From the Soldier side: Sorry, no digital images, since all I had in those days was a crappy little 110 film camera. When I was in the Regular Army, I made a small mistake at my enlistment....I failed to get the dude to put in writing what job I was going to get. Guess what job I got...
US Army Infantry, Indirect Fire Crewman: MOS 11C10. I thought I was going to get something that at least matched my IQ, I mean hell, I could actually read and write! After basic training, I was off to Fort Polk, LA. The swamps of the US, or as we called it...the asshole of America. What a hot, muggy, shitty place. I hated it the second I got off the plane.
Of course, being that I was from California, I got messed with by the drill sergeants all the time. I learned to ignore it. I figured that they were jealous because I could both read and write. They couldn't. Am I worried about any of them reading this blog? Nope, cause none of them could read. I'm safe.
My drill sergeants were all Nam Vets....some with more than one tour. They were tough and hard, even though they couldn't read, they did teach me to survive in the field.... stuff I still use today as a cop.
I learned how to set up the old 81mm mortar very quick. I could set up the rounds, screw in the fuse, set the charges and drop it down the tube with my eyes closed. ....and a few times I did.
We also learned all the other weapons the grunts used.
After grunt school, I was sent to Germany for assignment. I got to Frankfurt and they asked me where I wanted to be stationed. I looked at the map of Germany and I saw a little city all by it's self...West Berlin...over 100 K into East Germany. I thought that would be a really cool place to go.
To be cont.
2 comments:
1. Was a proud graduate of Tigerland about five years before you.
2. In those days everybody stateside was a Nam vet and nothing was thought of it.
3. The company NCO's, who did almost all of our training, pretty much went through the motions. If you got it, fine. If you didn't, that was your hard luck.
4. The one thing I really needed, that I didn't get good at was map reading.
5. Every body in my company got orders to VN except six of us who got orders to airborne school and then VN.
6. Thought blousing my Dress A's and wearing corks would look cool.
7. The tone for my 8 weeks at 11B school was set by the warning we trainee squad and platoon leaders were given: nobody bolos.
8. Nobody did. But most of us were in the learning mode during in-country orientation, instead of familiarization.
9. Grads of the same school at Benning and, I believe, Ord were better trained.
10. My fondest memory was of a nasty E-7 we nicknamed popeye, warning us each Friday: "If you're going to Shreveport, stay the hell out of Bozier City." To which our Greek chorus of ex-hippie derelicts replied, "And if you're going to Bozier City, stay the hell out of Shreveport."
11. The staff put up with our childish crap because: they were pretty burnt out themselves and because they knew our comeuppance was just around the corner.
12. The Army of 1969-1972 were, by and large, rank amateurs compared to the force being fielded today.
13. Condolences on SFC Ottolini. Another good one gone. RIP.
V/R J West
I need to read these in order and not drink a German bier while doing so...then I'd know you already said you didn't have pics..haha.
...but not even a crappy 110 pic you scanned or something? I love old school pics...before digital.
You've been to some interesting places, D.
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