1946-1947
In 1946 I went to my basic training in Virgina 60 miles from Washington D.C. When we were shipped to Japan it took 21 days to get to Japan. That was when I was transferred to the military police.

We were lucky that we did not decide to invade Japan. The shoreline was dug in with trenches. So the Japanese could move unseen from one place to the next. They had tunnels dug through mountains to transport weapons. They were very well fortified. 

As an M.P I got my first education on drugs.I wish every young person could see whatt I have seen, because the opium and the herowan was legal there.  The people I saw were completely gone. A lot of the children were homeless.  I have seen six to seven children piled up in the corner at a train station to keep each other warm during the mid of winter. 

Then I was put on special orders at Icore headquarters.  The place I was stationed at in Japan was about 60 miles from the place were the first atomic bomb was dropped. The city was completely leveled.  It was baron and ghastly looking. The Japanese people at this time were not industrialized. They did not have equipment, vehicles or anything like that. 

While I was stationed there, Japan's second largest earthquake hit. It started at 2:00 a.m. and lasted for six and one half minutes. Thousands were killed. You could not walk or even stand up, you could only lie there and get bounced around. I was discharged from Fort Sam Houston, Texas in 1947.