Frank Swendsen - US Army 1971-1972

Military Service History
Frank Henry Swendsen

I can clearly remember being in my parents kitchen on July 1, 1970 when a lottery for the draft took place. Birthdays were drawn and assigned a number. My birthday of May 28 was drawn 9th out of 365. I did not consider myself a winner at that point. Odds were I would get called to serve.

I was planning on going to my second year of college that fall at the University of Minnesota and continued with those plans. Later on in the summer I got the call to the US Army. I attended college that fall quarter, but was somewhat distracted and really should have taken it off.

I could have deferred my entrance into the military to complete my college education, but decided I did not want to go to the military after college and allowed myself to be drafted. I was the first person in Koochiching County, Minnesota to enter the military under the number system from 1970.

I reported to Fort Snelling on January 26, 1971 which happened to be my brother Paul’s 15th birthday. The next day I was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky for basic training and the start of a 24-month military obligation.

I went on to Fort Sill, Oklahoma in July for advanced training as an artillery surveyor. I happened to finish #1 in my class and was promoted to Specialist 4th class because of that. I stayed at that rank the rest of my military career.

At that point I had low, but very real, probability of going to Vietnam. Only about 1 out of 13 classes were being sent there, and based on my luck in the number draft, I was not overconfident. Fortunately, I got word that I was going to Germany. I ended up in Bamberg as a member of the 6th Battalion, 10th Field Artillery.

We basically were in charge of shooting 175 mm (about an 8” diameter barrel) artillery at the enemy. We could shoot about 33 klicks or 20 miles. My training as an artillery surveyor was tossed aside when I got to Germany and I was assigned to the fire direction center (FDC). We used slide rules and rudimentary computers to calculate what angle the guns should be set at, and what charge to put in to hit the target. The funny part was that we only had one range to shoot at, so the calculations never really changed! As an aside, my dad’s job in the army in WW2 was to be on the other end of the equation. He was the guy on the ground 20 miles away telling the FDC how close we were to hitting the target, and giving adjustments so we would. It was a very dangerous place to be.

I was not well suited for military life. My natural inclination is to question authority, and I do not like to follow direct orders without a reasonable explanation as to why. It just the way I am! Needless to say, that is not how the military operates. I muddled through without incident and was honorably discharged on November 29, 1972. The Vietnam War was winding down and early discharges were being offered if there was a good reason for it. I got out two months early to get back in time to start winter quarter at college. I stretched the truth a little about when college really started, so gained a month there!

On a positive note, my time in the army gave me opportunities I might not have had that were not related to the military.

I came back to the states, got married in July of 1972 and Doreen and I moved to Germany. We bought a used Peugot and spent the next 4 months traveling as much as one can on a $350/month salary along with some wedding money. It was a great experience for both of us.

The opportunity to get to a foreign country opened my eyes to world travel and learning about other cultures. It is something I enjoy to this day.