My name is Robert Easley and I was a truck driver for the infantry from 1960 to 1963. I was part of the 2nd armored division, and while I went to Korea, I did not serve in the Korean War. In my time, every kid served in the military; it gave you a chance to see the world and get away from home. Before serving, I was a high schooler.
In high school, I was part of the Cadet Corps, so military life didn’t impact me very notably. My least favorite part about my new life? KP Duty aka Kitchen Police. In all seriousness though, it would be my lack of freedom due to having to obey all the commands from the higher ups.
I first went to Texas to take 2 months of training, then I went to Korea. There I was tasked with keeping the peace. I was stationed in the De-militarized zone(DMZ) that separated North and South Korea. Our troops stood at the south side, the North Koreans on the other. While I did create friendships in my time, I lost them with age.
My service time did not impact me in any notable way. I did my time and served my country, and I am proud of that. War is, sad to say, unavoidable, and is necessary to keep the peace. I firmly believe that every kid out there should serve at least two years to get the experience.