LIL' ALLEN Chapter 3

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 After his "Pineapple Special experience" Allen made sure he didn't get talked into that again - - birthday or no birthday.

For two years Allen served at the 38th parallel seeing the opposing foes but without any direct contact with them.

Then after two years he was summoned to headquarters where a review showed that Allen had experience in inventory and maintaining supplies. He further had knowledge of accounting. Then they gave him orders to report to ordinance and be assigned to his duty. Allen thought this is almost like a vacation after being up on the border for two years.

While he knew how many lives were lost in order to establish the division between the two Koreas and the importance of defending it he was glad to be away from there.

Accountant
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His first experience in his new assignment was little more than a "Hey you" position but it wasn't long before he was given charge over supplying the troops with the important things they needed.

Having personally been on the front lines gave him a different perspective than some office clerk who had never been a foot soldier.

He kept reminding himself of what it was like not having a decent place to sleep and warm food. When you are far away from danger in warm accommodations it is easy to become careless in doing your job.

Allen never heard from his mother and home except when they wanted him to increase the monthly allotment he had sent to them from his salary. His dad had been sick and was not working and they could use it.

Each time his enlistment time was up they would wave the flag and he would extend for another year until he came to the end of the fifth year.

By then he said, “That is enough I'm going to return to the U.S.A. and get a government job.”

He had hoped to be hired on as an accountant at the Government Accountability Office for he had studied and practiced accounting during his time in Korea as well as in college for two years.

He also anticipated the five years in the service would increase his retirement benefits when he retired from civil service if he got the job he wanted.

As expected he was hired, but was started out as a junior accountant and was told what he could and could not do.

It was as if he didn't know anything when in fact his practical experience gave him a greater understanding of purchasing and distribution than most of the others who worked there.

He wasn't allowed to see much of the paperwork involved in the purchasing   but from what little he saw he could tell that there was something drastically wrong with the system.

When he off handedly asked about a small purchase that was obviously several times the cost of what it should have been the answer was, "It's just the cost of doing business."

This smelled of graft and kickbacks to Allen for he had seen similar patterns like this while he was stationed in South Korea.

To be Continued.