Felix S. Torres, Sandy, Utah: an interview by Becky B. Lloyd, June 25, 2004: Saving the Legacy tape no. 669

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F LI . TORRE 2 2 04 FIL: W 11 basic training: When you first get there it s kind of funny. Y u r awa from home and all of that. You wonder 'What am I doing here? But wh n y u r taking basic, they keep you occupied so much you don't have that much time to think. BEC: That was probably good. FIL: Discipline: I don't know how it is now, but back then, it was tough. BEC: Right. FIL: When somebody said you had to do something, boy you had to do it. They'd say, "Get down there and pick up the butt!" Boy, you'd better do it and not mouth back or anything. You had to do whatever they told you. The hardest part of the service for me was having to take orders like that. BEC: You're saying that was difficult for you, not being asked to do something, but being told, "You're going to do that now." FIL: Yes, but I don't like it the way the service is run now. I like it better the way was in my days. But I didn't like everything the way in was in my day. It was different than the way it is now, everything. BEC: It's interesting when you think about that; boot camp was the first time you'd been away from home and you were so young then, too. FIL: Oh, yes. BEC: You were only eighteen then, but had to grow up pretty fast when you went into combat. FIL: Yes. It was quite the thing. I don't know if I'd care to go through the whole thing again, but I'm glad that I went through it and saw it all. 29