One of the more interesting aspects was the difference among the trainees physically, intellectually, and emotionally. The various names have long escaped me but there was one young man, who was in fact a kid giving the impression that he was always looking for his mama. He was constantly thirsty, and one could hear him in his bunk in the middle of the night gurgling water.

Another person was a big fat guy, with thighs like hams. After a few weeks of rubbing these thighs together, they were like raw meat. However, he never complained.

Then there was a guy in one of the top bunks. He was rather tall, medium build, who always seemed to disappear in the night. I noted that he would be coming in later in the night well drugged up on something or other. Eventually, he just disappeared from our group, which in spite of the Company Commander's claim may have been one way to avoid the battle destination.

There were also two kids from one of the southern states; either Mississippi or Alabama. I remember discussing with them the philosophy of war. They agreed with each other that it was their job to engage in military conflict to save the world for democracy. They realized they would likely be killed in the operation but such was the risk they would have to take in order to achieve their goal. As I said earlier, I was about to the position that I would kill anybody as necessary, but I wasn't about to endanger my own life if I could avoid it.

About the 10th week of training, a list of names appeared on the bulletin board. The names appeared to be from various companies and the named people were ordered to appear at a specific barracks building at a specific time. My name was on this list. I was not only curious but also anxious to see what this opportunity afforded, since there was always the possibility that it could involve a transfer out of the infantry.

I went to the indicated barracks building at the appointed time and found myself in a line of about 30 to 40 people, none of whom seemed to know what was going on. The line was moving at a snail's pace, but none of us seemed to be anxious to leave the line and get back to training.

The entrance to the barracks building involved a short stairway, perhaps six or eight steps, at the top of which was a landing. The line went up the stairs and onto the landing. When I got to the landing, I had my first opportunity to look inside the doorway, at which time I saw that the building was effectively empty, except for a desk with a chair alongside it at the far end. The distance was perhaps 50 feet from the doorway. Behind the desk sat a white-haired man dressed in civilian clothes, and he was talking to one of the GI's, who was sitting in the side chair.

I strained my ears to hear what was being said and noted that after a bit the GI left the chair and left by the far door, while the next GI came up from the line. I heard the white-haired gentleman ask one question, which was, "What is the pH at which methyl orange changes color?" At that point, I knew we were talking chemistry, and within the next minute or two, before my turn came up, I was able to essentially review all my college and graduate school chemistry. When my turn came, the questions were answered with exactness and confidence. However, the white-haired gentleman gave no indication of his satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Within the next several days or a week, there was a short list of names on the bulletin board, and my name was among them. Orders were to pack our things and appear at a specific place and time for departure (destination unspecified). At the appointed time and place, I appeared and found myself part of a small group of perhaps six or eight men. Each of the men was a trainee, which meant that he was a buck private. However, there was one Private First-class, who had the sealed orders for the group.