After Roy C. Raisor was sworn into the Army, he was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for boot camp. He arrived as a young man who believed he was relatively physically fit, but he quickly discovered that Army training would test him in ways he had not expected.
Boot camp took place during November, December, and part of January. Roy spent his eighteenth birthday on KP, or kitchen duty, all day. There was no snow, but there was plenty of freezing rain. He remembered it as a tough course, one that quickly showed him what Army life would require.
Learning Through Hard Work
The physical side of boot camp became an important part of Roy’s preparation. He described how a person does not realize how out of shape they are until going through boot camp. After one period of training, he returned home for a 14-day leave weighing 141 pounds at six feet tall.
After eight more weeks of boot camp, exercise and proper food had changed him considerably. He returned weighing 168 pounds, describing the change as lean muscle. The training had given him a very different physical condition from the one he had when he first arrived.
But the Army was teaching more than physical conditioning.
Roy learned discipline. He learned when to say, “Yes, Sir,” and “No, Sir,” and understood that when he was told to do something, he needed to do it. The marching and PT became part of the daily experience and helped establish the discipline that would follow him into his next stage of Army training.
Moving to Fort Leonard Wood
After boot camp, Roy went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for eight weeks of Army Intelligence Training, or AIT, to become a lineman. He had requested the assignment because he remembered a telephone installer and thought that being outside and working in that type of job would suit him.
The training included classroom work five days a week, eight hours each day. Roy learned map reading, including how to use a compass and read paper maps. He also went into the field and learned how to strip wires and run ground lines from phone to phone.
Training on the Poles
One of the most important parts of Roy’s preparation was learning how to work on telephone poles. He practiced climbing eight- and nine-foot poles with gaffs strapped to his boots and learned how to use his harness safely.
The training also included daytime and nighttime convoys. The vehicles went through mud puddles that were about three feet deep, while the soldiers had to remain in line with the vehicles around them. Night convoys were especially difficult because they had to stay in close contact without headlights.
Roy also faced written tests. Because he had dropped out of school early, he worried about being in a classroom with men who had finished high school and others who had attended college.
That concern pushed him to study. He went through the material at least twice each night. His hard work paid off, and he finished among the top twenty-five students in a class of 100.
The Final Test
The biggest test was held in what they called the pole orchard. Sixty-foot poles stood about five feet apart. Each soldier had to climb to the top, secure his harness, and catch and throw volleyballs while remaining attached to the pole.
Several men could not reach the top because their earlier training had only involved 35-foot poles. Roy completed the training and received the code 36K20 for passing his lineman training.
Preparation for What Came Next
Roy’s preparation for Army life came through many different experiences: marching, PT, discipline, classroom study, field maneuvers, convoys, wire work, and pole climbing. Each part demanded effort.
By the time his training ended, Roy had learned that being a soldier required more than simply putting on a uniform. His preparation had changed him physically, taught him discipline, and given him the training he needed for his assignment as a lineman.
Soon, he and his friends Reed and Yackovich would receive their orders for Bamberg, Germany. Their next chapter was about to begin.
For more about Roy’s story and latest updates, visit his official website: Roy C. Raisor.
Get your copy of his memoir here on Amazon: Boy to Man in 365 Days.
