You should know that……..

I wish I had never told him that now.

Owl often asks me about things I have no memory/knowledge or interest in. Then he says you should know that ……you were in the military. It could be anything from what bullets a certain gun uses, the type of camouflage that is being worn, various military vehicles.

I wish I had never told him that at the tender age of 20 I was a part time soldier.

No I don’t remember my service number. Yes I know that military personnel are supposed to remember their service number until the day they cease to exist in this world.

I am sorry that I do not remember these things.

I was in the Territorial Army (TA) for a whole 6 months (if that).

I remember the plain green uniform we wore, I remember the evenings spent partly in the drill hall and partly in classrooms.

I remember the pain of running in boots that were a size too large for my size 3 feet, being dragged across the line by the sgt who helped me pass the fitness run in basic training. I remember having to struggle out of a tent in the middle of the night for my stint at keeping watch while on a training camp. I remember the rations we ate. I remember the gas mask training and the resulting sore eyes.

So as you can see I do remember some things about my time in the military. I remember that my reason for joining up was the lure of the assault course.

But I don’t remember everything ………it was 30 years ago!!

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