Herzo Base
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| Can not say the base was so bad, just the area it was in. The people did not like Americans and I could not blame them. The story I was told is: during the war, they knew the Americans would not bomb hospitals or school if they were marked. During one of the air raids, the people had sent all their children to the school and a rack of bombs hit the school. There were no people in town near my age, just old or very young. The base had a nice EM club, live entertainment on the weekends. Each town had its own beer so I had plenty of towns to visit. We had a bowling alley and I had a fantastic CO. He was one you could walk in and sit down and talk to and we got along great. The base commander was another subject, will get to hem later. The barracks were old stone two stories with hard wood floors. We had two man rooms; my roommate was the base loan shark. I hit hem up several times for a loan and paid big time on interest. He was pale and very thin but knew how to make money. His name was Clyde Pigeon. Another friend, his name was Rick Readerer.(Not sure of spelling) He could play a mean electric guitar and drove a VW with three cylinders working most of the time. We took leave together and visited all over Italy. When I arrived at Herzo, I was a Sp4 due for promotion to E5. After a long wait for promotion, I asked what was the problem. Seams that it did not matter how long you was a E4, you had to be in Herzo for six month before you was put on the list then you went behind the person that just made E4. That did not wash with me real well so I sat down and wrote a four page letter to my representative in North Carolina. I carried the letter to my CO and let hem read it. He said it was well put and that he would have to tell the Base Commander so get it in the mail and get off base for the day. I did just that and went to a "Off Limits" swimming pool. When I returned that afternoon, a runner was waiting on me. I reported to the CO still in my wet swimming trunks. He asked me if I got it in the mail and were did I go. I told hem it was in the mail and I went to the off limits swimming hole. He advised me to be at the Base Commanders office in the morning in my inspection uniform. The old man was quite upset but there was not a thing he could do about it except get ready. About one week later, we got a "Urgent" message. "24 Hours to respond on a congressional investigation on the promotional policy of the base and why I had not been promoted". Needless to say, I got my E5 and so did the others that got transferred from other bases to Herzo. There were a many of nights we would leave the base to check out the different beers and I would be driving the car back in or so the MP's tell me. Everyone was passed out and they would wave us in. You see, I did not have a drivers license for Germany or military. (Reaction time to fast they told me) One day, we went down to catch the train but the engineer was busy talking. We got tired of waiting so we took the train down the tracks. Left it just outside of town and had our fun in town. One of our guys went to Rome (no me) and took the head off a mermaid fountain. The Italian government got all upset so they had to pull a pop inspection. The head fell out of the locker of one of our ASA guys. CO had it boxed up and sent back to Italy. The last week before I got out of the service, I was bowling our last game of the league. Got a little loaded and bowled a 289 game and a 667 series. Have never done that again in all my years. If it had not been for Herzo, there is no doubt that I would have stayed in the ASA and loved it. Herzo turned me away from the desire, every with the $10,000.00 and E-6 on signing the papers. I have kicked myself many times for not taking the NSA offer in Virginia but at the time, I thought I knew what was best. I left Herzo for the states and was discharged. Five days later, I was a city kitty (Policeman) for Burlington, NC | ||||||