Leif at the Recruiting Station - January 12, 1998 - Manhattan, Kansas - Age 23

During the fall semester of 1997, when Leif was working full time nights at Aggieville Pizza and trying to manage a schedule of classes at KSU, and falling so far behind in debt that he couldn't make it, he finally dropped out of school and decided to enlist in the army. Because the infantry was paying the largest enlistment bonus, and because it had the reputation as the "real" fighting army, the boots on the ground, and because he knew it would be a challenge, that's the specialty he chose. His dad had advised against it, as he felt Leif was better suited to other specialties, but Leif wanted to be a real soldier, and he felt that way the rest of his life, despite the problems he faced in the infantry.

This photo was taken at the Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Manhattan, Kansas, the day that Leif had to report for duty to be sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training. It was a very cold, gray winter day in Kansas. I was so cold I was still wearing my coat inside the station.

I don't know for sure why I was the only one to take him there that morning, but I believe it was because both Peter W. and Nikko had to work. I drove him there and stayed with him until they took him away. One of the recruiters took the photo of us together. I don't know what Leif was thinking as he left, but he was his usual stoic self and didn't show any emotion.

This was 16 days before his 23rd birthday, so he missed having his birthday with us and Nikko and had to spend it in basic training. We celebrated an early birthday for him in December when we had a large family gathering.

Because Leif had a couple of years of college credits and a very high ASVAB score, he was able to enlist as a private first class, two ranks higher than the usual enlistee, which also gave him a little bit more income. He didn't talk about this with me, but I suspect it also got him some razzing during basic.

Once he left me at the recruiting station that January day, we didn't see him again until the "mid-cycle" days in March when family was allowed to visit the soldiers at Fort Benning.

Leif & Nikko - Fort Benning, Georgia - April 1998

Leif had started as a student at Kansas State University while he was still a senior at Manhattan High School because he had plenty of credits for high school graduation. He was a full time student at KSU in the fall of 1993, and in October 1995, when he should have been in his junior year, he and Nikko got married.

Like all students, they struggled financially, even with the substantial assistance we gave them, but one reason for that was Leif's spending. He bought a Yamaha motorcycle, which he could ill afford, and that added monthly payments he had to make.

He worked part time in the electronics department at Sears, and Nikko was working at a futon store in Aggieville, and for awhile, they were doing reasonably well. Then disaster struck. After the Christmas holidays, Sears fired a lot of employees, believing they weren't needed after the Christmas rush, and Nikko lost her job. Suddenly, they were without income.

Leif found a job at Aggieville Pizza, and I helped Nikko find a job as a waitress at Country Kitchen, but during the time they were without jobs, they had run up bills they couldn't get on top of.

Finally, by the fall of 1997, Leif was working full time at Aggieville Pizza, until closing at 2 AM and then having to stay and close. He was exhausted and couldn't find energy or time to study, missed classes, and finally dropped out of school. We were dismayed to find out just how far in debt they were, and that they couldn't pay their rent, insurance or credit card bills. We paid them.

Leif, trying to find a way out of his difficulties, decided to enlist in the army. He wanted to big enlistment bonus given for infantry enlistments so that he could pay some bills and pay some of the money back that we had spent on his bills, though Peter W. (his dad) advised him to choose a different MOS.

He enlisted late that fall, with a reporting date in January 1998. We knew that would probably be the last Christmas we would see them for awhile, and we also had to celebrate his birthday along with Christmas, as he wouldn't be there for his birthday. He'd be at basic training. I'll write more about his military years next month.

I had the impression that Nikko was not happy about his enlistment decision, and while he was gone to basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, she missed him terribly. She shared his letter with us, came over for dinner, asked us lots of questions about the army (since Leif's father had served 24 years) and couldn't wait to see him.

We were allowed to visit him in mid-cycle in March, and we all went to Fort Benning to be with him.

Then we went back for his graduation in April, which is when this picture was taken, right after the impressive graduation ceremony. Leif looked terrific, and he definitely had the bearing of a soldier, tall and confident. Nikko and Leif were so glad to see each other, even though it was only for a few days.

Leif was selected for further training as an armorer, and to fire a new weapon, and so he didn't leave Fort Benning until several weeks after the Basic graduation. He got orders to Fort Drum, New York, and he and Nikko moved there at the end of May 1998.

While we were at Fort Benning, we got to see Peter Anthony who was attending an Air Force class in Montgomery, Alabama. We all went out to brunch at Applebee's and dinner at Outback together.