This is a collection of the author’s personal experiences after he faced a choice of being drafted into the U.S. Army or joining the National Guard Airborne (paratrooper) during the height of the Vietnam war. Choosing the later (under duress), he must leave the graduate school psychology program. He relates his humorous, sad, and ridiculous travails during the six months of active duty training, including Airborne school, and then the life of a "weekend warrior" for 5 1/2 years in his local National Guard unit. A bright spotlight from a very personal perspective is focused on the Vietnam war and the U.S. military, with many controversial questions raised about this tragic period in our history. Dr.John James (a pseudonym) is a retired clinical psychologist who has published journal articles and professional papers in the field of psychology. This is his second book. He lives in Northern California with his wife of 48 years. He has three grown children, and one granddaughter.