I came back into the US Army as an officer, after a nine year enlisted stint. Between the two, I went to a large University, completed my degree in Chemistry, met my future wife in a SCUBA class that I was teaching, got my commission as an Infantry Lieutenant, got married to what I thought was a nice French girl (who turned out to figuratively breathe fire), went through the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Ranger School, and then I reported in to my unit in then West Germany. I was the newest Lieutenant in my Battalion for four months.
A few months later, Tom and his wife, Vicky, reported in. We were 2LTs, 1LTs, CPTs together and were later promoted to Major at the same time. Vicky was a charming woman. Pretty, not beautiful or stunning, She had a nice body. Her sense of humor was low key but delightful. Tom was very low key, he seemed to plod along, but he always did a great job at work.
Three times per year, our battalion went training at Gräfenwoehr or Hohenfels Training Areas, for two weeks of very intense firing drills or tactical maneuvering. Once each year we participated in a huge exercise called Return of Forces to Germant or REFORGER. Additionally, we deployed individual platoons or Companies to the field to practice maneuvering, etc. Twice each year the officers would spend a week near the East/West German border, at our go to war positions. Once each year the officers went on a Professional Development trip, where we would study and tour an important battlefield and walk the actual terrain. Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge were my favorites. I also discovered the forward headquarters for Operation Barbarosa, the Nazi invasion of Russia, was close our home. My wife and I were the only Americans to explore it in 50 years.
In retrospect, the officers and the soldiers were gone, a LOT. To keep the wives busy, they organized trips when we were gone. They went to Holland on a Tulip Tour, to Prague in Czechoslovakia, to Vienna, Austria, to Berlin, all over. I never heard of any problems with our wives.
That's not to say everything was smooth sailing. While we were in the field, we learned that a bunch of wives from a Tanker Battalion were busted for running a prostitution ring. It took us almost two weeks to learn the details.
In the meantime, my wife and I stayed on the road most weekends. She had family in Paris, we visited twice a year. We managed to see almost all of Paris. We drove all over the rest of Europe. I taught a SCUBA class in Pisa, Italy at Camp Darby. We took tour buses to Holland and to Costa del Mar, in Spain. We drove to Vienna, Austria for my wife to act in a play.
Life was busy and our three years in West Germany went flying by quickly. I was selected for Captain, but I was being switched over, called transitioned, to Military Intelligence. Tom and Vicky followed a few months later.
We reported in to the Army's Intelligence Center and School at Ft. Huachuca near Sierra Vista, AZ. I attended the 'Transition Course', followed by an almost duplicate Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course. I was having problems with my wife acting like a bitch almost constantly, so I volunteered to do an unaccompanied tour in South Korea for one year. I told my wife I was being sent there under orders. Technically that was true, I just never told her "the rest of the story".
Tom and Vicky reported to Ft. Bragg, NC.
I spent the next year as the American DMZ Intelligence Officer, also in charge of intelligence in the Western Corridor, and for one of the 2nd Infantry Division brigades. I also had responsibility for security monitoring in the ville outside the gate of my camp. I also was in charge of all the house boys at our camp.
