Military Memories!

[TMF]

1992-1993, I was a parachute rigger at the airborne school at Ft. Benning, GA. Echo Co. 1/507th. Me and the 1SG absolutely hated each other. I had my reasons, he had his.  I was able to get a state side swap on my time, my dime and I ended up at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA.  I loaded up my VW and hit the road.  Life was looking good. (So I thought).  After the standard few days at Ft. Stewart inprocessing, I ended up at Hunter Army Airfield to my new unit. Oh, I got the FNG treatment that weekend and people are feeling me out and testing me as standard procedure requires with any outsiders.
 
I report to the rigger shed the next duty day and the Chief Warrant Officer wanted me in his office. (Standard, welcome to the platoon and all that) So I thought, "Sit right here", CID is on their way from Ft. Stewart to get you. Oh SH*T!  There was an intentional malfunction with a parachute a few days after I left Ft. Benning and since my friendship with the 1SG was well known, everyone interviewed just knew I was the guy that did it. So here I am at a new duty station, I don't know anyone, everyone is told to stay away from me because of the attempted murder investigation. Good times.
 
Polygraph test, handwriting analysis, questioning after questioning.  I did not sleep much, lost weight and my stress meter was pegged for quite a while. They got the guy that did it a few months later, but even after I was cleared of any wrong doing, I was always, "That guy". I spent 2 years there and just recently went back to Savannah for a few days after leaving in Aug 1995. Things have changed down there, but I did not visit Hunter Airfield. I'm still pissed off about that and it was 18 years ago.

And people still ask me why I hated jumping static line so much. They had one about 10 years ago in the Marine Corps where a rigger was cutting suspension lines on the chutes he packed. I don't put a lot of faith in people in general, but when it comes to trusting my life to a lower enlisted guy who I have likely never met it makes me nervous. For all I know the guy's wife just left him and he's facing UCMJ for various offenses.

[Guest MilitiaMan]

Was not in  the military but I worked in the Club on  Ft.McClellan from 96 to 99 and we catered and set up alot of graduation dinners for Officers and Enlisted.We also did the various Balls  for the Marines and Army..

 

I worked for a retired ( I think) Col..his name was Buckner..he was one of the best people to work for..I hated to leave that place when it shut down

Anyway...We had to cook for a lot  of people back then and I remember having to cook so much chicken and different stuff ,it was insane. Sometimes the sheer volume of food was crazy  But I loved it..Thaat place was always a place you loved to work at.

We did  alos a lot of Thanksgiving dinner and brunches on Easter Sunday..And the food was good..

 

I was at McClellan in '95. US Army, NBC

[Dennis1209]

Reading one of your posts brought back another forgotten memory...

 

Prior to boot camp I was in what was called "reception station" for 4-5 days before I got assigned to a basic training company. Got issued our fatigues, name tags, TA-50, etc. and did all our paper work in processing. Three hots and a cot, not much to do, cool gear... Hey, I'm really, really going to like this Army service thing! Even got a request form to fill out for where you would like to be stationed. I believe I put down Hawaii and Alaska if I remember correctly?

 

Finally on the 4th or 5th day we were told we were leaving for our on base training barracks and meeting our drill instructors (D.I.'S), formation in front, now. Loaded into the buses and took the short ride to our destination. Buss stops in front of some nice new barracks and a half dozen of these neat looking guys in crisp O.D. green fatigues wearing nice Smokey the Bear hats are standing there looking at us. Hey, this military life sure agrees with me.

 

24 hours later... What the hell have I got myself into :ugh:

[Patton]

It has been slightly over 10 years since I was walking around the reception station. While it was not a bad 4 or 5 days, it was miserable. I had never had do much time to think about life, love, family, and just why I was there. Looking back I understand but yet I still don't.

[Punisher84]

Another Fort Knox guy here. 63J was my MOS. I enjoyed the time I was in. Getting hurt and medically discharged pissed me off, but life goes on.

[enfield]

"Nice, new barracks" - mine were always the old yellow wood buildings from WWII:  Ft. Polk, Ft. Knox, Ft. Benning, Camp Drum, Camp Shelby - all the same.

[Moped]

We had brick dormitory style buildings at Ft. Dix.  When I got to Ft. Belvior, we were in the old WWII style barracks.  Jeez what fire hazards!!!  I hated the reception station.  Had to be the longest 5 days of my life.  I picked up the smoking habit there, just to relieve boredom.

[Dennis1209]

"Nice, new barracks" - mine were always the old yellow wood buildings from WWII:  Ft. Polk, Ft. Knox, Ft. Benning, Camp Drum, Camp Shelby - all the same.

 

Yep, they were not even a year old yet, I lucked out, sort of? Prior to those new ones, it was those fire hazard ones from WWII or the metal quonset huts you were assigned.

 

My basic training was in December - January (dead of winter) and bad cases of spinal meningitis were epidemic. We has to keep both windows open "exactly" six inches for ventilation, use three of our TA-50 pup tent poles and our second green wool blanket as a cough / sneeze barrier around our bunk. Now that I think about it, it sometimes really got cold in the room with only one wool blanket.

 

Reminds me of the first time I prank-ed my room mate short sheeting his bunk and standing out in formation in the 8 degree weather watching it rain mattresses out the windows :usa:

 

But those are stories best told over a beer at the VFW hall :rofl:

[Sea_Dog]

Right after Boot Camp in Great Lakes in 1979 I shipped to Memphis TN for my advanced "A" school. I was at the barracks checking in and was told by the CPO that I was on a waiting list for a start of my school, and I was to report to the Supply office at 0700 the next day. I thought this was strange as most of the E-2's were going to the Mess Hall for duty.

 

 So I show up to the supply compound and was sent to the PO of receiving. Walking into the office I find what I thought was a civilian sitting at the desk wearing shorts, t-shirt and ball cap only to find out this was the PO I am to report to. He takes one look at me and says that I need to change out of the uniform and into civilian clothing because we are going into town to pick up some furniture. So we take a covered 5 ton into Memphis, get the furniture loaded and start back to the Base, but not before stopping for drinks at a local dive. So 4 hours later we are back on Base and I ask him were we are taking this stuff and he says the “CO’s Office”!

 

 We get there and only the CO’s admin is in and we start unloading the goods, and I got to tell you I was happy the CO was gone.

 

 As we were leaving I told the PO that I did not like the idea of having drinks and then showing up at the CO’s Office, and he starts laughing and says not to worry, the CO is his Father in Law.

 

Good times.

 

USN Retired

Edited March 13, 2013 by Sea_Dog

[173rdABN]

Not a great story teller.

But I was in the 173rd ABCT 2/503 Battle Company from 06-09. Got hurt during our 07-08 deployment by an AGS-17. Was the best time of my life. Thankfully I work with some of my old battle buddies I served with at my current job over seas. Nice to have a group of brothers still fighting along side each other.

Best part of the new Army, no KP duty. Sorry old timers. Haha

Edited because I can't spell on my iPad, and autocorrect doesn't help. Edited March 13, 2013 by 173rdABN

[TMF]

Best part of the new Army, no KP duty. Sorry old timers. Haha

No way, what kinda chickensh** outfit they runnin on Sand Hill now?!?

[R1100R]

FT Knox also A-18-4 in 1976 . Drill Sergeant at FT Jackson from 83-85.

 

I still hate trainees to this day!!  LOL 

Edited March 13, 2013 by R1100R

[EMB145]

FT Knox also A-18-4 in 1976 . Drill Sergeant at FT Jackson from 83-85.

 

I still hate trainees to this day!!  LOL 

Bringing an old thread back to life....

 

To all drill instructors out there, how in hell did you do and say the things you did and keep a straight face? 

Edited December 31, 2013 by EMB145

[Patton]

I can't believe I didn't share more of my stories, flash back to December of 2002 at Ft Leonard Wood. I was in basic with this loud mouth, ugly gal from Brooklyn. No one including the DS could say something without her voicing her opinion. Oh, did I mention she was ugly? Anyway, one day we all get called out to the company area for a head count. The DS count everyone about three times and they are running around like crazy, we had no clue what was going on. MPs and CID start showing up by the dozens, now they are running around back and forth between my company and the company next door. We over hear a DS talking to another DS and hear him say, "****** Drill Sergeant Palmer *** ********* ** ** what a ********* idiot".
We go up to the kill zone and one of our DS tells us the DS from the company over got caught screwing private "ugly" and that they had went AWOL.

[Patton]

Sea_Dog, I got to Hawaii as a MP in 2003 and was working a gate with a cool, laid back Specialist. It was my 1st week and he was telling me a few tips, pointers, and stories. I told him. "I heard about that stupid private that got caught screwing the SGM's daughter in the back of the patrol car. He must be scrubbing toilets somewhere right now but truthfully should be in jail". Later that same night the specialist cute wife comes by to talk to him and bring some lunch. She hangs out for a few minutes and leaves, she comes back through the gate but she is with our SGM. SGM says hi and calls the specialist by his first name. The car leaves, I say to the specialist, "That's weird". The specialist says, "No, it took a few months but he got over what happened in the patrol car".