Military: tell us your story

[solcaptain]

My first post on the forum, though I've been on the site since I purchased my Deep N/A in May for my wife. I graduated West Point in 2002, joined the infantry and completed Ranger school in March 2003. A month later I was in Iraq with the 82D ABN Div, eventually doing 10 months there. I deployed to Afghanistan with the 82D four four months in 2005, but when many units get sent overseas for 12-15 months at a time, I was glad to be gone for a much shorter time.

I left the 82D in 2006 and got transferred to an ROTC teaching assignment in Southern Illinois. The town here is much smaller than I care for, and I am currently in Washington State for 2 months away from my wife working at ROTC training camp, but the assignment is certainly better than many alternatives.

I'm hoping to leave the Army next summer, I want to start a family and I don't want to miss months and years being sent all over the earth. Not sure where I'll end up, But I know there are alot of opportunitites out there.

The Solstice is great. My wife came to the US from Vietnam when she was 18, and never had a nice car, so we ordered one and she's fallen in love with it. Problem I'm having is that putting a hot girl in a hot convertible attracts alot of unwanted attention! I hope she's behaving!

[GreyFox]

I was drafted in 1970 after deferment from a brief 4 yr marriage. Took basic at Ft.knox. I even remember the numbers on my brick barracks...D-16-4. Left for AIT without leave to the armpit of the Army..Fort Puke,Louseyana. While processing in at Polk...chance and destiny surely collided and luck fell down upon me. The SP4 looking through my file was from Indiana as well. We were Hoosier kin...so to speak. He changed my MOS from 11Bravo(Infantry heading to Nam)...to 03C20(uh..Recreation Specialist OJT)(thank you God!).
After 13 weeks of "on the job training",I was transfered to TigerLand(Jungle training) as permanent party. Finishing Drill Sergeant School..I was assigned to an SPC basic training unit(trainees who failed basic...or overweight..underweight inductees). I trained troops untill a few months before being discharged. Returning to Ft. Knox and working in Brigade Headquarters as Post Artist. Released in 1972.
Esprit De Corps

[Gizmo]

This was sent to me by Solstice Forum member Little Red #431:

1) "A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit."
........Army's magazine of preventive maintenance.

2) "Aim towards the Enemy."
........Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher

3) After the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend."
........U.S. Marine Corps

4) Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground."
........USAF Ammo Troop

5) "If the enemy is in range, so are you."
........Infantry Journal

6) "It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."
........U.S. Air Force Manual

7) "Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons."
........General Mac Arthur

8) "Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo."
........Infantry Journal

9) "You, you, and you ... Panic. The rest of you, come with me.
........U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt.

10) "Tracers work both ways."
........U.S. Army Ordnance

11) "Five second fuses only last three seconds."
........Infantry Journal

12) "Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything."
........U.S. Navy Swabbie

13) "Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."
........David Hackworth

14) "If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush."
........Infantry Journal

15) "No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection."
........Joe Gay

16) "Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once."

17) "Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do."
........Unknown Marine Recruit

18) "Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you."
........Your Buddies

19) "If you see a bomb technician running, follow him (and try to keep up with him)."
........USAF Ammo Troop

20) "Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death , I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing."
........At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena, Japan

21) "You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3."
........Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)

22) "The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."

23) "There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky."
........From an old carrier sailor

24) "If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."

25) "When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."

26) "Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club."

27) "What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, ..... The pilot dies."

28) "Never trade luck for skill."

29) The three most common expressions of famous-last-words in aviation are: Why is it doing that?" "Where are we?" And "Oh S...!"

30) "Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers."

31) "Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight."

32) "Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"

33) "Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the purpose of storing dead batteries."

34) "Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."

35) "The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you."
........Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)

36) "A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his plane to its maximum."
........Jon McBride, astronaut

37) "If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible."
........Bob Hoover (renowned aerobatics and test pilot)

38) "Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."

39) "There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime."
........Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis- Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970

49) "If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."

50) Basic Flying Rules:
"Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly beyond the edges."

51) "You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."

52) As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?"
The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!"
........Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)

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[SkySoldier]

Gizmo, thanks for the invitation.

There has been a member of my family in every armed conflict our nation has had from the Civil War to Iraq, except Desert Storm. I had just retired and my son was too young. I joined the Army right out of high school. I went airborne, thinking that this might cure my fear of hights. Wrong. But I proved to myself that nothing will stop me from doing anything I really want to do. Basic at Ft. Knox, Ky, AIT at Ft. Gordon, Ga, as 11C, Indirect Fire Crewman (Mortars). Jump school at Ft. Benning, Ga. Assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate). Short leave, fly to Nam. Assigned to Weapons Platoon, B Co, 2nd Battalion, 503 Infantry Regiment (Airborne). Later assigned as RTO (radio operator) for the Recon Squad. Did fine until Hill 875 outside Dak To. Zigged when I should have zagged. Bad half hour. First hit went through my helmet and burned my scalp. I figured the enemy was trying to get my attention. It worked. 2nd hit was into my right shoulder. I determined they were trying to tell me something. 3rd hit was through my right shoulder. I figured out what they were trying to tell me. Yankee go home. 4th hit was into my left thigh. I was now ready to agree with them.

Before recovering from my wounds enough to return to my unit, came down with Malaria. Temp hit 105. I was not happy. Before recovering enough from that to return to my unit, Red Cross said I could go home. My father was dying of cancer.

Got sent to Drill Sgt Academy at Ft. Jackson, SC. Combat Vet, wounded, decorated, Drill Sgt, not yet old enough to vote (age then was 21 and I was 20). Married a southern belle from SC. First son born. I decided to get out of infantry. Became an Order of Battle Analyst, 96B. Back to Nam. Returned and became a Counterintelligence Agent (97B). First son dies of spinal meningitous at age 5. Same week, birth of identical twin sons. 10 days later one suffers crib death.

Applied for and became Warrant Officer, Counterintelligence Technician. Divorced. My fault. Two years later while assigned to Panama, remarried to a girl who was active duty Army there when we met. Last assignment Writer/Instructor, U.S. Army Intelligence Center And School, Ft. Huachuca AZ. Retired Oct 1990. My Son just made E-7 in the USAF with 13 years in. The average for his MOS (Cop) to make E-7 is about 19 years in. So proud of him it's sinful. He's made about 6 trips to the middle east.

Loved nearly every minute of being in the Army. Miss the comraderie. Respect all who served.

[GXPsy Rose]

My story is not heroic like those others before mine. I grew up military. My father was in the AirForce 28 years, my grandfather in the Navy. I joined the military at the young age of 31, married and a 4yo son. After completing nursing school (2nd career) I was assigned to Jacksonville, FLorida. There I gained experience & knowledge in the Naval Hospital and on my days off I worked at the Level 1 trauma center in Jacksonville to gain even more experience. I went to mass casualty training with Advance trauma life support. I deployed shortly there after to GITMO, to the fleet hospital during the Haitian cuban onslot in GITMO. After 4 months, off to Little Creek, VA to the fleet surgical team assigned to one of the LHA. (i.e. Siapan, Nassau, etc) These are also flattops like the carriers only a little smaller version. We deployed with the fleet on a 6 month cruise to the Med. The LHA not only carried the marines, their tanks, trucks, Harriers & cobras, but also carried C46 helos & LCUs. The medical consisted of 4 surgery suites, 17 bed ICU, 34 bed medical ward that could expand to over 300 beds but 2 surgeons, 1 anesthesiologist, 1 nurse anesthetist, 1 OR nurse, 1 ICU/Trauma nurse (myself) and 12 corpsmen (with various medical training) and than shipboard medical of 1 doctor and 8 + corpsmen. The LHA was the Medical Support Ship for the fleet while on deployment. (Don't confuse this with the Hospital ships ie Mercy & Hope....that's a hospital on the water). We dealt with all kinds of injuries, medical illness during our deployment. Majority of the patients were young 18-23 yrs. Not all came from the fleet ships, some were also from the troops out in the field. What couldn't be handled at the fleet (shore) medical areas, were flown out to us on the ship. I have nothing but very high praise for the corpmen (aka Doc) out in the fields and the wonderful job they do. Just ask any marine what their "Doc" means to them. After almost 8 years and several deployments and a lifetime of experience, I had to leave (in attempt to save my marriage but that didn't work). The ex had a very difficult time with my deployments.....my son on the other hand was very proud. He used to say "my mommy wears combat boots" and sing "I'm proud to be an american" to me prior to every deployment.
So my hat goes off to those who were and still are active duty and the sacrifices that they and their families must endure. Bless them all

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by GXPsy Rose I have nothing but very high praise for the corpmen (aka Doc) out in the fields and the wonderful job they do. Just ask any marine what their "Doc" means to them. .....my son on the other hand was very proud. He used to say "my mommy wears combat boots" and sing "I'm proud to be an american" to me prior to every deployment. So my hat goes off to those who were and still are active duty and the sacrifices that they and their families must endure. Bless them all

I agree with you GXPsy Rose. The GREATEST heroes are the corpmen and medics, they place themselves in danger to rescue the injured and are truly "angels on earth."

But in line right behind them are the medical personnel who snatch the injured from the jaws of death. What greater gift than the gift of life to those who give us the gift of freedom?

Thank you so very much for your service. Your son has good reason to be proud of mommy!



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[Go-N Def]

Originally Posted by Gizmo I agree with you GXPsy Rose. The GREATEST heroes are the corpSmen and medics, they place themselves in danger to rescue the injured and are truly "angels on earth."

Well on that note I guess I can tell my military story, and no, I have not been shot at since before I joined the Navy:

After having been a Paramedic/Firefighter in Roanoke, VA for a few years, I decided to quit and join the military. I went to the Coast Guard first, trying to do Search and Rescue(SAR), but they wouldn't let me do SAR or medicine because I'm partially color blind. So, I went to the Army and the recruter had all these jobs lined up, but said I couldn't do medicine there either! I was loudly expressing my disgust with the Army to some First Sargent for wasting my time, when a Navy recruiter overheard. He said I could do medicine, but tried to get me to do a bunch of other jobs since my ASVAB was particularly high.

So, I joined the Navy in Feb 1996 and went to Great Lakes, IL for boot camp with 3 feet of snow and a 60 below wind chill. After basic, I went to Corps School in Great Lakes and then to Field Medical Service School(FMSS) in Camp Lejeune, NC. FMSS teaches the fundamentals of being stationed with the Marine Corps (The USMC has no medical personnel of their own).

After FMSS, I got stationed with Bravo Co., 3rd Med BN, Camp Hansen, Okinawa (Marine Corps unit) for 2 years. My primary job was the EMS coordinator for the base. While there, I went to Queensland, Australia for 6 weeks and was pommeled by a typhoon that lasted for 4 of those. Medium GP tents are real fun in 90 MPH gusts! I also went on a CARAT float to Brunei, Singapore, Maylasia, and Thiland. (Those stories aren't appropriate for this forum!)

In Jan of 1999, I went to MCAS Cherry Point, NC (Another Marine Corps unit). I deployed with VMAQ-2 over to Aviano, Italy for 5 months in support of bombing the crap out of Kosovo (Operation Knoble Anvil/Allied Force). I lived in tents again, but it wasn't so bad. My work schedule was 24 hours on, 5 days off! Shortly after returning from Italy, I went down to Camp Lejeune for 6 months of work-up for a 3 month cruise around South America, Landing Force UNITAS (Infantry, yea! (not)). All was going well until the ship (USS LaMoure County LST 1149) we were riding on hit the side of a mountain doing 10 knots and almost sank. Can you say, "Dead in the water?" I was stranded in Vina del Mar, Chile for 3 weeks until another ship came to pick us up.

In Feb 2001, I went down to Naval Hospital Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico for 2 years. Living 20 ft from the beach is a MFing Blast! I worked in the ER for the first year, and then taught EMT, EVOC, CPR, ACLS and PALS for the second one. All was fun until my CO tried to send be to Alcohol counsiling because I was at a bar when someone got shot in the parking lot. Filing discrimination charges against her made everything dissappear! LOL!!!

I left the island and headed for San Diego (Spanish for Whale's Vagina) for a year where I attended Surface Force Independant Duty Corps (SF-IDC) School. It was 1 month of EMT (which I slept through and scored second in my class), 8 Months of didactic (with 85 written tests (80% to pass) and 3 oral boards), and 3 months of clinicals. For graduating with a GPA above 91%, I was promoted to E-6.

After IDC School, I went to Chinhae, Korea, where I was the Leading Petty Officer for the clinic there as well as the Active Duty Sickcall Provider. I had a blast there too, living out in town and ignoring the curfew (Its good to know when they are going to patrol certain areas). I also got to take some really cheap vactions to Beijing, China and Sydney, Australia. Fun times!!! So, anyway, I met my first almost fiancee there but she refused to leave Korea and I wasn't about to get married to someone before they knew what they were in for with the military and the US culture for that matter.

I got to my current unit, the Chemical Biological Incedent Responce Force (CBIRF) in May of 2005. It is yet another Marine Corps unit, but unlike any other in the world. Since I've been here, I've gotten to do training that I wouldn't have at any other unit. Stuff like learning Chem Bio response, Structural Colapse Medicine (I can operate a crain and a jackhammer and other construction tools) Battlefield Medicine and much more. They've sent me all over the states and well as Canada 3 times and back down to Vina del Mar, Chile to teach their military WMD Response The only part that sucks is that the likely hood of us deploying in slim to none. I like to say that we're world wide deployable as long as it happens in DC!

The Good news is, that in June of 2008, I'm out of here and headed to Naval Security Force, Bahrain for a year. Its all about the money. With me getting a BIG re-elsistment bonus and everything being tax-free over there, I'll triple my take home pay for that year. I can' wait!!!

Sorry so long, but that covered my (not quite) 12 years as a Navy Corpsman.

[Gizmo]

WOW!!!!

Go-N Def, you've done more in less than 12 years than most of us have done in a lifetime!

When do you find time to drive your Solstice? And what happens to it when you go overseas?

A million thanks for all you do and have done. I'm especially jealous of your trip to South America. Extra time in Chile would have been just fine with me.

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[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by XplosivePlushTo As I read all these stories, it makes me feel better. I joined the Marines in early 2004 and went to boot camp on PI on 02 Aug 04 (yeah, 2 years in this month!). I joined with the intention of going to Iraq, serving my country, and making a difference. Instead, I got the shaft, and was stuck in a training squadron at Cherry Point. To those of you who have done time in the Sandbox, I salute you! Hopefully, by december I'll be part of that crowd. Good luck to all of you that are currently overseas, or will be soon. My best friend from highschool is currently kicking down doors with the Grunts in Ramadi.

We need an update here!

Apparently XplosivePlushToy parked his Solstice for the final time in June 2007 and is now stationed in Iraq.

Perhaps he will post here with more information. You certainly have earned my most honored seven salute:



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[XplosivePlushToy]

Thanks Gizmo.

When I made that post I was completely unaware of when and where I'd be going. Obviously, I didnt make it in December 2006 like I had hoped for, but in the end I still made it out here.

Unfortunately, I didnt land the convoy security billet I was aiming for, but I cant complain. I was sent out as the ground safety manager for the Second Marine Air Wing, so instead of fighting the enemy, I'm helping keep our guys safe from themselves and their working environments. Its definitely an enjoyable job (especially seeing the mishap rate dropping like it has been for the past 3 months).

As for the last part of my post, my buddy and his unit made it back to Lejeune safe and sound. They are currently warming up for another deployment out here (which wouldve been his third) but the docs discovered a rare medical condition he had and he was sidelined.

I should be heading back stateside in Feb, just in time to hit the open roads with the top down in 30* temps.

To everyone else,

[shenvalley]

My son is leaving TODAY for Parris Island! I can hardly believe in another few months, my baby boy will be a US Marine!

I am very proud of him.

[XplosivePlushToy]

Its going to be the longest 13 weeks of his life !

[Gizmo]

A loss of even one of our military personnel is a tragedy. When you look at the total lost in the Iraqi War, yes, way too many.

But we eliminated that tyrant Saddam Hussein, who was a danger to the civilized world, as well as to his own people. Heck, he was even a danger to his own family, having killed his two sons-in-law. What a shame that the people of Iraq choose now to kill each other, aided by militants coming from other countries.

Compare the 3,000+ lost in Iraq to the nearly 50,000 lost in Viet Nam. Now THAT was WAY too many. But we try to do the right thing, we try to help the world because only the US is truly made up "OF THE WORLD."

Listen to this beautiful tribute to those lost in the Viet Nam Conflict:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/singingman7/TNOTW.htm

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[BeerBurner]

Not my story, but my dad's. Some may have seen this on an old Discovery channel Wings episode.

It all started when his draft number came up in the late 60's. He basically had a choice... get drafted into the Army or join one of the other branches. He decided to join the Air Force, because he figured he'd be safer in the air than on the ground, and because the Air Force recruiter promised that by the time he was done with flight training, the war in Vietnam would be over.

He spent two years flying as a navigator on AC-130A gunships. He enjoyed those aircraft and developed a fondness for the C-130 airframe, which he would end up spending a lot of time in over his USAF career. But after his two tours, they retrained him as an electronic warfare officer in the big-bellied B-52D. It was an uneventful assignment, until his 52nd mission.

Late at night, on December 18th, 1972, his B-52 took off from U-Tapao airbase in Thailand on the first night of Operation Linebacker II, the unrestricted bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong Harbor. His B-52, designated Rose 1, was the lead bomber in the 3-aircraft "Rose" cell, and his target was Radio Hanoi. They were going in with the second wave of bombers that night.

After delivering the 108-bomb payload to the target, his B-52 began it's post-target turn to return home. Unfortunately, Rose 1 had not yet been updated with the newer electronic countermeasure equipment, and the aircraft's bank left a window in the electronic defense. Located within that window was a North Vietnamese SA-2 site, that launched two SA-2s. The first one, apparently set for command detonation, barely missed the aircraft, streaking up between the wing and tail. The tail gunner made a comment over the intercom "That's close enough." Those would be the last words anyone would hear from him.

The second SA-2 struck Rose 1 on the left wing, knocking out power, communication, and rupturing fuel tanks. My father, unsure of the status of the aircraft hesitated, until he noticed that he was surrounded by fire. He did not wait for the bail-out command and ejected from the aircraft.

His helmet was blown off during the ejection and he free-fell through that Hanoi night, and possibly through an escorting flight of F-4s. When he hit the ground, he ditched his parachute and gun. He knew that he was not going to shoot his way out of there with a .38 revolver and 40 bullets and figured that being unarmed would make him less threatening when he would eventually get captured. He holed himself up in a rice paddy, only to realize that, upon daylight, his sea marker dye had opened up and he was sitting in a huge, mint green puddle.

Upon capture, he was brought in to interrogation. He actually messed with the interrogators a bit. My father, being native-born german, could speak german fluently and managed to momentarily convince them that he was actually an exchange pilot from the Luftwaffe. That may have saved him, because apparently, no other B-52 electronic warfare officers shot down over Hanoi ever came home, fueling suspicions that they were sent off to the USSR. Or so I've heard, anyway...

After the war ended, my father, along with the pilot, co-pilot and bombadier, came home with the last batch of POW returnees. The tail gunner and navigator were listed as Missing in Action until the crash site was excavated in the mid-90s. The navigator was buried in his hometown in Louisiana, and the tail gunner is at Arlington National Cemetary, his funeral including a fly-over by a B-52.

Rose 1 still lays in the lake where it landed, with portions of the fuselage and landing gear poking out of the water.




I do thank all of you who have served.

BB.

[Gizmo]

WOW, what a story, BeerBurner. Thank you so much for sharing. And please tell your dad that a lot of us here on the Solstice Forum are very grateful for his service.



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