Billy Carpenter and Steve Montanez

00:01 Good morning. My name is Steve Montanez. I am 39 years old today is March 12th, 2020. We are here at Milton Hall at the NMSU campus and I am speaking with that Bill Carpenter who is a great friend and a work colleague.

00:19 I am Bill Carpenter Road in the military is known as Billy Carpenter, but that I'm 72 years old. This is March 12th, 2020 and we're on the campus at New Mexico State University and Steve Montanez, and he's a co-worker and right next door. We work together.

00:43 Billy I really just didn't want to say I really appreciate you agreeing to this and that over the past seven years that we've worked together. It's been great to get to know you and I was really really intrigued when you told me that you were in the you know that you do have a military background. So when the opportunity came up to, you know to speak to somebody for storycorps, I was very happy to ask and I am just really I really appreciate you agreeing to this.

01:09 Well, it's a pleasure to be here and let's just this should be fun. Absolutely. Let's get right to it. What do you say so at where you at where you grew up and I hope you know what it was like in any particular at childhood story or anything like that.

01:34 Okay.

01:41 Demi start over with the question

01:46 Well, I was born and raised in Artesia, New Mexico, which is in the Southeastern part of New Mexico little town at that time. It was probably about five thousand people. My dad had come there after the war. My dad was 54 years old when I was born you have to realize he was born in 1893 and actually served in the United States Navy during World War. My mother was 36 years old. So it was I was quite a surprise in life to them cuz I had two siblings that were 20 and 30 years older than I was that said my dad work for a company call Southwestern Public Service. He was a line forming.

02:33 After the war he came there because that's where the jobs were. He was in during the war and he was work for a utility company on Camp Gruber and an Oklahoma and that's that they came there after the war got a job and that's how we got to Artesia New Mexico and that's where I began a great. I'm actually very familiar with the southwestern public service and talk before I come from Carlsbad, which is right down the street did the cavemen a bulldog rivalry was it it was ferocious as high schoolers Steve grew up enjoying blue and I grew up and join orange and white and we were football town and and we couldn't survive without being great Rivals and it within the community and it was a true.

03:33 To have whoever won the high school at that point in time was if Carlsbad one. They just made it this on Artesia and vice-versa weed. We just had great Rivals there were some good. I guess you could say pranks as if if you will not driving all the way to Albuquerque to put a beat-up Bulldog pinata on the go poster one time. We got a casket with a caveman in it. It was those those those been a great rivalry in the at Bulldog Bowl. Never forget felt like you were in the pros playing in the stadium like that and I came out before the right before the bowl was built and you guys from Carlsbad we come down and burn a C&R middle of our feel

04:26 It was terrible. Well everything I read it when I go home that ride really is still going on as it is. So what's up do your early days in the surface of where you at drafted or went? When did you unless tree right at high school? That's a good point. I graduated in 1966 from high school in and immediately went to college and that time I went to a local College there call. The College of Artesia was an independent privately endowed school during that time. Obviously the Vietnam War was hot and heavy and the only every night would go home and look at all the atrocities that was going on in in Vietnam. And so as a male you wanted to get in college because you knew that you were going to get drafted and it wasn't no Greg draft lottery at that time. You just got drafted and you got the real.

05:26 As the philosophy of of the the even in high school if you got in trouble in high school and it was a local local bully or and petty stuff that kids. Did they usually gave you a choice need to go to jail or you went to the military? Really? I didn't have any of that problem. But last I went through college my first year college it became apparent especially in my second semester that I called my local draft board, which was in Carlsbad talk to a lady that ran that her name is mrs. Anderson and never forgot her name and said that I was thinking on transferring to another school and I was very worried about my draft status.

06:19 And I had a deferment at that point in time and then as long as I was going to school.

06:26 She informed me that my name had already been selected for a draft in June. I thought this is January and she said well, I'm going to give you some options you either join the military if your servos or you'll probably be at your name will be on a draft notice. I thought what about my deferment? She said we have had a call off number of people and we have selected those and I'm not trying to tell you that to scare you. I'm just done tell you either by June either in the service. Are we going to put you in the service? Of course, she came back with a point of saying as long as you can pass the physical I don't like dirty pants to physical.

07:15 That really prompted me to start looking around. I looked at the Navy they didn't seem interested seem like they had plenty of people going in the Marines were taken. All I wanted to do was hand you a rifle. I went home and told my dad is going to join the Marines and he said what kind of job skills are going to head to shoot a rifle and he said, okay, I want you to rethink this want you to go in and pick you up a profession in the military that you can pull back out. Once you leave the military that you could use some civilian life while I didn't think of Rifleman would be that the point so I went over and talked to the Army and the army guy told me he was not very the recruiter was terrible. He didn't seem to want to be interested. He gave me a test and came back and said, you know, the only jobs were offering

08:15 Best cooks and truck drivers than I thought by all that's not something I want to carry through life, and I'm good at boiling water, but that's about it.

08:27 I went over to the National Guard they they did have some openings and they did tell me they would be interested in taking me they were an air defense unit, New Mexico was and so I ventured over to there an Army Reserve Center just across the street from my college. And so I went over and talked to those guys and they had two positions that will wheel mechanic and they also which was a mechanic on trucks and then they had a clerk-typist job while I'm taking typing in school. I knew everything about that. So I took that job and that was a just a little early for job and sew in on April 28th 1967. I joined the Army Reserves.

09:16 And so at that point in time, I want the monthly drills our situation was a little bit different and it was not one weekend a month. And sometimes we would do what we do one day a month and then two Fridays of amoxi. So you'd have 4 hours on a Friday afternoon at from 4 till 8 at night. Well, we did go to annual training once a year. The equipment we had in that Reserve Center was trucks that were nineteen forty-nine 1953 trucks very aged Vehicles Weaver transportation company and then transportation company was actually a warehouse storage unit. So my aunt before I got the basic training we actually went to summer camp in, Atlanta, Georgia today.

10:16 Atlanta Army Depot, and there are was a little E2.

10:25 In the United States Army Reserves sitting in front of a typewriter and didn't understand anything.

10:32 The issue that I had there was we had people that had joined the Army Reserves that were people from Roswell Carlsbad and other unit places, but there was nobody in my grade of 1966 that had joined the Army Reserve. So I had classmates that were yours a year ahead of me for two years ahead of me and you're in a couple of years behind me and my reserve unit. They were very cliquish. I was a little more serious at my job. Then they did I'm polish my boots. I stood Nana and uniform and I could tell this was a kind of a unit. That was just a good ol boys. Just a bunch of Good Ole Boys had a good Commander had an excellent first sergeant and I guess he pick me out a little bit and said come here where you want to go in this

11:32 I was a little surprised by that thought.

11:37 Because I did stand out from those guys took a lot of heat from that lot of bullying. Well anyway went off then came back from annual training and then on October 2nd 1967. I went to basic training.

11:54 In El Paso, Texas. Well, my dad said told me he said you going to get to see part of the United States. You haven't seen while I've been Del Paso. We were in on Logan Heights and not too far off of work now is called Highway 54 no belt those buildings have since been torn down but we were brought together bunch of draftees National Guard active duty people that had joined and so I got to meet a 60 other guys alphabetically cuz I was in the Seas. I threw at actually a through D was my unit and I got there and I could I could the first my drill sergeant rather sit down and talk to me.

12:41 And said, I noticed you put down there that you would knew how to March troops allowed Ben. And yes I had and I've been with a bunch of guys that had taught me how to sew he's made me the training platoon Sergeant. So I got to strap on this Lowe's three stripes.

13:02 And I got the March and be of the leader of our platoon. Well that was really kind of neat because our first movement to anywhere was to the chow hall one early one morning and it was dark thirty early 4:30 in the morning and it was a Consolidated Mess Hall. It went on and troops were standing out all over the place and I could see a little square of a window where people were going in and eating this unit or this chow hall was a where they could feed thousands of troops at a day. So it's a big mess. Well, well he I remember standing there with those troops and and and we were way back and I remember the put my platoon sergeant said

13:54 He said get them to channel. So I told our four guys in front. I said, okay Mama give forward March. I want you to go to that bright spot next to that building. I moved our troops between all everybody else and we got up there and we got in line and got fed within 5 minutes. We had people in the building might remember standing there that first sergeant army training Sergeant came up to me and said, how did you get here? And I said you told me to take them to Chau I had a job.

14:31 Wow, any other any other details are regarding basic training that she really wanted to join to share with my Throne? I was bunch of guys together didn't know each other they came from all walks of life and some I met one guy head had just finished College here. He was to be an attorney and he got drafted. I met people that have gone had been having I even a high school education, but they got drafted met some people that were come off of the Indian Reservation of North or South Dakota that hella and they they they

15:12 And were drafted also, but they were very confused at one of they were there so

15:19 But I can tell you we became some of the closest bunch of people have ever seen. We were became Brothers on I don't know how to explain that but we train together we laugh together and we agonized together and everybody help everybody. I don't know what that that that just yells real quick. I'm sure I can even imagine you at did you ever get caught breaking any rules or get away with something you weren't supposed to do that. You don't share that inspection send one night it became apparent that we weren't going to be ready to after that inspection because they had turn out the lights and then don't know. Well we put cover blankets up over the windows when they were and so we put the blankets up over and we were working and then here come this redheaded lieutenant and he had a I had a little

16:19 Armed band on that said OD he was officer of the day and he wanted to know who was responsible for covering up those windows.

16:29 And so we went on from there.

16:31 He reported me and so the next morning while we were inspection. I got to walk down to the Battalion Commander with my trainee Patron. Sorry are my training sergeant and we walk down and I got ripped to pieces about smothering Men by covering up. The blankets are putting blankets over windows. And so I am and they told him I told my sergeant to take those stripes off of me and replace me with somebody else. We walk back down the street and I didn't say that word. He didn't say a word and I went back to my work and he went back to his work and nothing was ever said I really was.

17:16 Well 2 weeks to three weeks later. We had a guy that never would take a shower. I don't know we had an argument that didn't take a shower. I've heard stories like this before all this guy. He would start smiling pretty bad and so one night bunch of those guys in my unit and got him in the shower and I can tell you they they scrubbed him up with scrub brushes scrub brushes were strong enough. They were scratches on him like a cat head got on to it his eyes were they use Tide soap or laundry soap and his eyes the whites of his eyes were blood red and I'm not going to believe this but they have come this redheaded Lieutenant did still had this old unit and there he stood in a row and they stood there and said who's responsible for this and a bunch of fingers pointed to me. Well next day.

18:16 I walk down to the Battalion with my drill sergeant and I got ripped to pieces this guy. That is Colonel did not recognize that I've been there before. And again, he said take those stripes off replace him. We walk back down that same street going back. I took I on Pando stripes and handed them to my training sergeant. And I said, well, I guess I'm fired. He said I'll make that decision that guy doesn't run my life or yours put them on.

18:54 I survived basic training ready.

19:02 You would think that something that you know it to me, you don't think something is miners covering up a window, you know would be such a serious offense, but you know it just as in the military that is a very very serious offense that gets you at, you know sent to the Lieutenant's office or the principal's office. If you will a couple of times, I just don't want to Amy did you know before you went to before you went to the extreme of a you know showering this this individual? I mean, did he ever give you any kind of reason or to anybody? Did anybody got a lot of graphs and Barracks that had a box and so everybody had was either sleeping next to somebody or above somebody or below somebody and that was the smell was unbelievable.

19:54 By the way, he did start taking a shower. Okay, so it works. Did you did you ever learn something about a fellow service member that surprise you mentioned there from all walks of life. You know, it's not that point. I'm sure there's a lot that you got to learn to buy Dad and I met him when I met the guy that would had been an orphan each end.

20:19 And his parents had given him up that early in life, but just dropped him off and he was kind of in the foster care system for a while, but then it got picked up by an orphanage and and he lived there until he graduate from high school. And he said on his A1C graduated. They told him you can either go find you a place to work or you can go to the military. And of course, he didn't hit join the military today to make that happen. This guy had a very rough life. I've got to be very good friends with him and got it morals high. He had a direction in life. He was somebody that was going to go places in life. I wish I could I still remember his name, but I don't know wherever he went two days and environment. I think you can probably find anybody on Earth but

21:18 For a young man that had struggled through his Adolescence in an orphanage. He was a guy that I would exemplify has a real true citizen. Well, I hope you have hope you find him. Maybe he'll baby over here at this interview and and want to reach out to you. So so how many years did you end up serving till? I started 19th April of 1967. I ended up in July of 1999 with 32 years of service as I told you before that I had a first sergeant that kind of looked at my direction in life. And in their Army Reserves the Army Reserves soon, as I got back from basic training Army reserve unit had been re-designated as a petroleum unit. The problem was I didn't have the same military occupational skill.

22:18 Call an MOS I'd gone to an AIT Advanced individual training as a clerk-typist. But soon as I came back got home. I was now a petroleum lab specialist me. Well, here's the difference between the active Army and the Army Reserves and National Guard. Okay, the Army Reserve and National Guard as wide call. There is two armies they would sit and if you were on active do they would send you back to an active-duty school and you get that military occupational skill and graduate the Army Reserve National Guard people. They didn't have that ability. They did what we call on the job training while I was in a lab petroleum lab, we didn't have a lab at that point in time. And so they aren't the only time I went to training was during my two weeks and that would have been at Fort Lee, Virginia.

23:16 The problem with that was the school was about 12 weeks along it was impossible to become proficient in that job doing a few weeks doing 2 weeks a year. And so it was really hard. Well my first sergeant at that point in time, I knew that I was really struggling at trying to so he made me the training training person. In other words. I was in charge of the training I would type out training scheduled I would said to make it to ensure that all the material was put out for that training that was a real blessing for me because I didn't get really proficient in being a lab specialist, but I got proficient and how units you should train and I'm looking I got to looking at higher units and getting the ability to see what their guidance was people didn't we were we

24:16 We did about the same thing every month we go out inspector trucks. We would do some marching and I and during those days we actually do right control. You better remember we were in the middle of a Vietnam not being accepted very well and college campuses were having issues. And so they actually trained Us in riot control, never got to do that. Thank goodness. But as time went on I started looking at with the guidance of my first sergeant. He started sending me to schools and I didn't go to annual training with my unit. I was in school somewhere or I was on the weekend going here or weekend going there and do a lot of things. I got to being proficient enough that when people started leaving the unit and Slots opened up for a promotion I could raise my hand.

25:16 Said I've been to that school. I have that certificate and I could move up. I will tell you I went from being a just and became the training for sergeant and then went into being a cartoon sergeant and then I and then play believe it or not. I became a first sergeant for a quick and in the military in 12 years. I was first sergeant of that unit.

25:46 Well

25:49 As time went on I got promoted and actually 18 months later and got my first My First Sergeant's stripes and three years later. I was offered a battalion job is command sergeant major. That's that's selected by Commander evidently. Somebody had sauce my direction that I had that all that training and all that missing was unit and going off to school was totally different. Let me tell you a little bit about annual training for Army reserve unit. It was usually if we went to Fort Lee it was MOS training and so people got to hone their skills at basically a training unit. I mean training style classroom and work out in the field with

26:48 They say the problem was a lot of times when we went to Activa went to an active base where we were in in a program where we were supporting other units. Well, you have to tell you have to realize there was some times that we didn't have any money and let me tell you the president of the United States regulated and Congress regulated how the military was in the Army Reserves and some of the National Guard units didn't have much to do and when I got in President Lyndon Baines Johnson was president, but when I got out

27:33 Bush was president, but during those times between those presidents times were either good or very bad in the bourse time. We had was when President Carter was there was no funding in the field and we were petroleum unit. We could lay our all our equipment out but we didn't have the ability to Pump Fuel cuz we didn't have there was no money bags and empty. We didn't pump a drop down the line. Well that changed when Reagan came president. Let me tell you he put the keys back in the military and especially the Army and their Army Reserves and National Guard. We actually did live training. We went out with Marines. We went out with active-duty troops. We went out and Ashley pump you on an argument at that point in time and we sling load limits for under helicopters. We Act

28:32 All of it. It was an active-duty unit. Basically what we put together.

28:38 That was really good Force the difference that I would say in the early days of that and my training as a present enlisted guide. We said a lot of times and playing cards and whether we had a lot of Park card-playing guys when I first got in and we lived in Old World War II and we would we'd always know where do not to to put a bunk if the card players were at one end of the barracks. We would move to the option in because I could turn my light bulb off and they could play the two or three in the morning and I didn't care because I didn't know well those days went away. We don't have card players anymore in the military or really in civilian life either. You don't see it very often. I spent my 32 years are made command sergeant major literally and 17.

29:33 And 17 years that was almost unheard of I want up to a battalion and ended up going to a group headquarters later. Got the chance to go to Korea three different times Germany three different times and do active training missions there with active duty and loved the way Korea was put together. I was with a petroleum unit up there and

30:09 And probably one of the easiest jobs in the military because the Koreans did everything all the hard work force probably the hardest-working bunch of people ever seen in my life.

30:21 While I was in Germany, we did the same thing. Although I got an A in a unit that that point in time when I was just a sergeant major working and then I was in charge of moving fuel in and it was called a place called Don's Mets pipeline went from Don's France to Metz France and that's how the military got their fuel into Germany and then it was people in it was all through a pipeline and then it was dispersed through pipelines. We either move fuel by barges or rail cars are pipelines in Germany and it was massive amounts. We didn't use trucks cuz we we move massive amounts of fuel and so those are the things that we worked with and I met some of the greatest people in the world and I enjoyed the German in German officers and then and Military I worked with sharp as people I ever was around in my life. I can understand

31:21 The German food was awesome right now. Somebody said they would ask me if I'd never move to another country. I'd move to Germany but I would weigh three hundred pounds cuz I love her phone and I'll be an alcoholic cuz I don't know what to do. But would you say I mean your time to military how it affected you? What was he the one thing that you learned about yourself even as soon as you got out, I found me if it took a Dale Carnegie course one time and that was another way to find me but the Army allowed me to be me and they allowed me to be what I wanted to be and I think it and wanted some of their advertising be all you want to be. Well, the Army allowed me to do that and it let me be I was with some of the greatest people in the military made some of the biggest jerks and assholes in the world. Sorry to say that but that's the way it is, but I met some of the brightest people

32:21 And I'll I'm I'm I migrated to those people and we did a lot of things to of my kernels.

32:27 That I served with both have a major know and one of my to store and it probably some of the finest people I've ever met. General Johnson was probably one of the sharpest guys he was out here and he was like an instructor at 8 UTEP and head of the English Department and retired as a two-star general. I enjoyed him very much, right. So how did you know when you get a how did you meet your wife and well that's interesting she at her she lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but she was trying to find an Army reserve unit. And she joined an Army Reserves in it and in Artesia her parents lived in Roswell at that point in time.

33:14 And so she would travel on the weekends down to me meet them and so is she spend the weekend there but a lot of times she would come out and eat and are obviously joining the Army Reserve. She had active two years active duty and so she was needed some extra money because she was trying to go through college at the University of New Mexico. And so she was using the GI plan and so she was there just before you go out what it is a semester of college cost.

33:47 Oh when I first started I'm going to tell you it was 12 bucks an hour that is amazing right now. His face just is in shock at 12 bucks an hour or so. If you took a three-hour credit well multiply that times 12/2.

34:09 So Ed. So did you meet her when she was at a divorce and we got to know each other very well. I wasn't over the time and in the end, I will tell you she she's smarter than I am and that's how all of that marriage work. So well and we've been married for thirty thirty-seven years old. And so she also retired after 22 years as a first sergeant and so I retired as a command sergeant major and after 32, and so I will tell you this the best thing that happens with a military unit and whether you're in the is being a retiree the money is not the greatest thing in the world for us because we can get all those many points, but I can tell you that the awesomest of it is the medical Tricare.

35:09 And course. I want you to get 65 to take you take you out of Tricare and put you obviously in Medicare, but you also have a secondary as Tricare for life. And so that is very inexpensive and I can tell you you guys if you want to go somewhere in life. The military is the place to go now. So I asked me this question one time if I had to do it over again, where would I have gone out of probably gone to the Air Force real know why because they're guaranteed to slip their feet between two sheets every night.

35:43 In the Army, I am in hand and I'm sure the Marines are this way. Let me tell you, you know, what temp life is and you know that what it is to sleep on the ground at night and take a shower once every week or so.

36:01 Somebody asked me if we'd like to go camping and I want to tell you about all the camping out. There. You are a kid. This is a this is been amazing that you know of her over the seven years that that you and I have been had been work colleagues and I definitely learned a lot about you and it was yeah, I knew of your military background but never is is in-depth is this and that if such an a you know, of course, I always had an appreciation for you, but definitely that's that's greater now and you seem to have this you seem to have the will to to serve. I mean when I've also and we talked about your service in the Artesia city council and even now some of that some of your extracurricular activities if you will or you know focused around what's what's going on in military now, especially here in Las Cruces & Dunn

36:59 Pain in Dona Ana County Sub was definitely in your DNA and it's never going to go away. That's where you going to find something that I can start all over again. I can tell you if I had to start with a draft again. I think it is an honor to serve your country for one thing. The second thing is to serve somehow in the military for it. You got to remember when during my time when you got 18 years old and you got out of high school and you didn't have a deferment you went served at least two years. I think they took a lot of boys and they brought him back men and I can tell you that today. I look at some of our youth today and they need some guidance once I get out of high school and they they seem to not have a position to go. I think the military would gives you that opportunity to at least try and where you want to be a good fit for me. It was regimented. I understand that and that's where it was.

37:59 And I think people sometime need some regiment stationed in their life. They start their life gives you an opportunity to learn how to put a plan together and I'll be one of the first to admit I didn't have a plan either actually didn't have a plan until I actually made it up here. So but you're absolutely right. I can I can completely see that.

38:22 This is been a discipline absolute honor bill. I really didn't.

38:27 I personally didn't know.

38:29 What to expect in that this has been just as hearing your story and well, thank you. It's been a pleasure of thank you for this group and then and then and the people have to try and put the history together. It's an honor. It really is many of Benny last word. You have to give you the last word. I'll see how I think the United States is put together by people that are trying to make it right and and I pray for the troops. I pray for the families of the troops and I honor those who have fallen and made our country. So quite God Bless America God bless and all that.

39:11 Thank you very much.