Ft Meade MD, Army Intelligence Agency, circa 1974/75.

I (SP5, Specialist E5) work in the Operations Center for the Intel Agency. Once a month you have to perform duties on behalf of the Agency and not your office. This day, I was selected as were two others to mow the rather large lawn around the HQs.

I had learned that the easiest way to sham on this detail was to go to the stockade and check out a (low risk) prisoner to provide the manpower behind the lawn mower. It seems these guys are hugely happy to be anywhere but in the stockade and had no issues being used this way.

I forget the actual details of getting my prisoner out, but trust me it had to be easy. So, I pick up this guy, a very big black guy, at least several years older than myself. I drive back to the Agency and introduce him to the lawn mower and lawn. He puts in several hours with minimal breaks and I stop him for lunch.

We walk across the street to the PX snack bar and I buy lunch and we sit and talk (oh, and back then you could legally have a beer with your lunch, we did). I finally asked him why he was in the stockade. Taken as a whole, his responses to my questions were indicative the times (post Vietnam). He indicated he was a deserter. I asked how long it was since he deserted. He told me it was six years. I then asked how they caught him. He told me that they never looked for him, that in fact he turned himself in when President Ford announced amnesty for draft dodgers.

Long story short, he had gone home, started a small trucking business, and now planned on processing out of the Army within 30 days and going back to his business. I kind of had to admire this guy.

After lunch and a little more mowing I returned him to the stockade and wished him well.

Edit: Spelling of course.