US Army 1971-1973 (volunteered for the Draft- may as well, couldn't get a good job as 1A, draft was officially "on hold") Texas Nat'l Guard '73-'76, Beaumont, Tx Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, Basic Ft Sill, OK ; Arty 105's, Alert Orders for Nam, then Nixon started pullout so was sent across base to train as a Weapons mechanic on M110, M109. Feb 10 '72 to May 24, '73 - sent to Augsburg, GE 1/36 FA M110s (8 inch arty) -retrained OJT in FDC, last 10 mos as Pts Clerk/ Motorpool. ETS in '73, stuck in Annual Trng, Texas nat'l Guard (M109s) until '76 In GE, it was the Blacks/Puerto Ricans( 75% of Reese kasern) against the Whites/Chicano (25%). Funny thing was, we all got along great UNTIL the Army decided we need a "Race Relations Class". Unfortunately, it was taught by an Angry Black Man Colonel. It stirred up a hornets nest, big...boogie...time! I just wanted to get along...no dice. After hours, if you went outside, you had to travel in groups of at least 3 to keep from getting your ribs kicked in. It was so bad I tried to volunteer to be transferred to Nam. Couldn't do it...was a 2 yr waiting list, so many wanted out. Baader-Meinhoff gang was blowing crap up in Augsburg; We missed our Track & Field events we had tickets for ('72 Olympics 45 min train ride away in Munich) when the Arabs killed the Israeli team. We also were "close" to using/or being hit by Tactical Nukes during the Easter Offensive over in Nam (April, '72)...Warsaw Pact always massed on the Border when there was a big push in Nam. It was a "Stand-Off, Balance of Power" thing...We read about and were heartbroken when Barbarella went Traitor and became Hanoi Jane! Booo! Hisss! Skank! We still 'enjoyed" REFORGER though, running all over GE, playing war games with NATO for 9 days each year. I loved/hated the place, if that makes sense. When I got home I found so many of my relatives, old friends/acquaintances ( I stopped counting after 50!) had been killed/shot all to hell over in Nam...I felt guilty that I had NOT gone to Nam myself! Crazy...but has haunted me for years. On the Bright side- one of my twin daughters (born in '74) spent 12yrs (2000-2012) in the full time Utah Air Guard as a Spanish Linguist for the Spooks. She spent a month over in bagram, A-Stan (which "torqued me up") She married a Marine who spent two tours in Iraq in First Force Recon ( great guy too!) I'm very proud of my Service, I later tried to join as a Chaplain ( I'm an Ordained Minister now, 30yrs) but was too old at the time. Oh well...:)
US Navy 1975 - 1980. Honorably Discharged. I had a tiny little bit of ucmj trouble after a great night... that somehow turned into a great week. Then I found myself hungover, broke and hitch hiking back to my ship from 3 tick infested states away. I paid the month long penalty given me at Captain's mast with a smile. I still smile about it.
The draft ended 2 weeks before I turned 19. Almost all my friends got called and I had some shame when the draft ended. I never once thought about going to Canada. I was 15 in 1969 and remember how mad I got at the lousy hippies spitting on my friends and other guys coming back and calling them baby killers. Even back then the cronkites and other assorted media vermin were televising this kind of stuff in an effort to popularize leftist ideals. It made me as sick then as it does now and my first vote was for Richard M. Nixon in 1972. I hung out for a few years but I felt like scum about not having enlisting yet. I enlisted in the Navy and wound up having to get on the bus to Buffalo on opening day of Whitetail season 1975. I did boot at Great Lakes and A school at Treasure Island and San Diego. I eventually became a shipfitter on a sub tender with most of my time spent fabricating low security steel items and installing them on fast attack subs. I was never aboard a sub while at sea.
Thank you, Combat Guys, from the bottom of my heart.
When you argue with an idiot nobody can tell the difference.
USAF 1997-2018 Weather Forecaster/Observer After several deployments, and then spending 6 years at Elmendorf as "deployed in place" I am now a contractor in Afghanistan. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.
USA Lifer 1969-1998 10th SFG (ABN) 7th SFG (ABN) 5th SFG (ABN)-Vietnam-MACVSOG SOG/CCN/SMAG 71-72 (Khe Sanh-ICorps Quang Tri Launch site) Combat Diver Special Forces Underwater Opns Course Trained under CAPT Paul Cahill-who led the CCS harchet force into Cambodia in 1969- Cross the fence op losing Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver. One of the best recon Green Berets ever-MIA-1969. Went to the Navy Support Facility-Panama City, FL-for July 4th 2016. Navy dive instructors were shocked to see me diving and spearing fish. Thought Jacques Costeau was still breathing tank air............
De Oppresso Liber The only easy day was yesterday. Marriott-0-5/RET
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena-not the critic"-T. Roosevelt There are no atheists in fox holes or in the open doors of a para's aircraft.....
Skipped school around the 3rd of Jan 1978 at 17 years old and joined the Army, only made it a little over 26 years before retiring as a MSG. Only planned on doing 20 years and making it to SFC so I guess I did ok.
I don't want a pickle, I just wanna ride my motorcycle
USAF 1968-72 basic at Lackland AFB Tech School at Chanute AFB, Rantoul, IL Permanent Party station at Mather AFB, Rancho Cordova, CA (Strategic Air Command) 320 AMMS attached to the 320th Bomb Wing
Retired aerospace management 2009 Fairchild Republic -commercial aviation General Defense -Army Artillery Projectiles, 105 and 155 mm Martin Marietta first, then merger came -Lockheed Martin, military aircraft, missiles, GE thrust reversers, Navy VLS, then last 20 years on the Space Shuttle Program
Great career.
Last edited by oneoneshot; 01/27/19. Reason: addition
Jim here USMC OCS USAF retired, 1987-2013, O-6 Trash hauler and gas passer Vance AFB McChord AFB Reese AFB Fairchild AFB Maxwell AFB Randolph AFB Maxwell AFB Randolph AFB Kabul Afghanistan Lackland AFB Lost track of all the operations, but Japan, Thailand, Korea, Philippines, Panama, Bosnia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Iraq, and pins in every continent, finally connected East to West and North to South Sq Command, 99FTS Vice Wing, 438AEW Commandant, DLI English Language Center
Jim here USMC OCS USAF retired, 1987-2013, O-6 Trash hauler and gas passer Vance AFB McChord AFB Reese AFB Fairchild AFB Maxwell AFB Randolph AFB Maxwell AFB Randolph AFB Kabul Afghanistan Lackland AFB Lost track of all the operations, but Japan, Thailand, Korea, Philippines, Panama, Bosnia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Iraq, and pins in every continent, finally connected East to West and North to South Sq Command, 99FTS Vice Wing, 438AEW Commandant, DLI English Language Center
Happily enjoying life as a retired bum!
Welcome to the Campfire Colonel. Wishing you a good long retirement.
My dad retired an O 6 in 1974 after 26 years of service, and then spent 22 years with the State Dept from 1976 to 1998. Sadly he has entered the early stages of Alzheimers, and is now going into an assisted living facility after my mom's passing on Jan 5 th of this year. Life comes full circle in the end... but I am looking at it as he has enjoyed 45 years now of life after putting in a 26 year career in the Air Force.
SAC, Korea, Vietnam, TAC were all of his service duties during his time in. And as you, he served all over the globe.
Hope the Good Lord grants you a long enjoyable retirement as he has enjoyed.
Thank you for your service to our nation.
cheers and best regards seafire
"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC
“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
62-65 USA, after basic,101st, 5th SF. Bragg, 82nd. Did a short stint in the Dominican. Conformed to the system, meet a lot of good guys, had a very good experience.
I do not like to be "Thank You`d" for my service. It was my pleasure. Service should be expected from a good citizen.
67-98 5th(MACVSOG)-7th SF Gp(ABN)-10th SF Gp(ABN) HQDA-1st SOCOM-Key West Underwater Operations-72 De Oppresso Liber
Khe Sanh-1971 (CCN)
__________________________________________________ Islamic refugees DO NOT assimilate, integrate, or adjust. Chattanooga and the Boston Marathon bombing are the Muslim views of adaptation to the West
The USA should be a NO-GO area for Islamic populations. Molon Labe
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena-not the critic"-T. Roosevelt There are no atheists in fox holes or in the open doors of a para's aircraft.....