Long Branch

Long Branch
Winter 1970
John

March of 1969 I received a rude, though not totally unexpected, letter from Uncle Sam. Report to Fort Lewis, Washington July 9. This was a problem because New Year's Day of 1969 I became engaged to Karen Rogers and the wedding, which I had purchased lock, stock and barrel IN ADVANCE, was July 11. I said to Uncle Sam, "can you give me a couple of more days?" to which Sam replied "show up July 9 or be jailed." What to do? Sam said, "Enlist lad! You can go in September if you do that!" So I did. It put an end to The Grapes of Wrath and Rocky & His Friends.

I entered the U. S. Army Signal Corps on September 19. Basic training at Fort Lewis. Electronics school at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, which by coincidence, was at the same school, same brigade, same company, even the same barracks as my Dad had been trained in 30 years earlier. Then came living off-post in a 2 room apartment with Karen on $78 a month! Long Branch was the name of the town down the road, and also the name of the acoustic folk band that consisted of Karen (vocals), a soldier friend James (guitar & vocals) and me (guitar & vocals). We recorded the folk classic "All My Trials". Our intent was to play in the NCO Club, at churches and private parties. As it turned out, this band never played in public, only in my living room. Still, not even the U. S. Army was going to keep me from playing music.