My Life In The Military

Lessons I Learned In The Military

My name is James McKenzie from Hardeeville South Carolina with wife Florine, and son Mike. At the age of 17 after high school graduation June 1963, I was on my way to New York City (the big apple) not knowing what to expect upon my arrival. To my surprise other than being home sick for a short period of time, things were very good living on my own working and learning to make money online.

The big change in my life came for me in November 24th 1965 when I was drafted into the U. S. Army on Thanksgiving Eve and having Thanksgiving dinner at Fort Jackson (Columbia, S. C.) not what I expected. After a week or so at Fort Jackson getting processed into the army, it was off to Fort Gordon (Augusta Ga.) for basic training for 8 weeks which was no bargain. This is when I first found out what the word discipline meant.

Vietnam was a very hot spot at the time, because of the war not knowing what was in my future. After 8 hard weeks of disciplinary training which seem to be very brutal at the time but all went well. I got some relief from basic training, because I was sent to Fort Bliss (El Paso, Tx) that freed my mind from Vietnam for a while (February 1966 - June 1966) thinking that I was home free. The big shocker came that day in June 1966 when I received orders that I was on my way to Vietnam, it seems as if I was hit with a bomb in my face.

The journey from Travis Air Force in California was a very long and lonely flight even though there were some two or three hundred military personnel on board, but for 18 or 20 hours you could hear a pin drop on the floor because of the fear in all of us. Upon arrival in Saigon Vietnam, another world, not only was I frighten, but got really home sick because now I am in the jungle. Now starts the beginning to what I thought would never come to an end.

For the next year I spent my tour of duty in Qui Nhon working in the ammo storage yard and received my share of guard duty as well. Neither one was any bargain because when you are afraid because war is not a game, you never know when your life will come to an end. I use to be very fearful until I got guard duty in a cemetery among the dead and I realize that the dead was harmless and made up mind that I was coming out of Vietnam alive. Fortunately my company never got hit directly and we lost no one during my tour of duty, but I saw some horrible sites but it was all apart of growing up into manhood.

It was a very, very long year I thought would never come to an end, but it finally did in June 1967. After my return to the U S and 5 month left on my 2 year hitch, I was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield (Savannah Ga.) and what a joy it was.

Upon my dis-charge from the Army in November 1967, I returned to New York City and a short time later met Florine Beckles who later became my wife and the mother of my 2 sons Marc and Mike.Things were going good for 15 or 20 years and then I started having some health issues even until this day, and it all goes back to my tour of duty in Vietnam. Despite the way things are, being a dis-able Veteran and looking at my life, it is something that I'll never forget, an experience that no one can give or take away from you.

Today I'm a member of Wealth Creations Network helping others fulfilling their goals, and enjoying life at its best.

In conclusion when you learn to endure all of life obstacles that will surely come, the good, the bad and even the ugly. These are the things that will force you to realize that you have to fight your own battle and in the end it can be very rewarding, especially when you have that desire to help others along the way. "Always remember that success does not come in chunks, it comes in pieces".