per month. That doesn’t buy too much to live on—like gas for a vehicle, oil for heating, rent for a cheap housing, food, and you are broke. I retired from the US Air Force last September 2, 1972.