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Venereal Disease and Short Arm Inspections

During our stay at Fort MacArthur, we see a number of army training films. It seems that every other film is on venereal disease. A soldier can get court-martialed if he contracts VD, and these films are meant to scare the hell out of you. The content includes endless pictures of men with the pox, with syphilis and gonorrhea. We learn what happens to the body during each stage of these diseases.

The men are also introduced to our first “short-arm” examination at Fort MacArthur. The sergeant and an officer will awake you in the middle of the night. Each soldier’s private parts are examined by a flashlight, and he is told to “milk down” his member. Notes are made of the findings on each soldier, and those caught with suspected sores or drippings are called out of line. 

An awful lot of kidding goes on during those examinations.

Dear Readers:  This a journal entry written by World War II Buffalo Soldier, Ivan J. Houston (1925-2020). The words and recollections of Mr. Houston were transcribed, re-written, and edited by Gordon Cohn into their book, "BLACK WARRIORS, The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II." 

Get the Black Warriors Book Here

A documentary film, WITH ONE TIED HAND, The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II was produced by Pacific Film Foundation and released by SHOUT! Factory on December 6, 2022. Our first entry was posted on December 7, 2022 - 81 years after the fact...

Get the With One Tied Hand Movie Here

NEXT POST:  Basic Training suddenly ends after just eight weeks. We are needed in Europe as soon as possible!

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02.09.2023

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