When Wayne Jr. was in Army Basic Training at Fort Polk, LA in 1969, he was served grits for breakfast. He had never seen nor eaten grits before and thought it was Cream of wheat breakfast cereal. Wayne Jr. added milk and sugar to his serving of grits. One of the fellow trainees kept staring at him while he was making this dish. He looked almost aghast and said "Guffy, what are you doing to those grits?" Wayne Jr. was puzzled at his statement and replied "What do you mean... what grits?" The guy pointed to Wayne Jr’s tray and said "those are grits." Wayne Jr. asked him what he put on his. The trainee told him he used butter, salt and pepper. Wayne, Jr. told him he thought that they tasted pretty darn good with milk and sugar.

Later that year, while at US Army flight school at Fort Wolters, Texas, Wayne Jr. was seated in the dining facility with three other flight candidates. He had servings of cottage cheese, sliced tomatoes and cantaloupe, among other items on his tray. He grabbed the salt and pepper shakers and shook a generous amount of seasoning on the cottage cheese, sliced tomatoes and cantaloupe. One of the candidates was from New Jersey and couldn't believe that he was putting salt and pepper on the cottage cheese and tomatoes. Wayne, Jr. asked what he put on his and the reply was “sugar.” About that time Wayne Jr. sprinkled pepper on his cantaloupe, his new friend shook his head, while watching him and said, "Now I know that you're nuts!" His friend also used sugar on his cantaloupe.