How many Vererans do we have?

[Paul B]

I know there must be a bunch of Veterans here.
Have any interesting stories? Not combat related being this is a fish site.
Being a Nam Vet, I don't know much about the Gulf war or the living conditions. I know a bunch of you guys and girls have been there. What did you eat, where did you live, what did you do most of the time?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Paul

 

[JimmyR1rider]

I did 4 years and remember about 4 months of it lol. Was never deployed but we trained like maniacs in the field and in the bars.

 

[Paul B]

After basic was fun. For the rest of the year I was stationed around the country and my most important thing was picking up girls. I can't get into much of that here but here is about my basic training.
I know there are a bunch of us here that were in the service, even you staterside guys must have some stories.

I was a smart A__ 19 year old kid tough guy from New York and I thought I was the coolest thing.
I got out of that in a few minutes.
The tough guys don't look tough with no hair and your big ears sticking out, especially when you all are wearing the same outfit that does not fit very well.
My first day of basic we were all loaded on a cattle truck made for about 20 cows, there were about 100 of us in there, my feet didn't even touch the floor. When we stopped and they threw us out, there were a dozen drill instructors in very good shape screaming in our faces so loud I thought they were going to eat us.
Don't forget, you don't know anyone and you are just out of high school.
They ran us all over the place and if someone dropped, we had to drag them.
After a while we stopped and lined up for more screaming. I started laughing a little because I thought this was rediculous and the drill Sargeant saw me and draggged me out in front of everyone to ask me what was so funny. He said you must be one of those NY tough guys. Then he said "what do you tough guys in NY do? Climb walls?
I said" In NY we have elevators." That was the wrong answer and I had to run around the barracks all night. The rest of the guys got up at 4:00 am, I was still dragging myself around the barracks from the night before. I learned not to be a smart A__ after that.
A lot of guys say, I wouldnt take that. Yes you would because the drill Sgt's would beat the hell out of you and I don't care how big you are. They were all right back from Nam and not all warm and fuzzy. After they beat the hell out of you, you go to jail and peel potatoes and clean greese traps 19 hours a day. Jail time does not count as Army time and it extends your time in the service.
In basic we were never allowed to walk except Sunday morning. If you had to go ten feet, you had to run.
Every day was a class, either hand to hand combat, shooting, bayonettes, chamoflage etc.
You had to run to these places for the classes. The classes were placed farer away each day so by the last week in basic the rifle range was 22 miles away, guess how you got there, and back with a full pack, a rifle and boots?

Breakfast every day consisted of getting thrown out of bed at about 4:00 am, then fall out for inspection at 4:10. You had to make your bed, shower and shave in that time.
After inspection which you almost always invariable failed, you low crawled to breakfast through a 100' mud pit. It was just as it sounds, a stream of mud. The drill Sgts would run alongside and push your head down in the mud with their foot. If you did not have enough mud on your face, you did it again. Then you went through the parallel bars, push ups, jumping jacks and screaming. You then stood at attention until you ate. You had 3 minutes exactly to eat then it was time for exercize. After exercize you ran through a shower and started your day of training, what ever that was.
If after 8 weeks, you did not pass basic, you went to the Doon Platoon.
Those guys just ran all day carrying telephone polls. 4 guys to a poll. They did that until they lost enough weight to take Basic over again. Some guys did die and some got out on medical discharges.
I don't know how basic is now but I would like to.

 

[cisco1717]

i was in 3rd ranger batt. fort benning GA. then a sniper instructor for 2nd 29th co.

 

[jerl77]

god bless you all and thanks you bye the way :inlove:

 

[xclusive252]

Well let's see I did basic training at paris island in august of 2000. After marine corps boot camp which at the time I though was hell was over I was sent to marine combat training in n.c. Where we learned how to use most of the guns the marine corps had. Then off to my school in 29 palms California for a few months. 29 palms was ok besides it's in the desert lol. Then off to my unit in n.c. Again. I did go over seas to Iraq and served my country but I am sure it is nothing compared to the veterans of nam or Korea or the world wars for those veterans I truly am honered to have the chance and serve my country and join the same branch of service some of you all did and I never quit or ever said I can't because I new if you all did it there with less then what I had then I am not gonna insult you vets by quitting so I am saying thank you for serving and giving me the chance to serve.

Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[beerfish]

Former C141-B Cargo Aircraft Loadmaster, U.S.A.F

 

[Paul B]

I remember training in AIT (advanced Infantry Training) and we were learning what to do in a gas attack. They gave everyone one of those huge needles that you are supposed to push against your leg and a needle comes out and injects you with the antidote.
So they yelled "GAS" and everyone stuck this thing in their leg. Everyone but me, I was born at night but not last night. I stuck it in a tree, broke the needle off then put it on my leg and screamed. Like I am going to stick that thing in my leg. Duh.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I went to military school for 4 years, graduated as the second highest ranked cadet in the corp. before going on to the ARMY for a year when I got a West Point prep scholarship. Paul, I can tell you back in '98 basic was nothing like what it was when you were there. Litigation makes everyone nervous and I remember taking my BDU blouse off at one point and getting yelled at. Apparently, we weren't allowed to just wear the T-shirt without the blouse because "the sight of our erect nipples might offend some females on base". I do remember eating 3 huge meals with just a few minutes for each and still losing weight and getting ripped to hell while still going to sleep starving.

We were woken up one night at 1am to go do the night infiltration course... good times. Mounted M-60s fired from 3 towers at the other end firing live ammo just over 4' above your head if you were standing. Flares parachuting down and tracers flying by from everywhere. They were also setting off 2.5lbs of TNT to simulate artillery nearby artillery strikes. They were buried in pits and blocked off by 2 rings of wooden barricades but they still felt like you got hit by a truck each time they went off.

Several days of FTXs where if you got 15 minutes of sleep at a stretch you were lucky. The butt of an M16A2 can be used as a pillow should you be tired enough to not care.

Combat movement course was covered in the nastiest mud you can imagine. It was a beautiful day and yet the entire course was SOAKED. They had big hoses setup at the barracks when we got back to hose us down before we could go back inside and change for dinner. The bus ride back to the barracks smelled like what I'd imagine a livestock trailer would smell like if it was never cleaned.

The first day we got our haircuts and the drill sergeant that took my group over looked at me and for some reason I said "If I look stupid my mom is going to come down here and find you". He laughed but still made me go first and run until everyone was done.

The gas chamber was also a good time. CS is stronger than tear gas and they burn it in a small closed room. it's also powder based so it clings to your clothes and even though ALL the DIs made a point of telling us not to wash the uniforms we wore in the gas chamber with our boxers or Tshirts, some people did (not me)... with hilarious repercussions. Spoiler: it burns all over again.

I ended up in an Air Defense Artillery unit with a bunch of Avengers, just stingers, no patriots.

There's also the stories I can't or really shouldn't repeat lol. I was also, never deployed.

 

[Paul B]

Lfsmarineguy, I remember that in basic where you had to crawl around as live fire was flying over your head and the stuff was blowing up. It was actually good training because I did get to experience it for real quite a few times.
Anyway once in Nam
I was supposed to go to this place called Nui Ba Din which was a base on top of a steep mountain. It was an Air Force Base and I was to bring back to the LZ a pick up truck that we wanted to use to bring our garbage to the tree line. My Luitanent pilot flew me out there in a LOH (light observation helocopter) and I would get the truck and go back on the CH47
That would also bring the truck.
Before I went I took money from a few guys to buy beer from the Air Force. (it wasn't real money, we used MPC which was like Monopoly money and when it got wet, the colors ran and it fell apart) They had everything because they had planes, like Duh.
I had to weigh the truck so they knew how many troops we could fit inside the CH47
(large two rotor helocopter used for carrying things)
After I weighed the truck, I took it and loaded it with fifty or so cases of beer and covered it with a tarp.
I couldn't tell the helocopter pilot that I filled the truck with beer or I would have to split it with them.
Now the truck was much heavier but they loaded it under the CH47 on a sling and we took off. As we went past the edge of this high mountain, we started to lose altitude and the two door gunners were trying to cut the truck loose. I yelled at them saying, thats my truck, what are you doing. I didn't realize we were overloaded.
The truck let go and fell away from us but we were to low and the front rotor started to hit the trees and we went down. No one got hurt but we had to walk back up the mountain. Those things crashed all the time.
I called my pilot on the radio and told him we had a problem. Most of the beer was his.
We made three trips there at night with his LOH with no lights to get the beer.
A LOH can't carry to much at a time.
But it all worked out, except for that helocopter.
I guess they recovered it as it was not too damaged. :shhh:

 

[lfsmarineguy]

The OH-6 or are you talking about the Bell 47? Did you guys get the beer back a six pack at a time lol?

I just remembered, there was one day when I was at Fort Knox. It was really overcast and the cloud cover was really low. We were out in front of the barracks and we could hear Apaches flying around and some tanks firing at one of the ranges there. There was a general around somewhere and they were doing a review I think. Next thing I knew 2 Apaches rolled down from the clouds and both opened up with their 2.5" rockets down the same range the tanks were at. It was amazing. It's easy to understand why in the first Iraq war the Iraqi military was surrendering to lone Apaches out on patrol.

 

[Imbarrie]

I was a flight mech on C130 in the Marines flying out of NC. We refueled other planes in flight as well as flying communication boxes around and dropping para troopers and low altitude cargo extraction. That last one is insane when it's 20 feet off the ground.

I went to the first gulf war the day after Kuwait was taken. There were no bases set up so we set up ops at Bahrain int airport. When others were living in tents we were staying at the Bahrain Hilton. Pools and volleyball courts. The bars were crazy.
We flew around the clock supplying bombers with fuel to hit targets in Iraq. We were raining bombs on them for weeks.
It was amazing seeing it all come together. Being in the suck wasn't the same after I got back to the Inspections and training. It didn't seem real.
And now I hate to fly. I'm convinced I used up all my luck over Iraq.

Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[PeterD]

Wow you guys are actually awesome I want to go to West Point or Annapolis when i get out of High school but my mom doesn't want my to do anything with the military I also said I wanted to join the Marines so she might of not liked that idea. I have so much respect for anyone that has served. :usa1:

 

[nyc reefer]

Basic Training 1988 Ft. Dix

Delta Company- 5th Battalion- 26th Infantry- 3rd Platoon, erraahhh!!!!

 

[lfsmarineguy]

PeterD, it's definitely not a decision to be taken lightly. It wasn't a path I had even thought about until I went to military school and was in contact with retired and active duty vets from vietnam up to the first Iraq war on a daily basis. Some of the best teachers and mentors I ever had. I loved my time in and had it not been for some circumstances at the time I'd have probably made it a career, but it's definitely not for everyone. Talk to some people and do your research. I doubt you will find too many people with something negative to say about their time in.

If you have questions about applying to a service academy I'll tell you what I know but I applied back in '98 so it's changed some since then, I'm sure. What year are you anyway?

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Ok well I guess Ill say a little about my job then. AIT for me was awesome- long but awesome- felt like I was in a halfway house lol was there for 17 weeks and 3 days, plus a few after graduation until we got our assignments.

Did my basic at Ft. Jackson S.C. then did my AIT at Ft. Gordon GA. I was in communications- 31 series- 31F. We supported brigade level units with encrypted land lines through MSE-Mobile Subscriber Equipment. It was almost like a 1/2 and 1/2 network- we gave them landlines that the data passed through line of sight radio shots with 15 meter antennas we set up and radio shot with switching shelters on the back of Humvees.

We were the first ones to do the VTC video teleconferencing and have a digital network that is now used in standard practice. If you look up U.S. Army Force XXI it was the 4TH ID at Ft. Hood- we got all the comm equipment bugs that the company brass from GTE and Sisco and Siemens couldnt get going with the shelters we had to work, and the tankers at that time were the ones that fielded, tested, gave feedback and helped the Army fine tune- the M1A2's when they were first intoduced and before they went Army wide.

We were locked down from deployments and from leaving Ft.Hood as in reassignments until Force XXI was concluded and the newest equipment was fielded in full. Was supposed to go to Korea for my last 14 months but the orders got deleted- thank god because it was the only place I didnt want to go.

Sadly though my unit was deactivated after they returned from a tour in Iraq. They were lucky- the unit only lost 1 soldier and since finding out Ive had weird dreams of the barracks like I was still there. Was the first time something that I along with my fellow guys in the unit put our blood sweat and tears into and it just got tossed away after the Army got all the equipment and had it working in combat. But hey thats what happens when a service goes modular I guess.

Let us never forget or become absent minded about the men and women fighting for us as we read, type and edit these posts and go about our daily freedoms that come at a hefty price- for freedom is anything but free.


I and most of us were lucky enough to have fun during our enlistment- these "kids" right now are lucky enough to get shot at and worry about being blown up each time they pass a pile on the side of the road over there everyday.


Sorry bout the novel but if anyones interested heres a page of info about the unit. R.I.P 124th--

www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/124sig.htm

 

[Paul B]

Being I was a Sgt with no one in charge of me and I had access to a small helocopter I used to fly all over the country. There was no laws and you could go anywhere so we used to visit our friends in different locations. The beers we rarely got were Coors 3.2 beer it hardly had any alcohol in it but it was beter than the muddy water. We ate C rations most of the time. They are small cans of food that were put in the can the year before I was born. There were 12 meals but they were not all edible, you could not eat the ham and eggs, it was just bad. They would also come with 4 cigarettes, very stale and a small package of cocoa. The cocoa powder was usually just a pouch of bug parts, I guess bugs got in there and ate the powder then laid eggs.
Sometimes if we were going to stay a while we would get powered eggs. They were pretty good. The spaghetti in the can looked like white Jello, you had to open the top and bottom of the can and push it out. It wasn't in strands any more from all the time in a can.
But it kept you alive.
For about 6 months it rained, very hard. You got used to it and just drank water where it fell. We also had no underwear, it would rot because we never dried.
Of course there was no electric or phones. When it got dark, especially during monsoons, you could not walk because you could not see 2 feet.
We lived for letters from home.
I quit smoking there and I was smoking a lot, we had so many cigarettes I used to fill sandbags with them. The cigarette companies would supply plenty of cigarettes for free. Everything was free because we had almost no money because there was no place to buy anything. It was always just a clearing in a jungle.
I went out to get the mail once from a LOH helocopter and I was talking to my pilot friend. It was about fifty yards from the berm which was sandbags about a foot high. A sniper started to fire at the helocopter, and me so I picked up the mail bag and started to run back toward the berm. I was afraid to drop the mail because it was a large bag and I figured it would protect my back. I made it to the sandbags and dropped down. I started spitting all this black tar out of my nose and mouth.
Thats the moment I quit smoking.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Thank you all for everything you have done for our country. I admire each and every one of you for your service.

 

[PeterD]

@lfsmarineguy I know I have been thinking about for about a year now and I do take it very seriously it just some of my friends and family who don't because they do not believe i will do anything.

 

[Paul B]

I and most of us were lucky enough to have fun during our enlistment- these "kids" right now are lucky enough to get shot at and worry about being blown up each time they pass a pile on the side of the road over there everyday.

I think of our service people every day. I know all about getting shot at and I know what they are going through.
I am purposely trying not to post real war stories on here.
A fish forum may not be the correct place.