The Tornado
Operation NEW ARRIVALS, Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, 1975

     Most nights on the refugee compound perimeter line are peacefull, quiet and boring. Your mind is always wandering trying to find something to occupy it to help make the time pass. There are times that even bad weather can be a pleasant change of routine, this was not one of them.

     On this night the thunder and lightning was followed quickly by a sheet of rain. I was in my security shack trying to keep dry while waiting for the storm to move through. I could hear the MP in the next security shack shouting and cranking his field phone. I picked up my phone to find out what he was so excited about but couldn’t understand what he was saying. I hung up the phone and as I shouted to him, he quickly exited his shack and crouched down behind it. Suddenly I saw a swirling mass of debris come from around the barracks nearest to him. Within a second the wind and debris knocked his shack over on top of him. I exited my shack and didn’t get more that three steps towards him before I was struck by a wooden barricade and knocked off of my feet into the mud and water filled drainage ditch. As I layed in the ditch I watched as the MP tried to crawl out from under what remained of his security shack. Whatever the weather event was, it ended as quickly as it started. Fortunately neither of us received any serious injuries.

SP/4 (SSG Retired) Ralph E. Jeffries, 411th MP Company, 720th MP Battalion, 1975-1976 and 1990-1993