Charita Harmon and Albert Boyd

00:05 Hi, my name is charita Harmon and I am 66 years old. Today's date is Friday April 16th, 2021 and I am recording from South Orange New Jersey and I am going to have a wonderful conversation with my favorite uncle, Uncle Al and I am going to talk about or ask questions about his military experience. All right, your turn.

00:47 Hi. My name is Albert. L Boyd. I'm recording from Chicago, Illinois. My age is I am 78 years old.

01:02 And,

01:05 Today's date is April 16th 2021.

01:11 Alrighty, thank you for that. The first question that I have is, why did you join the military?

01:20 I joined the military because

01:24 I thought it would be a good experience. I've always.

01:29 Wanted to do something other than

01:36 Stay around my hometown night. Matter fact, I

01:42 Thought it would give me an opportunity to.

01:45 Get involving the US Olympic team, but I never had the opportunity. Matter fact, I never

01:55 When I got in my permanent unit, I didn't I didn't pursue that anymore. So why didn't you thought that the military would allow you to go to the Olympics where you're a great athlete in high school?

02:08 I thought I was, I, I ran track. I ran cross-country and

02:15 Track 224-4880 and also did some

02:22 A swimming.

02:24 I did some high diving and then that's what I thought since I'm mostly I saw all the people in the Olympics were College.

02:34 Students had been previously enrolling College, since I wasn't, I thought maybe in the military, I can have a chance to go.

02:43 Go to the Olympics through that, do that, that way.

02:48 Oh, wow, I never knew you were such a great athlete.

02:53 Yes, we would go. I would go destiny.

02:59 That was a swimming swimming area behind the Buffalo Bills. Football. Stadium in in, in Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. That was in the year 50 in the 50 5358 53, 54. 55.

03:22 That was in the years and I would love I I was never formally trained to dive. I stalk people diving off the board and I just thought I'd try it and I got up there and I made a couple of goose couple time with persisted with it and I got pretty good. I thought anyway, when you enlisted in the military, what did you actually do? The only thing I remember is I saw a picture of years ago where you had a paratrooper outfit and I always was curious, why you would jump out of a plane that was perfectly good.

04:09 About the question just about everybody gives me, I thought it was.

04:18 Well, I guess I was young and thought it was Macho something to do. I was thought it was real tough.

04:26 To be a paratrooper and I thought the paratroopers was one of the toughest units in the military, so I wanted to join the toughest.

04:36 That was that which branch?

04:46 The only only.

04:50 Only way you can become a paratroop is go through the Army. The Army is the only one has to jump in jump school, which is at Fort Benning, Georgia.

05:00 And his job school list for 5 weeks.

05:04 You get three weeks of physical training and two weeks to learn how to jump out of the airplane.

05:13 Were you scared when you did your first jump?

05:16 Yes. Yes. The first jump I was I was very scared.

05:23 Do they have?

05:25 Go ahead. Matter fact, the first time I flew in Airplane, I jumped out of the airplane. What the heck? Really, really scared me. I didn't know what I got myself into.

05:40 So, as a paratrooper, did you do that all the time? Or did you go into military and to war?

05:50 With as a paratrooper. No, I didn't. That was no conflict going on in my area. I was

06:01 8 ball, I was stationed Stateside at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and I never went to war.

06:13 As a paratrooper hour or any other military service.

06:20 Since.

06:24 Did you receive any awards while you were in the military?

06:33 Yes, I received it. I received The Rifleman reward award that basically learning how to fire your weapon. And also I received the parachutist board. That's a few learn how successfully to jump out of airplane and finish jump School.

06:58 Awesome.

07:00 What did you learn about yourself while you were in the military?

07:13 I learned that I was.

07:16 I've learned that I was self self-motivated. I didn't have to have any anyone to stand around and just give me instructions all the time. I knew I had to do and I did it. And it gave me a sense of purpose.

07:34 If you would say it like that, or

07:41 Control.

07:43 Why why you were in the military? Did you face any discrimination? Cuz that was back in the 50s.

07:59 I would say no, because

08:05 Most of the guys, that was

08:10 I really didn't receive it and it get in the discrimination from

08:16 From the sergeants or the officers. Because I guess they had the

08:23 Just about a lot of that stuff out, but that was still a few guys and then that was that was prejudice.

08:30 And they stayed away from me and I stayed away from them.

08:35 How long were you in the military?

08:38 I was there for 2 years.

08:44 Can you describe or give an experience on your first time in either training or going to an assignment?

09:03 No, I really can't.

09:08 Such as such as way as well.

09:14 You I presume left Buffalo to go to Georgia. So you the first time on a plane and when you got there, or was it, what you expected or that type?

09:31 O d.

09:34 Yes, I left Buffalo.

09:39 I didn't go straight to Georgia. I went to Fort Bend.

09:45 Fort Dix, New Jersey.

09:48 Oh, okay.

09:50 I didn't go, I went on.

09:53 On the train.

09:56 I had a.

09:59 Apartments.

10:02 Sleeping car.

10:05 I guess thinking back again. I guess you can't say that was a little bit though.

10:12 Racism. Because

10:16 In the race and in the porter in the sleeping car that was two of us in the sleeping car and when they paired us up, he came out.

10:28 2.

10:30 All of my guys was paired up.

10:34 In the car together. And when it came to me, I was left there alone.

10:41 So,

10:44 What they did was.

10:48 Oh, I'm sorry. I take that back. That was another black guy.

10:53 And when they paired me up, they paired me up with a white guy and we went in the sleeping car and white guy when I talk to someone and

11:08 Florida department for came back into the hell. You don't want to be, you don't want to sleep here with you.

11:15 So that's the number black guy and can we switch rooms around? So that's that was the first part of discrimination as far as going to the military with cancer.

11:28 So since that was your first experience again, into your journey as a military service person when you left New Jersey and went to Georgia, was it any better, or was it the same or how did that work?

11:52 Okay, it was the I left, New Jersey.

11:57 I went to Fort Chaffee. Arkansas for call Advanced infantry training.

12:05 Normally you would we always would say as a IT stand for advanced infantry training.

12:13 And that was there, a basic training at Fort Dix. New Jersey is 8 weeks.

12:22 I want to.

12:25 Little Rock, Arkansas at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

12:30 And that's another 8 weeks, 8 weekday Vance training, which you

12:38 You get more advanced strength training on on, on the weaponry.

12:43 In basic training, you mostly learn how to March.

12:48 How to?

12:52 How to control your weapons, how to Mark and how to Market units in together.

12:59 The things like that, but Advance you learn more about your weapon that you going to be using in detail.

13:10 Of course you get a weapon in in basic training.

13:15 But it's just a little.

13:18 Allylic duction teaching, how to break down the weapon and put it back together and having it, you know, firing condition, but then when you get in advance,

13:32 It's really more detail.

13:40 Did you have a best friend or meet up meet people that?

13:49 You continue to be friends with while you're in the military?

13:56 Yes, I met the

14:00 I meant.

14:02 Two guys.

14:06 I would always say three guys that I left.

14:11 We met in in basic training in these three guys are all from either from New York or New Jersey. And we went to Arkansas together and

14:24 We mostly hang out with one another in Arkansas, and I asked to recall a time when we were going to the restaurant, Isis.

14:35 Man, you know, I can't do it. This is Arkansas depression. Will go in and we'll order and if they don't want to disturb, you will get up and walk.

14:49 I was I was I was really surprised to hear him say that, but we went in and sit down and it was no problem. He ordered they ordered. They said,

15:02 Because that was the place where a lot of military and went military. Personnel went to and you can go back.

15:12 The base and explain that you would discriminate against, they can be put off limits and no more military men can go there.

15:20 A business. I didn't know that you didn't. Did you serve overseas in a foreign country anywhere? I didn't.

15:33 Was there a reason or?

15:38 How does that work?

15:42 That was one of my drawbacks from being in the paratroopers.

15:50 Mostly the paratroopers stayed over stayed in the United States because

15:59 They have parachute units.

16:01 Overseas, but it was very limited.

16:05 They was as many bases overseas that it was in the United States.

16:14 What was your?

16:17 For this training base that you went to while you were in the military like that, you go to California or Alaska.

16:28 No, I

16:30 Basically stayed in.

16:36 United States.

16:42 The Winter Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, that's about as far as I went.

16:51 That's not the number.

16:54 Marine Base Camp Lejeune.

17:01 Now, you only stayed in the military for two years. Was there? A reason why you did not make it a career?

17:18 No.

17:22 It never crossed my mind just make it a career until after I was after I was discharged.

17:33 So what's your discharge? You can't go back in?

17:44 I'm going to explain the two years.

17:48 You get draft. I've made you can yes.

17:53 You're drafted. And what I did was,

17:58 I'm telling you this to anybody else, but this.

18:03 The I dropped out of high school.

18:07 And,

18:10 My mother didn't know what my parent. Nobody knew. I was going to do this. I went down and I talked to the recruiter and I told him I wanted to volunteer for the draft.

18:24 Or who told me he said,

18:28 You're not old enough.

18:31 You have to be 18. I saw you were not even 18th.

18:43 He asked me to.

18:47 He said, you have to talk to your parents. But as I've already talked to him about it.

18:52 They said it was okay.

18:55 Which was not, I had talked to them at all.

19:06 So they just took your word for it.

19:14 Oh, okay. I'm not going back to school next year.

19:22 My mother says, what are you going to do?

19:25 Awesome. Join the military.

19:29 Already, he said good because you wasn't going to lay around here.

19:34 And run the streets all day long. So I'm glad you're doing something so. So she was fine with it. Once I told her I was going to go into the military.

19:44 If you knew I was going to be doing some positive.

19:48 Daddy didn't say anything.

19:54 Well, granddaddy didn't say a lot.

19:58 You're right.

20:02 Wow, that's a part of our family history that we never even knew. We just knew. I just knew you were the cool Uncle. I realized that I was.

20:21 Not to go back to your question about. I didn't think I did next to answer that very well. You was asking, did I jump every day or

20:32 That was a time. If you want to jump, what you had, they have what they called, jump status.

20:39 And you get 55 extra dollars.

20:44 For being a jump status.

20:48 And you don't want the month.

20:51 What's?

20:53 Is it once a month or?

20:57 Yes, you have jumped, once every 3 months to stay on jump status.

21:04 But,

21:06 I like jumping so much.

21:09 Until I used to volunteer for jumps.

21:15 So because what they do, they would send.

21:19 They would send that send to each unit so many parachutes.

21:25 And when everybody that,

21:28 Got the the Stone Temple job to keep them on jump, status has been accepted to use the parachute. They have extra left over.

21:43 And they don't want to send them back because she's not going to get it next time.

21:48 So they would ask.

21:50 Who wants to jump?

21:53 When I raise my hand, the first one to say, get a job.

21:59 So,

22:01 You'll get any extra money for jumping.

22:05 Each each month.

22:08 You just get put on your record that you jumped. And

22:14 FaceTime, you have to jump.

22:20 21, *

22:22 What they call to become a master parachutist.

22:28 And buy me volunteering for jumping so much.

22:34 I jump 20 times.

22:38 One-time list Master parachutes.

22:49 I don't want my discharge was coming up.

22:54 I didn't notice until read and Sergeant. Told me this.

23:00 And I have to go ahead.

23:03 About too much to go and we never never had any more parachutes to come to a unit.

23:10 Wow.

23:13 Was being selected as a paratrooper. Was there alot of African-Americans in that unit, or did you have to take an exam to be in there?

23:24 No.

23:27 To become a paratrooper you have to volunteer for the service because it's so so dangerous. They don't.

23:37 They don't order you to be a pair of Tupac. You have to volunteer. So yes.

23:49 Batman in the fifties.

23:54 Matter fact.

23:57 Most of what we call line units. These other people.

24:03 These are the guys that go.

24:07 Or the battle first.

24:10 Call them a lion.

24:13 And most of those units have a lot of African Americans in it.

24:20 Now, I must say this before I see about something else.

24:27 In my platoon, but I got the Fort Bragg.

24:32 That was one of the black guy that was one black guy in my unit in the petun.

24:39 And how many people are in a platoon?

24:46 Now.

24:48 But he was.

24:51 Not American Born. He was an American.

24:55 So, I was the first black off first African American.

25:00 Vietnamese in Patron.

25:09 If you want, if you want to say that was racist. Now, I'm going to say this but these guys asked me a lot of questions about being black and what we

25:21 What we expected and what we want it, what we wanted out of life.

25:28 That it was Sister. OK. Google go to the bathroom and asking me questions like your 11. How

25:56 So if you want to stay, that was due to racism, I guess that would qualify.

26:06 Well, it sounds like you had a

26:10 Very challenging experience, again, being so young at 17 and 18 in the military. So when you were discharged, you were still pretty young. So what did you or how did you feel when you left the military and then someone help you transition into civilian life?

26:41 But I felt good. I text you. I feel good when I left.

26:49 I don't think anyone had they had that was no was nothing special for me to do the transition back into civilian life because

27:01 After that, we work, I work. But I work, I work at 8 hours after 8 hours in the military.

27:11 You can do whatever.

27:15 People going to town.

27:17 I'll be around other civilians, but you got to make sure you back early in the morning at 6 for reveley.

27:27 Get out. So

27:32 I don't think I've suffered a trillionaire hardship.

27:36 That would qualify me to have any special, a transitioning back into civilian life.

27:44 So when you got out and you had that military background, what did you do at that point? Because again you had to be what 20, 21, 21. I look forward to look for job.

28:11 I promise.

28:14 I couldn't find a job in it where it was hard for me to buy. We couldn't find a job. Even though I tell them about my military experience. I couldn't find a job. So one company did tell me sis.

28:29 He had a job driving, I would.

28:34 He was upholstery inside the car.

28:38 And what do you do with you? You have a driver's, go out and pick up cars at people houses and bring them back to the shop and he said,

28:48 He asked me because I drive, I said, no, I don't have a driver license. If you go take the driving test and you pass the driving test. I will give you a job.

29:00 I put you on as a driver, need a driver.

29:04 But I took the driving test and fail this. And so,

29:21 After that.

29:23 I searched around. Searched around.

29:26 And I still couldn't find a job.

29:30 I probably would have went back in. If so.

29:37 My sister-in-law was that Gloria?

29:41 And she was going back to Chicago. And she said, Chicago, see if you can find a job. Yes. I would like to

29:56 I said, okay, so I came in Chicago with her and I got here.

30:06 I found the job in this, where I stay and what kind of jobs related to your military experience, or

30:15 No, it was upholstery cuz I took a posting at school, Emerson High School in Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.

30:26 And I never knew that.

30:35 So you go back again. I did while I was in high school. I did get a job at this auto shop.

30:46 The same auto shop has got to said he was going to hire me if I got my license.

30:52 Need me to put out, you came to the school and he asked them, he was looking for any kids and would have summer that wanted to work.

31:05 Thrift Shop cuz he needs kids clean up around the shop and do various odd jobs for. And, and he wanted them to have an upholstery background because

31:18 Help me. Learn how to upholster cars.

31:22 And he came to

31:24 I talked to the teacher and the teacher asked everyone and nobody wanted to go. He actually

31:34 The sophomore class with. Should I say? Yes them first and know, but they didn't want to go. And so I said, yes, I'll take it.

31:46 So that's our learn. That's how I learned that opposing. I got some experience in that. I got to experience in automobile upholstery.

31:58 Again now, but I came in Chicago. That was my neck. My first job in Chicago, as opposed to be at work in upholstery shop.

32:10 Now we're about to wrap up. But if you had to give advice to anybody, who is going into the military, what would you advise them now? Cuz here it is, what 50 years later. What advice would you give them about the military?

32:32 I would just say that though.

32:36 I would, I would still go. I would go back. I will give him advice to go in there and

32:45 Get their training and it'll teach them to some responsibility.

32:54 There might be might be some more discrimination, but

33:01 You going to get that everywhere? So it might as well go in and, and also, they can learn a trade if they don't have a trade, or if they need to go back to school that can go back to school in military.

33:16 The best advice I would give them.

33:19 Very good. Well, I just want to say Uncle Al, thank you for your service. Thank you for taking time today. And providing a little oral history regarding your time in the military and for the Boyd family. So this will be something that's going to be preserved for future generations of our family. The boys family going for work.

33:49 Okay. Thank you. Thank you for inviting me. And thank you for having me. This is something new for me, and I enjoyed it very much and I knew I was telling some some secret that.

34:06 Babe, you and the family don't know.

34:10 I will say this one guy told me, matter fact, this guy was.

34:20 This white guy was telling everybody to volunteer for these jobs extra junk like that always get killed.

34:29 You don't have to volunteer acid. We are all volunteers.

34:35 Because it's a volunteer service.

34:38 Guess how many people go through? Jump School? How many 800 every 5 weeks?

34:46 Wow, those are jokes to butt out of that, 800.

34:53 All about 600. Make it.

34:57 The other 200 get kill mental.

35:08 Mercury pressure on them and the vigorous training is too much for them to take.

35:17 Or they just they just can't take it. I know you must be awfully proud that you are able to get through that. Have the Strategic Focus to zero in on that. I just wish you hadn't gotten at 21. So you could be a master. You do got that 20 month so I can because on your on your wings, parachute Wings. You get some wings just like the fireman, no name.

35:54 Commercial airlines call. Yes. Yes, and what if you become a master you get a star on top of the Winx, sure would have been they go with my cool uncle.

36:13 Okay.

36:17 Google. So yeah, I often think about this has made that a master parachutist.

36:28 It wasn't to be.