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More from: "My Time in Service:"
I made my first WAC friend in 1975. I saw a few in Germany back in the early 70's but they were all up at Command HQ's with the Generals and stuff. None were in our Line Units.
I made friends with a fellow Sergeant...first Female Sgt I ever knew. We played on a Co-Ed Basketball team. Both of us being Mid Westerners ...we got along like good buddies. But it started out a bit differently.
I never bothered the WAC's over in Hawaii. There were not that many. They had their own barracks. And most worked with the Colonel's and Generals. I figured with 8,000 men stationed there...well, the hundred or so WAC's had enough of guys hitting on them. So I never spoke to them. Until...
After Practice one of the WAC's came up to me and asked me why I didn't like women. I laughed. "I Love Women!"
"Then why don't you ever talk to us after practice or go to the NCO Club with us?"
"Because I don't want to bother you guys. I figure you get hit on a couple a times a day."
She laughed.
"If only. More like a dozen."
"Well, I don't want to be one of the dozens that put a dent in your day."
"Don't worry Kevin, we can spot the "Players" and, don't take this wrong...but you are not Player. In fact, you are the only one on the Team that actually passes us the ball and expects us to score."
Well, I thanked her. And we went to the Conroy Grill and got grilled cheese's and fries..and a coke!
And we chatted. She had two roommates and warned me that one of them was a "Ten" in Civilian Life. (More on that later) So when I met her two roommates, well, one was cute, and one was a real "Ten." Turns out she was from the Virgin Islands and was not only a Beauty Queen, but a Champion Sprinter. And man oh man, guys drooled over her. After a while, they realized I wasn't interested in them as sex partners or girlfriends...they became buddies. Cheered me on at competitions and swim meets and stuff.
When I got married to Kathy, we drove up to Northern Wisconsin to see my old WAC Sergeant Buddy. She had married a guy and they had a huge farm growing row crops. We spent a week there. Kathy loved every bit of it, since she grew up in Rural Canada. And we traded stories.
One of my friend's roommates came from a small town in North Dakota. She said there were nine people in her Senior Class. To stop any friction and leaving anyone out, they all went to the Senior Prom as a group date.
Now this girl was just cute. Like girl next door cute. What we might call a six. She was just sweetheart. And she told me that joining the Army was a real shock.
"Kevin, I was one of five girls in my Class. I knew all 19 boys in the whole HS. Two of them became my boyfriends over those four years. And that was my entire exposure to boys.
I got in the Army and holy crap. There were hundreds of guys. All of them in shape. Tall, medium a few short ones like you (Thanks, Kid) and at least half of them flirted with me. I felt like a Queen, or a Model. Got burned a few times as I learned what they were after. But even after that, the good guys. The guys I wanted to really date, and build something with, well I had an abundance of choice there too.
You don't know what it is like to be surrounded by healthy young males, vying for your attention. Once you learn to set boundaries and protect your reputation, there are still more guys - good guys- than you ever met back home.
It is a different world. Back home I was just a normal girl. With a few guys asking me out. Here? Well, I can pick and choose."
I thought about that. It gave her such confidence, and it made her a stronger tougher person. She learned to Lead too. Eventually she was the First Sergeant for her Company.
My friend who Kathy and I went to see...she was glad to get away from all the male attention. One enlistment was enough for her. But she made E5 in just three years. So she was sharp as a tac. And she ended up working for a big Corporation and becoming an Executive ...and still running her farm too. She told me the Army gave her the tools to succeed in male dominated business deals.
I never dated a Soldier.. So don't know what that was like. But I sure was glad I had WAC friends.
I made my first WAC friend in 1975. I saw a few in Germany back in the early 70's but they were all up at Command HQ's with the Generals and stuff. None were in our Line Units.
I made friends with a fellow Sergeant...first Female Sgt I ever knew. We played on a Co-Ed Basketball team. Both of us being Mid Westerners ...we got along like good buddies. But it started out a bit differently.
I never bothered the WAC's over in Hawaii. There were not that many. They had their own barracks. And most worked with the Colonel's and Generals. I figured with 8,000 men stationed there...well, the hundred or so WAC's had enough of guys hitting on them. So I never spoke to them. Until...
After Practice one of the WAC's came up to me and asked me why I didn't like women. I laughed. "I Love Women!"
"Then why don't you ever talk to us after practice or go to the NCO Club with us?"
"Because I don't want to bother you guys. I figure you get hit on a couple a times a day."
She laughed.
"If only. More like a dozen."
"Well, I don't want to be one of the dozens that put a dent in your day."
"Don't worry Kevin, we can spot the "Players" and, don't take this wrong...but you are not Player. In fact, you are the only one on the Team that actually passes us the ball and expects us to score."
Well, I thanked her. And we went to the Conroy Grill and got grilled cheese's and fries..and a coke!
And we chatted. She had two roommates and warned me that one of them was a "Ten" in Civilian Life. (More on that later) So when I met her two roommates, well, one was cute, and one was a real "Ten." Turns out she was from the Virgin Islands and was not only a Beauty Queen, but a Champion Sprinter. And man oh man, guys drooled over her. After a while, they realized I wasn't interested in them as sex partners or girlfriends...they became buddies. Cheered me on at competitions and swim meets and stuff.
When I got married to Kathy, we drove up to Northern Wisconsin to see my old WAC Sergeant Buddy. She had married a guy and they had a huge farm growing row crops. We spent a week there. Kathy loved every bit of it, since she grew up in Rural Canada. And we traded stories.
One of my friend's roommates came from a small town in North Dakota. She said there were nine people in her Senior Class. To stop any friction and leaving anyone out, they all went to the Senior Prom as a group date.
Now this girl was just cute. Like girl next door cute. What we might call a six. She was just sweetheart. And she told me that joining the Army was a real shock.
"Kevin, I was one of five girls in my Class. I knew all 19 boys in the whole HS. Two of them became my boyfriends over those four years. And that was my entire exposure to boys.
I got in the Army and holy crap. There were hundreds of guys. All of them in shape. Tall, medium a few short ones like you (Thanks, Kid) and at least half of them flirted with me. I felt like a Queen, or a Model. Got burned a few times as I learned what they were after. But even after that, the good guys. The guys I wanted to really date, and build something with, well I had an abundance of choice there too.
You don't know what it is like to be surrounded by healthy young males, vying for your attention. Once you learn to set boundaries and protect your reputation, there are still more guys - good guys- than you ever met back home.
It is a different world. Back home I was just a normal girl. With a few guys asking me out. Here? Well, I can pick and choose."
I thought about that. It gave her such confidence, and it made her a stronger tougher person. She learned to Lead too. Eventually she was the First Sergeant for her Company.
My friend who Kathy and I went to see...she was glad to get away from all the male attention. One enlistment was enough for her. But she made E5 in just three years. So she was sharp as a tac. And she ended up working for a big Corporation and becoming an Executive ...and still running her farm too. She told me the Army gave her the tools to succeed in male dominated business deals.
I never dated a Soldier.. So don't know what that was like. But I sure was glad I had WAC friends.
Women in the Military
Soldiers
Duty
Dating
Senior Leaders
Edited 23 d ago
Posted 23 d ago
Responses: 3
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Great story. And men and women can serve together. I came from a huge HS (5000 students/1200 graduating class), worked in emergency rooms, then graduated from a very large college. I never went to the prom (more interested in science and books) but I found basic and my first couple of years of service to be a shock. But thrilled I made the choice to serve and wouldn't change it if I could. It opened my eyes and so many doors for me.
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SGT Kevin Hughes
Yeah, I went to a big school too. five hundred in my Class. My brother went to the 5,000 student HS when my Mom and Dad moved, and he was like you with over a thousand in his Graduating Class.
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Never met, or had a conversation with a WAC while I was in the army. In the early 70's, all infantryman were MEN.
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SGT Kevin Hughes
I was Infantry...and none of the WAC's were Infantry. But....they were stationed at Schofield Barracks in Admin, Nursing, and as Parachute Riggers.
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I met my first WAC friend in 1972. She was working in the Comm Center at Ent AFB, HQ, ARADCOM. I PCS'd to Korea that summer, came back in June, 1973 and married her 2 July 1973.
Still together.
Still together.
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SGT Kevin Hughes
That my friend, is a beautiful story. Happy 53d in advance! And you won out over thousands of choices! Good on you!
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