Adams, Blake, LTC

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY.
I had a student deferment while at North Carloina State University, but it ran out after 4 years and I was drafted into the Army 27 Feb 1969 and served in Vietnam with the Americal Division, 196th LIB D/3/21 and 82d Airborne Division, 1st 508th PIR, and 82d Admin Company till 26 Feb 1971. When I got out I joined the US Army Reserve in Raleigh, NC 4th Bn 17th Field Artillery in January 1973 and was hired as a Department of Army civilian Admin Support Technician, GS-5 promoted to GS-6 in 1974 and transferred to 171st Support Group and was promoted to GS-7 and transferred back to 4th Bn 17th FA as a Staff Support Technician. In 1974 I went to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA and was commissioned a 2LT Infantry. I Branch transferred to Field Artillery while serving in 4th Bn 17th FA as S1, B Btry AXO and XO. In 1979 I was accepted into the Full Time Active Duty program and served with 4/17th FA until 1982 then assigned to Columbia Recruiting Battalion till 1983. I was then assigned to Raleigh Recruiting Battalion until 1987, then reassigned to Fort Bragg, NC, Reserve Officer Training with duty at Saint Augustine University and detailed to North Carolina Wesleyan University to start a new ROTC program serving until December 1991, then reassigned to United States Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, NC until August 1995 then reassigned to United Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command as G1 and retired in November 1996 as a LTC with 21 years 3 months Active duty and 27 years total service active and reserve. I guess I influenced myself to stay in the Army.

LIST THE NAMES OF OLD FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH, AT WHICH LOCATIONS, AND RECOUNT WHAT YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THEM. INDICATE THOSE YOU ARE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH AND THOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH.
My best buddy during enlisted training. Doug Clark , Basic Training at Fort Bragg, NC and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Dix, NJ 1969. Doug lived in Bethesda, MD and I spent weekend with him and his family before departing for Vietnam. He got Military Police and I got Infantry. I hope he made it back safe and sound, lost touch with him, but would like to reconnect.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
During OCS training 51st Company, Fort Benning, GA in 1974, me and a couple of buddies trashed our TAC Officer's office as payback for everyday trashing of our footlocker, bunk, and lockers by him and the other TAC's. He caught us and since he thought I was the mastermind he made me hang from the pipes above about 3 feet off the floor....while my buddies cleaned up his office. If I dropped they had to trash it again and start all over again. Funny now, but at the time we thought we were gone from the program.

Also, the night before we turned "Blue" (became senior candidates and wore Blue helmet liners and blue OCS ascots), we had to jog around the airborne track in one shower shoe, one jump boot, no laces, carrying our footlocker at port arms, in t-shirt and under ware. Then back at our barracks, all candidates had to pile our footlockers in a pyramid and when a TAC blew a horn we had 15 minutes to find our footlocker, get in our room and have it ready for inspection. What a cluster f__k. Funny as hell now but we all thought we would die that night.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
I retired as a LTC in 1996 at USASOC, Fort Bragg, NC and after a year of doing nothing, I got Teacher Certification and taught high school Civics & Economics for 12 years, coached football, basketball, baseball, and swimming before retiring again as a NC Teacher in 2011. Now I am fully retired and enjoy golf, fly fishing and traveling.

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I was a member of Friends of Special Operations Forces (FSOF), but have not been active recently. I plan to become a life member of 196th LIB Americal Division Association this summer, and join DAV and American Legion.