Roger Godskesen - Us Army 1971-73

For those of you who know me as a peaceful guy, it must be a shock to see how the Army trained me to stick bayonets into people.
I was drafted and entered the Army on February 16, 1971, and was discharged February 17, 1973. The extra day was because Leap Year happened to fall during my time. Not that I didn't love being in the Army.

I did basic training in Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri. Then served the remainder of my time at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC where I worked as a computer programmer at the Army Institute of Research. I earned the rank of Specialist 4th class.

Being in the Army was a very interesting adventure, and I was very lucky because I got hands-on experience in the information technology field where I spent the rest of my career.

Working at Walter Reed hospital also put me in daily contact with men who had been wounded in Vietnam, and gave me a life-long appreciation of the sacrifices people made for our country. When I got the chance to got back to Walter Reed for a visit in 2007, it was very hard to face memories that I didn't realize I'd been carrying with me for all those years. But the chance to visit and help the men and women who have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan gave me a lot of closure.

It doesn't matter what anyone's view of war and politics is, we owe them a lot.
-Rog