On May 14, 1964, Rudy was cooling his heels in the US Army induction center in Brooklyn, NY, waiting to be sworn in. He sat deep in thought, contemplating the circumstances that had led him here.
He became aware of someone sitting next to him. His neighbor was a stout young man approximately the same age as Rudy.
He became aware of Rudy’s attention and broke into a grin. “Hi, my name is George, George Munch,” he said, reaching out in a handshake gesture,
“Rudy Vallentine,” responded Rudy by way of introduction
“I’m from Brooklyn,” said George
“I’m from Flatbush,” responded Rudy
And so, it went back and forth for the better part of an hour until they were called into the conference room to swear their oath of office.
George glanced at Rudy’s ID Tag and gave Rudy a puzzled look. “Thought you said your name was Rudy.” George said, “your tag says Leoncio Sanchez!”
“Sharp as a tack, aren’t you?” responded Rudy. “Yeah, that’s my legal name. Leon for short, but I prefer to go by Rudy!”
This was the first time Rudy would hear George’s truly infectious laugh. “Look at that,” said George, “our service numbers are only one digit apart!”
So began a friendship that would survive until George’s passing in January 2019.
Shortly after that, Rudy, George, and the ten other recruits boarded a bus bound for their first duty station, Ft. Dix, New Jersey.
True to form, Rudy’s first day in the US Army was almost his last! He was informed, way too early in the morning, that he had been selected for latrine duty.
“Fuck that.” He exclaimed, “I did not join up to clean toilets!”
“So you are disobeying direct order?” asked the GI, who was the person in charge of the detail
“Fuckin A!” responded Rudy.
The team leader, a former soldier who had reenlisted after being a civilian for a year or so, went ahead to explain the ramification of Rudy’s action as he prepared to escort him to the orderly room.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” the team leader asked Rudy one last time.” This won’t be the last time you get tapped for a shit detail in the next three years.”
Rudy pondered his options for a moment, and finally, common sense prevailed over his normal bullheadedness.
“Thanks,” He said to the team leader. “I know you could have been a dick about it.”
And that was how Rudy avoided an article 13 disciplinary action on his first day as an enlistee.
Rudy and George were assigned to Hotel Company of the 3rd training brigade. Training began at 6 am on the following Monday.
It began with exercise before they could enter the mess hall. But then it was “Take all you want but eat all you take.
Not bad for Rudy, Doom for George. George loved. to eat but was cursed with a slow metabolism. This condition caused him to be singled out by the drill sergeant, who instructed George to run around the platoon whenever they were marching in formation.
Although Rudy kept a low profile after his brush with authority on his first day, he still had difficulty dealing with authority and anger issues.
Nonetheless, the two-month training session seemed to fly by, and before long, it was graduation day.
George had lost enough weight so that his uniforms sagged, and the drill sergeant no longer singled him out.
Rudy’s family showed up to attend the ceremonies with a surprise guest, his cousin Elizabeth whom he remembered from his Exile in Puerto Rico.
The next day he received his order for vocational Training classes and was pleased to find that he and George were in the same group.
He also received orders for a two-week leave starting that Friday.
Upon Rudy’s arrival home, his mother prevailed on him to stay with her and his sister at their apartment in Queens Village. He also took a few days to stay with his dad to visit with his old crowd.
On one of those visits, he spent the day with Ralph at his home. Rudy’s mother came into Ralph’s room and said to Rudy, “Rudy dear, there is someone here who wishes to speak with you.”
She led him into the living room where much to his pleasant surprise, sat…….” Gypsy!” Rudy rushed to join her, where she sat on the sofa.
“Ola Querido,” she greeted him, “I can only stay for a short while.” Gypsy looked him up and then remarked on how fit he looked. On the other hand, Rudy could not take his eyes off her and told her how beautiful she was.
Rudy could not help but notice a cloud of gloom settling over what should have been a joyous reunion. It had been, after all, three months since they had been together.
Tears began to show in Gypsy’s eyes as she recounted the events heralded in by the Truant Officer. After being dragged off to school, the school had called her father. Predictably, he was livid to find what she had been up to. Unexpectedly, he rushed her off to Kings County Hospital for a pelvic exam as he expected she had been raped. Gladys had been mortified to think her father had such a low opinion of her, which triggered a grand mal seizure. The doctors insisted she be kept for observation. After the episode, Gladys started talking about suicide, so her parent had her committed to the psychiatric ward on a suicide watch. During this time, she was told of Rudy’s enlistment into the Army. She fell into a deep depression crying for hours at a time. It was at this moment that her tears began to flow freely. Rudy gathered her into his arms to comfort her and brushed the tears from her eyes.
“Rudy,” she said, “when I was released, I felt I had nothing to live for. Ralph called me yesterday and said you would be here,” She paused, lips quivering before continuing with a sob, “Te Amo con todo mi Corazón, but my parents have forbidden me to ever be with you again. So hold me and kiss me goodbye, my love.”
She leaned forward into his arms and gave him a last desperate kiss goodbye. She toyed with his ring on her finger and said the last words Rudy would ever hear from her. “Rudy, I know this ring was a promise. I will keep it on my finger until the day I stop loving you! The day I die. Rudy watched his love for the second and last time in his life as she walked out of his life.
Ralph and his mother came into the living room, and upon seeing the look on Rudy’s face, Mrs. Pina asked, “Is everything alright, Rudy?’ Rudy replied softly with two words, “She’s gone!”
Rudy ended his visit with his best friend shortly after that. Fifty years would pass before they would meet again.
Rudy was back at Ft. Dix a few days later and immersed in training as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. After two relatively uneventful months. Rudy, George, and most of their classmates received their graduation certificates and orders for their next posting. George, Rudy, and a few others had done well enough to receive a posting at the Armor School in Ft. Knox, Kentucky.D
During the first roll call at his new barracks, Rudy was surprised to hear Crockett’s name. Curious, he approached his classmate and asked, “Any relation to The Davy Crockett?”
“Yup!” he replied. “I’m his direct descendant, named after him too.” Rudy related how Davy Crockett was a hero of his and thus began a friendship that quickly spread to George. The three of
them spent most of their spare time together. They even had adjoining bunks.
It happened that Thanksgiving fell in the second month of training. Rudy spotted a travel poster from American Express and saw how cheap it was to fly to Detroit, Michigan. He managed to wrangle a four-day pass for thanksgiving weekend and booked a flight to Detroit. Upon arrival in Detroit, he found he was still a few hours away from Lansing’s ultimate destination. Fortunately for him, one of his fellow passengers drove to Lansing and offered him a ride.
He was dropped off at his aunt’s home, where his aunt and cousins warmly received him. Rudy enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal at his aunt’s house the next day. Everyone commented on how nice he looked in his uniform. Friday was spent visiting with his Uncle Dan and family.
Saturday, afternoon, Johnny took Rudy for a drive to a vaguely familiar part of town. Mary Harmon’s house. Rudy’s heart beat faster as they knocked on the door.
“Hi, Johnny!” Mary said as she opened the door, “What brings you……Rudy?” she stammered as she spotted Rudy slightly behind Johnny on the doorstep. Mary ushered them into the living room and could not keep her eye off Rudy. “My Gawd Rudy, you look good enough to eat!” There is no telling what may have occurred if Johnny and Mary’s younger sister had not been in the room.
Eventually, the conversation turned to their old friends. Junior Guerrero had also joined the Army and was now stationed in Viet Nam. Penny had managed to get herself pregnant and was now expecting. With that, Mary picked up the phone and started dialing with a devilish glint in her eyes. “Penny?” she said into the phone, “you’ll never guess who is sitting in my parlor right now.” With that, she handed the phone to Rudy. “Hello, Penny,” he said into the phone. “Rudy?” she said in a breathless voice. “How the hell are you?” They spent a few minutes playing catch-up on the phone when finally Rudy said, “I’d love to see you, Penny, Johnny, and I can drive right over for a little while.” “No Fucking Way!” she replied. “I don’t want you to see me like this. I would rather you remember me as I was when you left me.”
After Penny hung up, Rudy could not help but think Mary had made the call out of malice rather than friendship. She tried to put on an innocent face but could not quite pull it off. Still, Rudy sat entranced by her presence. Shortly, Johnny reminded Rudy it was time to get going. Mary said goodbye with a quick peck to the lips.
Outside, Johnny muttered, “Still a bitch, I see.” Glancing at Rudy, he added, “But she can still play you like a violin, though.”
The next day was time to return from his “weekend pass.” His cousin Evelyn drove him to the Detroit airport, where he managed to miss his flight back. He discovered that the next flight would not be until tomorrow morning. Too late to make muster. With the help of the USO, he managed to catch a train to Louisville, Kentucky, which gave him a chance to make it back in time. After an all-night train ride, he caught a bus to Fort Knox. Unfortunately, not soon enough to avoid being tagged as AWOL. Rudy was touched to find that his friends had made his bed for inspection in an attempt to buy him some time.
Punishment was light thanks to Rudy’s connections in the orderly room. He was assigned two weeks of extra duty in the orderly room with no permanent notation on his military record.
Finally, it was graduation day. Davy managed to get a mason jar of Tennessee White Lightning distilled in the backwoods for their last gathering together, even though none were of legal drinking age. Their orders sent them their separate ways; Rudy was dispatched to his first Duty Station at Fort Ord. The other friends to widely spread locations. George and another friend, Mike Young, were later sent to Viet Nam. George returned to the states after exposure to Agent Orange. Mike, not so fortunate, never returned home from Viet Nam.
Shortly after Rudy’s posting at Fort Ord, he managed to secure a two-week leave over the Christmas holidays, which he naturally spent back home in New York. His parents had ended their trial separation, so they were back in the Flatbush flat. Rudy’s old gang had dispersed to the four winds. Ralph’s family had moved to New Jersey, Eddie had joined the Army, and Gladys…. well, Rudy knew she was well out of his reach.
During the two-week stay, his family spent a day at a Christmas Party at his cousin Sylvia’s home in the Bronx. Again, Rudy was traveling in uniform, his dress greens this time.
As the day wore on, one of the guests to arrive was Phyllis, the object of his old unresolved rivalry with his cousin Dan. Upon seeing Rudy, Phyllis monopolized Rudy’s time, making sure to steer him clear of her best friend Corinna when she put in a brief appearance. Phyllis would lead Rudy out on the dance floor. Much to his surprise, Phyllis took his hand and led him out into the hallway, where she went ahead to kiss him passionately.
The kissing became an exercise they indulged in for 
much of the evening. Finally, the evening was over, and Phyllis went with Rudy and his family to the bus stop. Convinced that the years-old rivalry with his cousin Dan was finally resolved, Rudy, uncharacteristically timid, asked Phyllis if she would consent to be his steady girlfriend, to which she responded “Yes,” with a deep kiss. Sweet as that moment was. Rudy was only able to see Phyllis a few times before returning to California, thus beginning a doomed long-distance relationship.
Predictably, two months after returning to California, Rudy received a letter from Phyllis asking that he release her from the long-distance relationship they had entered into. With deep regret, Rudy responded that he realized how complicated the relationship was for both parties. Rudy felt the only honorable thing to do was release her with all his love. The rest of his posting in California found him being transferred to Camp Roberts just north of San Luis Obispo, California. He received a temporary assignment to the Officers Mess at Fort Hunter Liggett Army Base in Monterey, CA. His duty schedule consisted of two days on duty and three days off. The duty days consisted of 24 hours during which he was on call when not physically at the Officer’s Mess Hall. This afforded Rudy and his fellow orderlies plenty of time to explore California, including a three-day camping trip. Nearby Big Sur.
Rudy visited with a Mexican-American family he had befriended in Fort Ord on one such weekend. With Rudy’s poor timing, he missed the bus back to Hunter Liggett; Rudy was forced to hitchhike the 72 miles back to Hunter Liggett. Leaving Fort Ord shortly after Noon, it took him all afternoon to traverse what would have been a one hour and twelve-minute drive.
Almost a year after his enlistment, Rudy received orders that he was being posted to Kaiserslautern, Germany. Transport to take place after a thirty-day leave.