My Brilliant Military Career

[Lloyd Danforth]

In the Spring of 1969 I was sentenced to six months Hard Labor at FT Devens, MA for one count of Desertion.
The Army had a few places that the sent 'sentenced' soldiers to finish their sentences.
One of the dreaded places was Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Annville, PA. also known as IGMAR or the Gap
There was a rumor going around that they were shipping some of us down to IGMR.
One day pairs of MP's showed up with handcuffs, each pair assigned a prisoner to take to the 'Day Room' to get on the bus.
They knew that I wouldn't be any problem and simply sent a sargent over to my barracks who told me to pack my bags.
I had befriended John Marshall from Eastport, ME. He was under the impression that he was up for a Discharge and was carried into the Dayroom kicking and screaming about the Discharge. They had the rest of us go outside to the bus. A little while later several of the pigs dragged him into the bus and handcuffed to the seat in front of me. The rest of us were handcuffed to each other in pairs. John told me that two MP's held him while the Master Sargent  punched him in the stomach.
We talked on the trip and I promised John that if we got the chance to escape, I would in spite of having a much shorter sentence than John. He suggested
IGMR was bad although, not as bad as rumored.
We did get a chance to get out of there. The following is about the 'escape' and the days following.
My niece asked me to tell her about what I refer to as 'My Brilliant Military Career' and this is pieced together from emails to her. I've tried to straighten it out, but parts might seem like I'm writing to her or someone with geographical knowledge about Hartford and CT.
Someday I'm going to learn how to spell sargent.
There is a lot more to tell about MBMC. This is one of the more interesting parts.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Labor Day Weekend 1969
John made Maine sound pretty good.. Shortly after we got to IGMR John befriended a guy who was a proud registered Heroin Addict from New Jersey, who's sentence was almost up. His name was Charles Fuller. He and John both loved music and talked about some concert that had just happened in upper New York State. We found out that if one behaved they could make 'Parole' inside a month and live outside of the Stockade. We knew CF would get a couple of weeks at home before being re-assigned and John asked him to return for us on a Sunday if we made 'Parole'. He agreed. They released prisoners and announced new Paroles on Friday. John and I were not on the list the Friday CF was released.  We convinced him that we would probably make Parole the following week and, if we didn't he wouldn't have to worry about being involved in an escape. The Friday following his release we made Parole, he came. That was when things got weird

The Sunday Fuller  was supposed to come get us, I got assigned to KP in the Mess Hall a few buildings away from my Barracks. It was agreed that when Fuller came John would hold him while a friend from Fall River who knew of our plans would go get me. There was one Corporal in charge of us and he was kind of lax. Many of the guys were hanging around outside the Day Room (recreation room) with their shirts and shoes off, sunning themselves.  I was carrying some trays back to the kitchen when I spotted the Fall River guy outside the screen door pulling his boots on. (One was not allowed in the MH out of uniform)
"Is it time?", I asked. "Yes, yes, he's here, he's here!" Fall River said.  I went to the Mess Sargent and told him I needed to go to the Latrine which was back in the barracks. He gave me a hard time as it was in the middle of lunch, but had to let me go. The Parole Area was on the other side of a street that ran along the recreation field of the Stockade where all of the prisoners who weren't paroles were behind two tall, chain link fences with coils of Barbed wire between them and an occupied Guard Tower at each end. As I walked down the road towards the day Room, about 50 guys behind the fence were yelling, "They left!, they're in a gold Kaman Ghia!"  (a Volkswagon sports car)
I looked up at both guard towers, but apparently, they were oblivious to what was going on. I figured I was screwed, but decided to give it a few minutes and walked around the buildings a few time so it looked as though I was either on my way to the latrine or returning form it.  On one of my rounds, while approaching the barracks, I encountered the Corporal leading a formation of my Barrack mates to the Mess Hall. "Have you seen John Marshall", he growled. "Yes, I just saw him up at the Mess Hall. I'm on my way to the latrine", I lied.
"I'll fix his ass!"

[Lloyd Danforth]

I watched the formation turn a corner and head into the MH.  Just then I hear this roaring from behind the fence. "They're coming!, they're coming!", all 50, or so of them were shouting!   I saw this little gold car coming down the street towards me as i got to the Day Room parking lot. The car slid into the parking lot, gravel flying all over the place and pulled up next to me. I ran over to it fully expecting bullets from a guards M-14 to come raining down on me from one of the towers less than 100 feet away. The passenger door opened and.............................
................and there was one of the prettiest girls I have ever seen  telling me to "Get in, Get in!".   All of my life, to get in the backseat of a two door car all you had to do was push the back of the front seat forward and climb in. Somewhere along the line they starting using release latches. I pushed the seat back. It wouldn't go. She pulled the latch. It wouldn't move because I was pushing the seat. "let go of the seat!" I did. the seat went forward and I flew in. The longest three seconds of my life!
No John!  "Where's John?" "We left him behind a building off the Base. He wouldn't let us leave without you!"
I hunkered down as much as I could in the tiny back seat and we drove to an industrial park where John was waiting for us behind a building, already wearing clothes that Fuller had brought. We left Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Annville, PA, with John and I packed like Sardines in the tiny backseat, and headed towards Middlesex, NJ  where things were going to get very weird.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I don't know why Fuller brought his girlfriend to the escape and I don't remember much about the trip to Middlesex, NJ, but when we got there we pulled into a parking lot behind some stores. In back of the parking lot there were some kind of rundown, single story, Brick, apartment buildings. Fuller and his girlfriend got out and walked over to a large Pontiac which she got in and drove away after they talked for a couple of minutes. It occurred to me that the Pontiac would have made a more comfortable Escape Car, but it was probably her family's car.
While we were waiting, a woman came out of one of the apartments with the only 'Teacup Dog' I've ever seen except in adds in magazines. On the lawn was a large tractor tire lying on it's side and she put the dog down inside it where he, apparently, could run and run until he was exhausted. I noticed that there was 3 story building under construction next door.
Fuller got back in the car and we headed down an avenue much like Albany Avenue to the next town. We came to a town green where a bunch of young people were sitting on bleachers singing folk songs while one guy strummed a guitar. A scene that was not unusual in those days. Fuller didn't have any clothes that would fit me, so I was wearing a T shirt and green Army pants. For some reason we decided that my boots would give me away as a soldier, so I took them and my socks off and left them in Fuller's car.
John had told Fuller that he could double his money selling Pot in Maine and the plan was that he would get some and drive us to Maine. He dropped  us at the Green and left with a fairly, disgusting Hippy type who was wearing leather Buckskins to 'buy some Pot'.  We hung around the singers trying to blend in. Two guys with Army haircuts in a sea of long haired teenagers. It was getting kinda late in the day and the crowd began to dwindle. Dusk descended and after a while we were the only ones left in the 'very' open Green.
Bleaches are not very good for hiding and there were no bushes to hide behind, either. A cop was circling the Green every 15 minutes or so and we were getting nervous as we had no ID to show had he confronted us.

[Lloyd Danforth]

There was a white Church on the green. For some reason I thought churches were never closed. I guess that must be Catholic churches, because this  one was and had alarm tape on the windows and doors. It was now just about dark. We settled down in a clear spot of ground under a large hedge along side of the church. John went over to the house next door and slept on their cellar steps. That didn't appeal to me as it seemed like a good way to encounter rats.
Absolutely the worst night I have ever spent.....ever!  Although it was the end of August, it was COLD! I never remember a night before or after that night when I didn't have a blanket or something to pull over myself.
Somehow, we slept. I awoke shortly after dawn and waited for John. When he showed up we went over to a gas station across the Green. The station was closed, but the rest room was unlocked and we managed to clean up after sleeping on dirt all night. When we came out there was a guy cleaning his car windows. We found out that we were in Dunellen. All we knew was that Fuller lived in Middlesex. We asked the guy how to get to Middlesex and he pointed down the street to a traffic light and told us to turn left and it would take us there. We started walking. All of my life, everybody I ever walked with, short or tall, walked faster than me, including John. Outside of the Beach, bed or  shower, I am never barefoot and here I was walking thru Urban New Jersey trying to keep up with yet another 'speed walker' with my tender bare feet. We walked for a couple of hours. As it was Labor day, there was little traffic. From time to time cops would slow down as they passed us, but did not stop. Not too long after we passed a, useless to us, convenience store,  I spotted the roof of the building, under construction, that I had noticed the day before. When we saw turned into the parking lot we saw Fuller's Karman Ghia parked in front of the Teacup Dog's apartment. It was early, so we sat down and leaned against the wall of one of the stores facing the apartment building and waited.
After a while the lady came out with the dog. When she spotted us she came over and asked if we were looking for Charlie. We said yes and that we would really like to see him. She said he got sick and went to the hospital. We asked if there was any way that we could see him thinking that if he could give us a few bucks and directions we could hit the road. Hesitatingly, she said he was in the hospital, but now he was in jail. She explained that Charlie's farther was going to go get him, gave us two dollars apiece, gave me my boots and socks and asked us to stay out of his father's sight. We walked back to the store, bought some non nutritious food (I remember Vanilla Thins). We returned to the building under construction, future home of the Middlesex Elks Club, where we could watch Fuller's house thru some hedges as we enjoyed our repast.
After a while a man came out and got in the car and left. A half hour later the car returned with just Fuller. Seeing that he was alone we came out of hiding and greeted him.

[Lloyd Danforth]

He told us what happened. After he left us, he and Buckskins went and bought some Heroin. The went to fuller's house. They were in the bathroom shooting up when Fuller started to turn purple. After six months with no 'Smack' Fuller's resistance to it was down and he OD'd. Buckskins put him in the shower and turned cold water on him. When he went outside to hide the drugs and needles he spotted an ambulance gassing up across the street and hailed them over. When he got to the hospital, they realized they had an overdose and called the cops. When he was stabilized they took him to the cop shop and put him in a cell. I remember the  idiot telling us that he had a small bag of Heroin that they didn't find in his 'watch pocket' and snorted it during the night. The Cops, who six months earlier had busted Fuller for 'possession of Drug Paraphernalia', but had released him to the Army for AWOL, wanted bail, but his lawyer told them that they should have gotten it six months earlier from the Army. They released him.
Maine was now out of the question and probably, always was, but he agreed to take us to Hartford. Damned if he didn't pick up Buckskins again! We went to some bowling alley for some reason. We explained to Fuller that we were kind of nervous standing around the place looking like AWOL army guys and would really like to get started to CT. In response to that we went to some State Park where he and some of his friends shot up some Speed. I guess for some people it's all about the needle. John and I smoked some Hash which was interesting after not having smoked in several months. Finally, we left for CT with Buckskins occupying the front seat and John and i, once again stashed in the abbreviation of a back seat.

[Lloyd Danforth]

It seemed like no time at all that we were in Manhattan where we witnessed a sad event. We were at a light on one of the north -south avenues. There were two rows of cars in our direction. The two cars in front were revving their motors in what was clearly a challenge to race when the light changed. A kid was walking across the street when the light changed and one of the cars hit him. I'm not sure how bad it was as we managed to get around it and left.
We were waiting in line at the Greenwich Tollboth when the news came on the radio. They reported that there was Rioting in the 'neutral' section of Hartford.  "Neutral section?", I thought. "Shit!, that's where I live!"
We got to new Haven and started up Rt. 91. When we got to exit 21 we pulled off and found a phone booth. I called my home in Hartford.
My father answered and of course was surprised to hear my voice as I was supposed to be locked up in PA. "I escaped' I told him. "You Damn Fool!" he told me. I asked him about the rioting in the neutral section of Hartford. He explained that they, (he, my mother and visiting sister Beverly) had just returned from Maine and had no problem. By this, I assumed that he meant that the rioting was over. I got him to agree to unlock the cellar door and told him I would be home in half an hour.

[Lloyd Danforth]

We proceeded up 91 onto 84 west and up the Ann-High street exit which no longer exists, but used to end at the east end of Walnut St.
I'm close to home and starting to feel pretty good when we cross the railroad bridge and can see down Walnut St. There were 'Flaming' tires rolling out of the Tire Store on the corner of Chestnut St where several people were loading tires into their cars. Down the street at the intersection of garden St. there was a station wagon lying on its side. A cop had opened a door and was pulling someone up out of the car. We couldn't get thru the intersection and onto Homestead Avenue, so I directed Fuller down Williams St. towards Albany Avenue. When we reached Albany, The Brown Hat Restaurant across from Williams St. was in flames. (That building and 80 Albany Avenue, former home of The Lowry Storage Battery Company, my Grandfather's business, but by then a warehouse for Beacon Furniture were the only two buildings to burn in that riot).
We turned west onto Albany. The street was flowing with water, sirens everywhere, and we could smell Tear Gas. Every store window was broken and every alarm was ringing. People were all over the place looting. I was intensely aware that I was in a small, out of state car that any four of these guys could turn over on it's roof.
As we passed another tire store on the corner of garden St. we could see a dozen or so men lying down with their hands on the backs of their heads and noses against the pavement with Cops holding shotguns on them.

[Lloyd Danforth]

The last alarm ringing was at Motts Super Market, about where the Mcdonald's is at the bottom of Blue Hills Avenue in my neighborhood. By this time I was anxious to part with Fuller and Buckskins and they were equally, anxious to part with Hartford and Hartford's version of Labor Day celebration. Not thinking about how busy they were we assumed the Army had alerted Hartford Police to my escape and might be watching the house. This was pretty silly. The Army wouldn't have bothered with that, but we didn't know that. In any case I didn't want F and B to know where I lived, so I had them pull up in front of a house on the street next to mine  and gave them directions up Blue Hills Ave. to Bloomfield and over to Rt.91.
John and I snuck thru the yards and entered the house thru the cellar. So, were all in the kitchen. I'm exhilarated, because I'm Home!!, Johns not because he's not home, just in a strange house with people he didn't know. Poor Beverly, just came down from Maine in Labor Day traffic, thru a riot, and now her little brother who she hasn't seen for a while shows up escaped from jail! She was nursing a Scotch.
I don't remember much else about that evening. The next day my friend Bob Hurvitz came over and took us out and about. When we came back into the neighborhood the cops were stopping people demanding IDs. Mine and John's were in a safe back in PA, but I convinced them that I lived in the neighborhood and they let us thru. Bubba offered to take us up to Hampton Beach, NH where John had some friends who had spent the summer there and might still be there. We left that night, found John's friends and they let us crash there. A couple of weeks before the escape, I had the Army send some money they owed me to my mother and she sent it via Western Union in Hampton Beach using the name of on of John's friends who had ID. We bought some bus tickets and headed for Portland, Maine where John had a friend willing to put us up.

[Russell Kanning]

Someday I'm going to learn how to spell sargent.

I guess it is a badge of honor for those that have not killed brown people.
I also don't try to spell leitenant right either. French and used by the military, that is 2 strikes against the term. If it is abbreviated or part of an acronym then all  is lost.

Cool story ... and I have heard parts of it before.

[Jim Johnson]

Why 6 months of hard labor?

[Lloyd Danforth]

One year AWOL. Desertion after the first 30 days. Could have been 2 years and a DD. The General Courtmartial  after the Escape netted me 6 months and a Bad Conduct Discharge. The sentence was up before the discharge came down, so the they found themselves in the position of having a 'soldier' on their hands who,  for two years had saluted no one and could now add "Fuck You Officer" to his greeting, as there was little more they could do to me. To save (daily) embarrassment, they invented a special 'leave' for me and sent me home to wait for the discharge. Some pansy civilian review board in the Pentagon rescinded the discharge. When they called and told me about it I said I'd see the tomorrow. I showed up 4 months later, got new charges read to me, applied for the third time for a discharge 'for the good of the service' and won. E-1 for 40 months. Probably a record.

[KBCraig]

One year AWOL. Desertion after the first 30 days. Could have been 2 years and a DD. The General Courtmartial  after the Escape netted me 6 months and a Bad Conduct Discharge.

Translation: a Dishonorable Discharge is a felony conviction. A BCD is a misdemeanor. A DD even without being sentenced to incarceration would have played hell with Lllloyd's later dabblings in firearms in the antique business.

E-1 for 40 months. Probably a record.

Possibly. I work with a guy who went from E-1 to E-5 three different times in six years. He enlisted in '89 and during the invasion of Arab lands, kept getting busted for brewing hooch. But he was damn good at his job, so he kept getting promoted. I think he finally separated as an E-4.

[KBCraig]

Speaking of Courts Martial, Thursday marked one year since Bradley Manning was arrested. He has not yet been charged with a crime. Rule 707 of the Manual for Courts Martial (in accordance with Article 10 of the UCMJ) prescribes an upper limit of 120 days for a "speedy trial". Article 13 of the UCMJ holds that "punishment other than arrest or confinement is prohibited before trial, and confinement should be no more rigorous than is required to ensure the accused's presence at his trial".

"Arrest" and "Confinement" in military terms don't mean what most people assume. If a soldier or officer is ordered to not leave his quarters, or not leave the post, he is under "arrest". "Confinement" means being locked up.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread. I'm loving the story so far. Carry on!

[Lloyd Danforth]

Possibly. I work with a guy who went from E-1 to E-5 three different times in six years.

While that may be a record of it's own, I never saw E-2