Soldiers Not Welcome...

[Dennis1209]

We don't care for soldiers here in Clarksville!

 

Yep, as an inmate that's what I was told by a couple of jailers at the Clarksville, TN. Jail house. I sure hope times have changed and they treat their returning veterans better than when I was there in 1973. The Clarksville PD made prey of the Ft. Campbell soldiers and that's an undisputed fact by people who served at Ft. Campbell back in that era. I'm still bitter and always bi-pass that hell hole when I have to travel that way.

 

It's my experience all military towns and law enforcement resent military personnel and are out to take advantage of them financially and berate them.

 

One of numerous examples: In 1973 I recently returned from my second combat tour in Viet Nam and was assigned to Ft. Campbell, KY. after my 30 day leave. Due to my rank I immediately rented an apartment somewhere outside of Erin, TN.

 

One morning I was running late to make 6:00 A.M. formation, and as any military man knows, it's not good to miss or be late to muster! So, to try and make muster on time, the ole Camero exceeded the posted speed limit on the backwoods country roads. At that time of the morning and in BFE ain't going to be any cops and I can make up some time... WRONG!

 

Got pulled over and a citation issued, maybe 15-20 MPH over the limit. O.K., no big deal, life goes on and I'll deal with it when the time comes. Guilty as sin of speeding! I think I'll try and beat the ticket because money is money after all and I've sure earned mine and want to keep as much of it as possible. So, instead of sending in the payment for the ticket, I decide to try and fight it in court by myself as a 21 year old. Stupid is as stupid does at that age?

 

Court day at the Clarksville, TN. Courthouse: After waiting an eternity I plead my meager case... GUILTY as charged says the judge, step over to the collection window and pay your fine.

 

Darn, I tried anyway, oh well lets get this done with and go get a decent meal at the mess hall because I'm starved. It's my turn at the collection window and I whip out my checkbook to write a check to pay my fine. The gal behind the collection window almost panics and immediately calls over a deputy of some sort before she says anything. She informs me they do NOT take personal checks, cash ONLY. I said, “O.K., I'll be right back, I'll run to (Plantation Bank?) on base and will be right back and pay it.

 

The ticket had no printed mention of payment methods what-so-ever, front or back as I checked.

 

No. No. No. You can't go anywhere if you can't pay the fine in cash, you're under arrest! That “deputy” handcuffed me and took me to jail and booked me in. Long story short, I walked down the chow line and got my paper plate, my plastic spoon, my small can of Veinnia sausages, little can of fruit, small bag of potato chips, two pieces of bread and a small carton of milk. Not the Army mess chow I had my mind set on. In reflection, Army food ain't that bad compared to jail food!

 

Talking to a couple of the jailers after “dinner”, they told me about my status. Unless someone came down and paid my fine in cash, tomorrow morning I was assigned to the chain gang and hard labor. I was assigned a cell and permitted one phone call shortly after that. One of the jailers made a remark to me, “we don't much care for you soldier boys” and his partner shaking his head up and down in agreement.

 

Many years later they came out with them “Rambo” movies and I said, hey, I can relate to that!

 

Fortunately, I called the C.Q. and he called my First Sergeant and he came down and bailed me out. I was so embarrassed and ready for an Article 15 or something. I apologized to “Top” and he laughed if off. Everyone’s out to get the serviceman!

 

I found that true throughout my twenty year career. I sincerely hope things have changed for the sake of our current military personnel.

 

 

[TSprint1]

When I was stationed just outside of Wash, DC in Virginia I had the same thing happen with one of my buck sergeants.  He had gone home on leave and while returning he got a speeding ticket in southern Virginia.  Well, he never told anyone and decided he would go to court and beat it.  Yeah, right.  I received a call from the sheriff who told me that if someone didn't bring $180 cash that he would rot in that jail.  I took the cash, signed for the Sgt and had a little talk with him on the way back to the unit.  I asked him what he had been thinking (or drinking).  His reply was that he hadn't been speeding as if that really mattered.  The only ticket I have ever gotten was for speeding on I81 in Wytheville, VA.  The weekend cop took me in to the JP.  When we got there the entire room was full of out of staters - mostly military.  Heck I was driving a Vega I couldn't have been speeding.  Military seldom win.  Anybody remember Coopertown, TN?

[Will Carry]

It's good to here from you dude. Many young people on this forum might think you are a nut, but I know different. You told it just like it was.  It's hard to believe it was so long ago. I was pulled one day in Tennessee in 1975. I was told that I could pay the $50 fine in cash to the LEO, or I was going to be arrested. I told the guy I only had 25 bucks and need enough to buy gas to get home. He took the twenty out of my wallet and told be I could go. Mother Puss Bucket! I have never been back to Polk County since.

Edited March 9, 2013 by Will Carry

[QuietDan]

We ran into that in Biloxi, Mississippi in the 60's, because Biloxi, Mississippi was a lot smaller than Keesler Air Force Base and a small town with a big base usually hates or resents the servicemen; a lot of it comes from "nothing's sexier than a man with a steady job" and the GIs got all the local girls and the local guys did without or picked fights they lost. Then, the locals grow up to be cops if not merely gas station attendants or fork-lift drivers and lean on the GIs 'cause they steal all the local girls.

 

Well, the Keesler Air Force Base commander decided enough was enough. There was a time when they put the whole town of Biloxi off-limits. That worked for a while but everyone was still sullen.

 

Then, he payed EVERYONE on base at Keesler with nothing but $2 bills. Biloxi was AWASH with $2 bills. No one could make change properly because of all the $2 bills. The whole freakin' Biloxi economy ran on Keesler Air Force Base payrolls and the $2 bills slammed that home and everyone shut-up-and-colored for a while.

[Sam1]

Hinesville GA is the worst for that, the cops are like stalkers on military folk. I got almost a $300 ticket because a cop said my stereo was up too loud while driving down the road (not at a top light, but actually on a rural road). It was a 1988 s10 with a factory radio, think it only had 2 speakers and wouldn't go that loud anyways.

 

The city brought in the majority of their money by writing soldiers and their families tickets. What we didn't understand back then, is that if we would'v stood up and actually voted, 3/4 of that area was related to the military in some manner and they could've throw those jesters out on their ass and put someone in office that was reasonable... If we would've just went and voted

[QuietDan]

It's good to here from you dude. Many young people on this forum might think you are a nut, but I know different. You told it just like it was.  It's hard to believe it was so long ago. I was pulled one day in Tennessee in 1975. I was told that I could pay the $50 fine in cash to the LEO, or I was going to be arrested. I told the guy I only had 25 bucks and need enough to buy gas to get home. He took the twenty out of my wallet and told be I could go. Mother Puss Bucket! I have never been back to Polk County since.

The very definition of a side-of-the-road bribe. You should of asked him for a receipt, you can be sure the money and the ticket never made it into the books.

[QuietDan]

Hinesville GA is the worst for that, the cops are like stalkers on military folk. I got almost a $300 ticket because a cop said my stereo was up too loud while driving down the road (not at a top light, but actually on a rural road). It was a 1988 s10 with a factory radio, think it only had 2 speakers and wouldn't go that loud anyways.

 

The city brought in the majority of their money by writing soldiers and their families tickets. What we didn't understand back then, is that if we would'v stood up and actually voted, 3/4 of that area was related to the military in some manner and they could've throw those jesters out on their ass and put someone in office that was reasonable... If we would've just went and voted

 

Read up on the Battle of Athens, TN

 

Assholes everywhere.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Dennis, your story sounds completely believable for Clarksville. I'm sorry that happened to you and I would

like to think Clarksville has changed, but i have my doubts.

[TripleDigitRide]

Coopertown, Tennessee, anyone?

[Guest USCavScout]

Yea Hinesville, GA is BAD about getting Soldiers. All the fines Soldiers pay are used to buy new cars every year. I helped pay for a light bar once LOL

[Motasyco]

Was spit at and called a baby killer on more than one occasion while in uniform in the early 70s.  There was very little respect and no thanks for what we were doing.

[KaNuckles]

I have seen and heard of soldiers being treated like this. For the life on me I can't imagine what in the hell would possess somebody to treat a soldier like that. I do not understand people.

[Garufa]

MONEY.

 

Clarksville, and I imagine any other town that hosts a military base, is full of ignorant young smart-asses from all over the county.  Just like every college town.  They like to go out, raise hell and have a good time.

 

It's alot easier for them to just pay the fine than fight it.

[red dirt]

I played a gig in Wichita Falls, TX in '83 or 84. I was truly shocked how badly everyone treated the soldiers from Sheppard Air force.  The cliub owners were jerks to musicians too but not as bad as if we had been USAF.

[TMF]

Dennis, your story sounds completely believable for Clarksville. I'm sorry that happened to you and I would
like to think Clarksville has changed, but i have my doubts.

Based on my experience I'd say that it has changed for the better. I've had a lot of interaction with CPD and all the experiences were positive so far. Then again, I've never once been pulled over by them. I get the impression that there are quite a few veterans on the force, plus there is an appreciation of the sacrifices made by Soldiers and their families at deployment time. If you cruise the mug shot database linked in The Leaf Chronicle, you don't see many Soldiers in there despite the fact there are a whole bunch of them in town. Most the mugshots of Soldiers you see are DUI or domestic violence, not silly charges designed to screw with joe. Overall, I'd say that Clarksville is the most military friendly town (located near a major base) I've seen in the country. It isn't like Fayetteville (Bragg), Columbus (Benning) or Tacoma (Lewis). Those places are still awful to Soldiers.

[dlm37015]

Based on my experience I'd say that it has changed for the better. I've had a lot of interaction with CPD and all the experiences were positive so far. Then again, I've never once been pulled over by them. I get the impression that there are quite a few veterans on the force, plus there is an appreciation of the sacrifices made by Soldiers and their families at deployment time. If you cruise the mug shot database linked in The Leaf Chronicle, you don't see many Soldiers in there despite the fact there are a whole bunch of them in town. Most the mugshots of Soldiers you see are DUI or domestic violence, not silly charges designed to screw with joe. Overall, I'd say that Clarksville is the most military friendly town (located near a major base) I've seen in the country. It isn't like Fayetteville (Bragg), Columbus (Benning) or Tacoma (Lewis). Those places are still awful to Soldiers.

you said it right

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Based on my experience I'd say that it has changed for the better. I've had a lot of interaction with CPD and all the experiences were positive so far. Then again, I've never once been pulled over by them. I get the impression that there are quite a few veterans on the force, plus there is an appreciation of the sacrifices made by Soldiers and their families at deployment time. If you cruise the mug shot database linked in The Leaf Chronicle, you don't see many Soldiers in there despite the fact there are a whole bunch of them in town. Most the mugshots of Soldiers you see are DUI or domestic violence, not silly charges designed to screw with joe. Overall, I'd say that Clarksville is the most military friendly town (located near a major base) I've seen in the country. It isn't like Fayetteville (Bragg), Columbus (Benning) or Tacoma (Lewis). Those places are still awful to Soldiers.

That's very good to hear. Clarksville, for years, didn't seem to grasp who buttered it's bread. Fort Campbell has been

very good to this town. One of our best mayors came from the 101st. Most of my friends came from Fort Campbell.

Although I don't get up on the north end much, I hear things are getting a better as time goes by. Use to be Hell from

Boot hill to the state line for decades.

 

I'd say that post is only 3/4 of our local economy, still.

[DaveTN]

I was in a couple of incidents in bars and private parties in Norfolk, VA where the cops could have screwed us. Instead they let Shore Patrol handle it. Most of the guys I knew that had interactions with the cops didn’t have any problems unless they got mouthy with the cops. Like anywhere if you cop an attitude the cops will just cuff you, stuff you and charge you under state law. Then you had big problems, both the state and the military to deal with.

I had to do my turn mess cooking and was going into the base at 3 or 4 in the morning. It had snowed a couple of inches (Blizzard for Norfolk) and I had a 68 Camaro. There was not a soul out on the streets (so I thought) when I came down the ramp to enter the highway. I was fishtailing a little and then did a donut on the highway. I had the whole highway to myself.

A couple of minutes later the lights come on behind me. He told me that he saw what I was doing and asks if it was intentional. I told him it was and that I was just messing around. He saw that I had an Illinois driver’s license and said “you are used to this, these people aren’t. Be careful and don’t do that anymore.” I said “Yes, sir.” And he left.

Military towns, College towns and cities like Vegas have people that have the idea they can do whatever they want without consequence. Sometimes they find out they are wrong.

[dlm37015]

nashville used to hate the tourist look what it got them