Robert Poindexter

That Shade of Green Robert Poindexter

In February of 1971, twenty-two-year-old Robert Poindexter involuntarily entered the U. S. Army for a two-year tour of duty. A recent college graduate, his plan for a career in advertising would have to wait. In this memoir, Poindexter provides a firsthand, and often humorous, look at his military experiences.

Based on journal entries written during the period, Poindexter narrates his entire experience from being drafted; to the induction ceremony; traveling from Chicago to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for basic training; attending Air Defense School in Fort Bliss, Texas; and thirteen months of serving in Korea. Making the best of his situation, he tells how he was determined to find a niche in the Army where a man could serve two years without getting shot.

Sharing some fond and not-so-fond memories, That Shade of Green narrates Poindexter's nineteen-month stint in the Army and shows his transformation from a twenty-two-year-old kid just out of college to a twenty-four-year-old man.