Waynesville and St. Roberts

In November of 1964 I was an Army recruit

stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri for

basic training. I was seventeen years old way

back then. Just the other day my mind took to

reminiscing on a trip down Memory Lane. The

word I heard going around was that two small

towns nearby, Waynesville and St. Roberts,

were well known for prostitution, a booming

industry to service horny G.I.s stationed at the

base. I was intrigued for at my tender age, I had

never been with or even seen a prostitute first

hand before. Not that I would engage in such

sinful acts anyway, in basic at least, for the first

few weeks, trainees were not allowed off base.

And when we were, good boys such as I were

more concerned with going home on pass to

see mama and family. I’m sure, however, the

ladies of the night still had plenty of suitors who

were more than willing to bolster the regional

economy. Nowadays, at the ripe old age of

seventy-two, I can honestly say that while I’ve

since met a femme fatale or two in my life, I

have never paid one red cent for any of my

carnal activities. In time, I have come to realize

that some things in life never change. For the

most part, because of its proximity to the Army

and Ft. Leonard Wood, I suppose the professions

in Wanesville and St. Roberts remain much the

same. Except for the hookers, that is, most of

whom, I’m pretty damned sure just like me,

have grown old and gray.

Chris Hanch 12-5-19