PLDC II

So why didn't I just tell my NCO's that I was too afraid to go to PLDC?

Ha, that's a very good (funny) question!  First of all, you don't tell ANYONE in the Army especially anyone that out ranks you, what you don't want to do and you never ever ever tell anyone in the Army you're terrified of something.  That would be Army suicide --just kill your career right then and there.

Not to mention, it was an honor to be able to go and it was a good thing, in that Army sort of way . . . .

Army training hadn't killed me or even nearly killed me --aside from that little walking down range during live fire thing during Basic Training but you know, that was really my fault.

So as I saw it, my only option was going to PLDC.  So I was scheduled to go.

In the meantime, word got out in our very small-town living that Dodge was going to PLDC.  And that word quickly made it to the ears of a one female Staff Sergeant, a former PLDC NCO whom had been relived of duty because of that little court-martial incident thing I previously mentioned.

And she wasn't a nice former PLDC NCO either.  She was like Mess Sergeant, only meaner.  Mess Sergeant was tough and rigid but in her defense, fair and unbiased.  True she seemed to always be picking on the lower ranking but she was also almost always right about what she said and she didn't play favorites.  She didn't care who you were or what you did or whom you worked for.  Now PLDC Sergeant --she was just a nasty person.  Mean.  Uncaring.  Liked to purposely ebmarrass people so you can imagine her and I didn't get along much but I had to see her every day because after her being relieved from duty from PLDC, she was sent to our HQ's company and so the job they gave her --she had to work the check-in table in the Mess Hall.  If you were on a "meal plan", you had to sign in each day with your meal card number.  She kind of sat there making sure everyone signed in. If you were not on a "meal plan", you had to pay to eat so she took the money. A former PLDC training NCO --demoted to a mere cashier.  Maybe that's why she was so mean all of the time.

So when word got to her I'd be going to PLDC, she took every opportunity, like 3 meals a day, 7 days a week -- to terrorize me, make fun of me and as if I wasn't terrified enough just on my own --instill even more fear in me by telling me they were going to eat me alive, I'd not graduate, I didn't have what it takes to graduate . . . . .

AND as if that wasn't enough reason to not like her so much,  she had this special bond with Newsome because they were both ex-Drill Sergeants (they like to stick together) so she'd talk Drill Talk with Newsome while I stood there like --a hungry Private wanting to hurry up and get into line for some SOS.

And the hardest part for me was that she didn't know what I knew about her.  I mean- -she had no clue I knew all the details of her case and so she sat up there trying to act so Army  "Squared Away" and making fun  of me and every day I had to bite my tongue because I just wanted to blurt out, "OH YEAH?  WELL YOU WERE ONLY THIS CLOSE *hold thumb and finger together* FROM BEING PUT OUT OF THE ARMY AND/OR COURT MARTIALED!"  But yeah, I couldn't say that so - - - - -

Every night I went to bed counting the days until I had to go to PLDC . . .  despertately hoping none of the remaining PLDC NCO's were anything like that one.