Robert Dalen:  

e were getting a new KW Confentional, (the Ant Eater) it was an odd looking truck at that time and every body called them a Ant eater, I really liked the looks of the truck and it drove real well, and there was alot of room in the sleeper. We drove for Werner for three years till my wife started haveing trouble with her balance and getting blurry eye sight. When we found out she had M.S. we were not really surprised because we knew there was something going on with her for quit some time. we just did not know what it was. I quit driveing and went into the office as a dispatcher and did that for a year or so, I had to maintain a apartment in Springfield Oh, and we had a mobil home in Noblesville In. I went home on weekends and stayed in the apartment during the week. I like the job and wanted to continue to work there but the Company had to move the Dispatch department to Omaha Nebraska and we did not want to move back to Nebraska or Iowa, we had been there, done that. I quit and went to work for a company in Indianapolis In called Zipp Express, I drove for an owner operator that was leased to Zipp Express, I hauled ship containers to Baltimore Md. and down to Jacksonville Fl. Military I joined the Army in 1966 and went to Ft Bliss Tx for Basic training, I completed basic and went on to Ft. Gordon Ga. and went to the communication school there. after completing school and getting some very good grades for a drop out from high school. I loved the classes and the structure of the classes while I was there. I went right to Viet Nam from Ft Gordon, I was still 17 at the time and needed to get a permission form filled out by my mom in order to go, that was no problem though, I celibrated my 18th birthday in Cholon Viet Nam on Sept 27th 1966, When I arrived in Viet Nam at Tan Son Nut Air base, I had to stay at Camp Alpha and we had a suicide attack the first night, on the helipad, that was fun, I was assigned to Phu Lam Viet Nam but when I got there on the bus, the driver called out a few names and said the rest of us were to stay on the bus and we were to go to a place called Phu tau race track, later I found out is was called Regional Communications Group, so that is where I stayed for 18 months, I had to go back to the states before I could reenlist and return to the Nam again, I went to Ft Sam Houston Tx where I was assigned to a Transportation co. (Car) and had to work in a supply room! I reenlisted and went back to Viet Nam, this time I went to Bein Hoa, and was stationed at the 44th Sig bn in Long Binh, I never had a problem with being in Viet Nam, it was no different the being stationed at any other army base to me. I went through the Tet offensive in 1968 and went to the Bob Hope USO show on post, I helped build the underground comm center for USARV headquarters. it was just another duty assignment to me. When I returned to the states, I picked up my new 69 Dodge Charger (Gold) and headed to Ft Hood Texas and learned about communication tactic out in the field with a armor unit. I was transfered to a comm center in Ft Wolters Tx in 1970 where I worked in a little comm center on base that was run by civilians, and it was just a little building in a tall secure chain link fence in the middle of a feild. I traded the Dodge in on a 70 Chevelle SS with a big 396 ci power house. I loved that Muscle car. I received orders for Taipei Taiwan of all places, Where would I drive a muscle car in China? I had to let that car go back, and I went to Taipei and worked for Taiwan Defence Command (MAAC) for two years and got married over there, then came back to the states and was stationed at Ft Riley Ks. The little wife could not deal with that for long, she went back to Taiwan and never came back, I stayed at Ft Riley Ks assigned to another armor division working with APC 117 radio command center (mobil) until I received orders to go to Ft Ben Harrison Indiana to work in the secure comm center at the Finance Center. That is where it ended, when Viet Nam was over, I was not needed anymore and was allowed to participate in the Project Transision program where I went to work for a produce company and learn to drive a truck and deliver produce to grocery stores. I drove truck for 15 years after that and worked in a Warehouse for 10 years after that, and now I am a Driver manager for a trucking company in Indianapolis In.