Ft. Benjamin Harrison, then the Lion.Part 4 of 6. Scroll down to begin in order.

     Ft. Benjamin Harrison in 1942. Photo is an official government document, so is  in the common domain

Ma, Used to was, I Kudn't even spell ADJUTANT GENERAL,....and now I IS one!!!

Horatio Gates was this nation's first, and he worked for George Washington. The Adjutant General's purpose was first & foremost to ensure the commander's wishes/orders were carried out. Official correspondence most likely even today carries the line: FOR THE COMMANDER, and then is signed by whomever is delegated that authority.

My assignment coming back from Vietnam was to the AG (Adjutant General) Advanced course at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, IN. (Located on the eastern edge of Indianapolis, and sometimes referred to as: 'Uncle Ben's Rest Home.')

When Barbara & I were married in June of the previous year, we purchased a queen sized bed which she used while sharing quarters with the wife of one of my lieutenants while he & I were in Vietnam. Upon arrival to Ft. Harrison, we invested in a "modern" chest of drawers (put together with staples, etc.), and decided that henceforth a better investment would be well-put-together antiques. I decided to forgo half a day each Saturday golfing, and we ended up spending our leisure time antiquing. We budgeted so much each month and ended up buying about one piece for about $100.00. Indiana at that time was a haven for what are called "country primitive" antiques (furniture). Many may have been locally made; some may have even come from pioneers having to lighten the loads on their wagons.

Toward the end of the nine months AG Advanced Course, I made the mistake (?) of answering an advertisement offering a couch for sale. It was being sold by the school secretary,who also was in charge of faculty assignments to the school. He noticed that I wore the combat infantry badge, and the next thing I knew, my new assignment was to the school as a faculty member. That added 2 1/2 more years to our stay at Ft. Harrison, and we completed our household furnishing of primitive antiques.

In the summer/fall of 1970, feeling I was due for reassignment, I volunteered to go back to Vietnam.

jl
   Sue says: Remembering the bloodbath of Vietnam years as I do, I asked Jon why he would volunteer to go back, except I understood that a nation does need a defense, and fighting is what professional soldiers do. Jon answered as follows:

     Sue, it's kind of a matter of philosophy:  Do you try to control your own destiny, or sit back and let others control it for you? In the going back to the case of Vietnam, since I had spent 3 1/2 years at Ft. Harrison, I pretty much knew I was due for another "short (unaccompanied) tour" somewhere. I didn't relish going to Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc., especially when the "'action"  was still, although dwindling, in Vietnam. Besides, we still received combat pay there, and.....it looks good on one's record to have volunteered to go back. Also....Adjutant Generals never retreat! (We may back-space occasionally.) Or in other words, "Eat the Lion, or Wait for the Lion to Eat You."