Fort Ord Remembered

Below is an email we received from Galen Stallings, who recounts his time at Fort Ord. It is always fascinating to hear such recollections. At the end is a piece he wrote in 2001 entitled "Fort Ord Remembered." Maybe it will draw up some of your own memories... Enjoy!

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My name is Galen D. Stallings and I had the honor of taking basic training at Ft Ord from 15 May 1965 to 18 July 1965.  My grade was SP4 Galen Stallings, US56391258, MOS of 76E20, assigned to the 552nd TC (Sedan), USARV, Republic of Viet Nam. 

My story there and subsequent Tours of Duty are rather long, so I won't go into much detail.  I will attach a paper I wrote for an Army historian posted at Ft Ord called "Fort Ord Remembered"  for you to read.

We were the first basic training troops in Ft Ord in two or three years due to meningitis.  Due to that we had to wear a blank name tape above our name tape which identified us as Trainees, and we were restricted to barracks unless training.  As a result I did not know Ft Ord at all.  When I moved to this area in 1999 I began exploring the base and taking pictures so I could remember it as it once was.  I have taken a little over 4000 pictures in the last ten years.  My barracks was building 4446 on 7th Street or as we said, Up on the hill.  The barracks with the ornate door frame with the poem on it is incomplete (this barracks is right behind mine). In Viet Nam the poem was recited as follows:

Yea, though I walk through the 
Valley of the Shadow of Death,
I shall fear no evil,
For I am the meanest 
son-of-a-bitch 
in the Valley. 

I was very happy to see your web site as most of the buildings I have explored have not been barracks, so I have not seen much artwork.  I have downloaded all of your pictures.  Many are virtual duplicates of mine, but that is cool. 

If you are still going through barracks and other buildings, I would love to go with you sometime........or anywhere on the base for that matter.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Galen 

Photo by Galen Stallings. 

Fort Ord Remembered 

07 August 2001 

My induction into the US Army was really ironic due to my intense desire to leave home. At 18 years of age I attempted enlistment with both the US Army and the Marine Corps in Denver, Colorado.  Neither branch was interested due to my height and weight of 6’, 128 pounds.  I was determined to leave home and I moved to San Jose, California in June of 1963 and two years later at 20 years, 10 months, the Wyoming draft board beckoned.  By then I wasn’t interested or ready, but what could I do? 

12 May 1965 was my induction date and I shall never forget it.  Even though it has been 36 years I remember that day every single year.  My induction processing was at Oakland California and I also remember that day and wondering, with apprehension, what the immediate future held. 

Processing at Oakland took most of the day and late in the afternoon we boarded buses for Ft Ord.  The trip seemed to take forever and upon arrival we were assigned to our barracks and had evening mess.  As we learned later we were the first training troops in Ft Ord in two to three years due to meningitis and because of this we were assigned to the new cinder block barracks on the “hill.”  The barracks on the hill isolated trainees from the main post.  I was assigned to 5^th platoon, Company B, 4th Battalion, 3^rd Brigade, or B43. 

Due to the meningitis scare, we were required to have 8 hours of sleep per night (unheard of for basic training), and we slept with every other window open. Also, due to the meningitis scare, we had a blank nametape above our name and were restricted to barracks unless training.   Ironically, two civilians died from meningitis in “sperm” village during our stay.  One platoon member died in his sleep but not from meningitis.  With every other window open at night (of course my bunk was next to an open window), the barracks became rather cold at night.  We were issued two blankets and I put everything I could find on me and I was still cold.  We graduated from basic on 17 July 1965 and it seemed to me I was cold the entire eight weeks. 

CG was Major General Edwin H.J. Carns, CO was Captain Cecil Elder.  Our DI’s were SSG Henke and SSG Nance.  SSG Henke always seemed too nice to me to be a DI.  Senior DI was MSSG Lewis Montoya who always called us meatheads.  I still use the term today. 

At the beginning BCT was difficult mentally and physically, but once you adjusted to it and became physically fit, in retrospect, it really was not that hard.  At the time eight weeks seemed like it would last forever, and now 36 years have gone by and I really do not where those years went. 

I earned Marksman in train fire, but I am not sure how as the rifle assigned to me would not “zero” in.  Despite that, I missed expert by five points.

During the eight-week basic tour, we were taken to Camp Roberts for weeks six and seven for the NG to allegedly train us…. Camp Roberts was pure hell…extremely hot and the NG had no clue…  However, we did manage to graduate from Basic on schedule in July of 1965. 

Because of the meningitis restrictions to base when we were not training, I had no idea what Ft Ord looked like or where anything was. After the base was abandoned, I began to explore the back areas and eventually found my barracks.  I sincerely hope that my barracks does not become a casualty of the closing.  I have found Ft Ord to be a very interesting and beautiful place…the empty barracks stand as silent testimony to the thousands of men who spent time there, good or bad. I play roller hockey at the old Gym and Ft Ord at night is an eerie ghost town. Very sad…  Even though I hardly knew Ft Ord while there, I shall never forget her. 

From Ft Ord I went to Ft Lewis in Tacoma Washington to spend six months with the 4^th Inf Div, Headquarters and Headquarters, Div G5, clerk typist.  I was earmarked for reassignment to the 552^nd TC Company (Sedan) for the Nam.  But that is another story…

SP 4 Galen D. Stallings

US 56391258

Comments

[Sp 4 M. Edwards]

This brings back memories. Some fun, some not. I could only imagine what prison was like after going to Ft. Ord for "Basic" in the midst of the Vietnam War, back in 1970 I believe. I was stuggling to get through college in NC and "drew" a 37 on the lottery. I signed up for the Army Reserves before I got my induction notice (thankfully) and ended up at Ord. What happened to all my hair, freedom, self-respect? If the kitchen crew hadn't sold off a lot of the food for drugs we'd all had a lot more to eat. They all used to take trips back in the bushes and get toked up, then come back to work.
I remember one of the many times I was on KP, and slipped carring one of those heavy frying vats, and hot oil spread all over the kitchen floor and turned white as snow. It was like ICE! It took all the boxes of soap we could find to get the floors back to reasonably safe. My boots never held a shine after that.
We used to have to polish the floor in in the barracks to such a high gloss that the inspector could make out a picture hanging on the far wall through the reflection on the floor. One day, as we tried to melt the can of Johnson's paste wax so we could spread it out on the floor, it caught on fire. There was a nice little blaze going and someone threw a towell over it. The towell caught on fire and started smoking up the place. Someone grabbed it and chunked it out the window. Unfortunately, it landed on some bushes and they caught on fire. By the time everything was out, we were wasted! Yes, I remember how cold it got at night with those damn windows open. Even the two (scratchy) wool blankets weren't enough. 5 am always came WAY too early!
I also remember how soft the ice plants were out in the field. We'd collapse on them and try to nap. Oh yea, thank's Unk Sam for all the free cigarettes. It took me YEARS before I broke away from the addiction. I also remember going out and bivowaking (SP?) in the field and getting gassed with CS. That stuff lingered around for days. Every time the wind blew, it's stirr up that mess and choke you.I had to sleep with a friggin gas mask on so I wouldn't gag myself to sleep!
One weekend, because were "quananteened" because of the meningitus, we escaped to Carmel in a rented VW. Ah, sitting on the beach having a cool Coors-what memories (and there a lot of hot girls on the beach in those days!). I remembering being restricted to our baracks all the time like animals. We got to go to the PX for an hour a week. We'd load up with candy bars, beer and crap and try to eat and drink it all in one hour! Man, have things changed since those days. It's sad to see the place has since been demolished. It would have made a great prison for REAL criminals!!!
I believe I was in A-3-3. But its been a lot of years and beers since then.
At least I got to come back to NC and finish my degree. My hat's off to the fellas that went over and didn't come back. I mean that sincerely. I don't think many people have trusted the government much after that. A good lesson NOT to forget!

[WAYNE D. ELLIOTT]

At the end of my military career in 2010 I must say Fort Ord shaped up to be one the best places I was stationed at. Dispite all the hard times so many of us had being in the military I actually miss it! Soldiers then and today have a comradity that many civilians will never know or understand.
I had basic training at Fort Ord from
16 June 1970 through 20 Aug 1970. My training platoon was C-2-1 and my Drill Instructor was Drill Sergeant Scott. I still have one old dusty and faded picture of C-2-1 and I only know and still have contact with one of the guys. Years later I had two subsequent assignments at Fort Ord - one with HHD (Martinez Hall)from 16 Apr 1979 through 1 Apr 1980 and 1 June 1984 through 16 Apr 1986 (301st Trans Co). During my assignment with the 301st I lived in the NCO barracks in BLDG 2010. I wonder if anyone remembers Martinez Hall, the 301st and especially BLDG 2010?....
with great respect to all Soldiers,

SSG Elliott (ret.)

[Kevin Brooks]

Did you all also train at the Presidio in San Francisco as well?

Kevin B.

[Javier L. "Lou" Ramirez]

Looking for BUDDIES that served with me.Company H 1st Bn 2nd Bde. Dec. 16, 1968 to Mar. 1, 1969. After A.I T. I served with the First Inf. Div.-Vietnam, C-1/2 aka "The Black Scarves Battalion.contact me at JavierLRmz@cs.com

[Chuck Gale]

I went thru basic training from September to November of 1963. (B-5-1) I was very young and less than mature but somehow I got thru. I sometimes drive onto the old fort and find where my company area was. The old wooden barracks are gone and now it is a frizbie course. Fine with me as long as they don't turn it into another mall. For me, and perhaps anyone who served there, it is a special place. Many thanks to all who trained me and also those who were with me there. I miss you all.

[cmrobles7@aol.com]

I was at Ft. Ord from July 7, 1995 to mid-September 1965. Many fond memories. RA ALL THE WAY. Don't recall our DI's name, but I do recall that he was a decorated Korean War Vet. He was a Japanese American who was raised in Manzinar Internment camp during WWII as a kid. He was a young guy, but to me he was a God!

One of my memories is having to do a full pass at the overhead bars just to get into the mess hall. Actually missed a few meals until I built some upper muscle strength. I recall spending my 21st birthday at Ft. Ord doing KP (being awaked with a rude flashlight beam in my eyes, in pitch black night...then assigned pots and pans and grease pit...must have pissed somebody off). Still remember bivouaqe and pulling guard duity on cliffs ovderlooking Monterey Bay...picth blck, midnight. Often recall the squish sound of iceplant under my boots, the steep cliffs and the bone chilling cold. It was August, and yet it was the coldest time I can recall in my life, with our flimsy fatigues and those cold damp Monterey nights.

Ended up going into Army Intelligence. Trained at Ft. Holibird, MD from 9/65 to 2/66. Assigned to Panama and then Puerto Rico. I was sent there to support Army Intelligence activies during the Domican Republic war...which no one remembers. Later as an Army Intelligence specialist, was assigned via TDY in RVN, MACV (little pentagon, Siagon). Was in Hue just after Tet 68 to do security eval on Army Intelligence unit overrun during Tet. Still dream about it...what we found. Mustered out at Fr. MacArthur, San Pedro, CA in September 1968. SSGT E-6 So many memories!