This isn't a story as such, just a rambling memory of foolish youth. At Ft. Jackson in basic, in JULY, just made things more miserable because of the heat. I was sitting on the steps of our barracks one night polishing my "boondocker" boots that the Army had issued me ( later thrown in the trash---along with my issued "flying saucer garrison hat" when I arrived at Ft. Campbell---never wore either again ) and a guy named Rohrbach from Philadelphia, PA is telling a few other guys about how he could teach the Army a few things about "knife fighting". Showing the usual good judgement of keeping my mouth shut and minding my own business that I was known for at this time of my life ( and even later ) ---I said "Rohrbach---are you saying I can't cut you with a knife?"---He said "yeah---wanna try?". I put my ugly ass boondocker boot and shoe brush ( busted up from driving nails ) down and said "I think I can". I got up and said "OK---my finger is my knife---and your finger is your knife---tell you what I'm gonna do---I'm gonna whack off the end of your nose---then cut your throat---then gut you at least 6 times so you'll hurt a lot before you die of your cut throat". We sparred for a second or two and I faked toward his nose and when his hands went up I poked him in the belly a couple of times---when his hands went down I swiped his nose---when they jerked back up I swiped across his throat and then poked him in the belly a few more times
( I slightly springed my finger from poking too hard ).

Rohrbach was somewhat embarassed and said ( like kids will do ) "damn---you've knife fought before". I said something like "yeah---back in Chattanooga they used to call me The Blade---I've sliced up at least a dozen guys thinner than you would slice the ham if your mother-in-law was coming to dinner". We started laughing and it was the start of a good friendship.

I still have a picture of Rohrbach and I in one of those 25 cent photo booths in a bar in Columbia, SC and a cheap recording of us harmonizing in a "recording booth"--"~~there stands the glass~~~fill it it up to the brim~~~make my troubles go dim~~~it's my first one todayyyyyy~

Next, I patch video here, a Paratrooper's Story WWII 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles. Enjoy!

Comments:

Interesting post! Interesting historic video, too!