# Forum Veterans



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 11, 2013)

Today is Veterans Day. I would like to make a tribute to the Veteran's of this forum. Would all Veterans that are members of this forum, please post a picture of yourselves in Uniform, and the Branch of Service and years you served. yJust one will do. I will collect the photos and make a specific thread as a tribute. 

This is not country specific, you do not have to be an American Veteran. All of our veterans here on the forum deserve our recognition and honor.

I will post mine up later tonight after I get home from class.

Thanks everyone, and I hope we get some good participation.

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## N4521U (Nov 11, 2013)

USN, 1961-'64
HS-4 '63-'64
***USS Yorktown CVS-10 '63

***Never blazed any trails. I enlisted during high school and was in boot camp eleven days after graduation at 17 and was due to be discharged the day before turning 21. I was finally discharged on April Fools Day 1964 just before HS-4 was sent of to Viet Nam to serve in ASR, Air Sea Rescue. A pilot and crewman were lost at sea during that time. The crewman I am sure I served with. I feel sometimes I was lucky, other times I wish I could have served.

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 11, 2013)

Picture?

Also everyone. I know that a Veteran typically is defined as someone who has been in combat. Not for this however. If you have served, you were willing to put your life at risk. 

*So if you have served in the military period, please take part in this.*Picture and service info. If you were assigned to a ship, or took part in specific campaigns you can give me that info as well.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 12, 2013)

I thought there would be more interest in this.

Guess not...

I will close up the thread and move on.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 14, 2013)

Due to a request by a forum member, I have reopened the thread. 

Let's see if we get some participation.


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## Airframes (Nov 14, 2013)

Parachute Regiment, 1969 to 1976, followed by active reserve. And heck, I'm getting old - got my 'Wings' 43 years ago, on *Friday, 13th* November, 1970. And there's a story behind that date too!

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## parsifal (Nov 14, 2013)

iI dont have a photo here 9at work, but will post one when i get home

RAN 1974-83

Officer training 1974-6
PWO Training 1976-7
Junior officer HMAS Melbourne 1978-81
Patrol Boats (Sub Lt) : 1982
Volunteer Antarctic Supply Ship : Rescued by my old ship the Melbourne
Discharged (medical); late 1983

Depaertment Of Defence Consultant and Training : 1983-90 Department of Defence

Been out since then but always interested in Defence affairs

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## Night Fighter Nut (Nov 15, 2013)

I believe this was taken just before Iraqi Freedom kicked off. We were already in country.

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 15, 2013)

Info on units, years of service?


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## Night Fighter Nut (Nov 17, 2013)

Served in the US Active Army from 1982 to 1996. My first unit was with 3rd and 10th Inf. 5 Division Mechanized, out of Ft. Polk, LA. There for one year. Then assigned to the 25th Division (L) for three years with the 1st 27th Inf. Wolfhounds. This was in Hawaii and we specialized in Anti-Guerrilla, Guerrilla warfare. Later was transferred to the 7th Inf. Division (L) at Ft. Ord, CA. Was here for over 7 years and it was from here that our unit was deployed to Panama to get Noriega. A little later we were deployed again for the Rodney King riots. Finished up as a Recruiter in Provo UT. with the 6th Recruiting Battalion. Was rifted out of the Army in 1996 and joined the Air Guard in 1997 in an effort to gain experience on aircraft and use my avionics degree, not to mention finish my 20 years. Assigned to the 120th AGS (Aircraft Generation Squadron). Deployed to Iraq for Iraqi Freedom in March of 2003. I knew something was up when our planes, F-16s, started coming back empty. We were part of the 410 ELG. Returned later in the year and retired.

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## parsifal (Nov 17, 2013)

Youve been around NFN


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## tomo pauk (Nov 18, 2013)

There is no picture of me on a digital media that I'm aware of, will try to scan one or two of 'regular' ones.

Served in the JNA (Yugoslav People's Army) from Sept 1990 until Aug 1991. Trained (as DaveB knows well  ) on 30mm automatic SP AAA gun (on Czech produced Praga trucks, with some armor) as loader, gunner and commander; also trained as infantry ('once the war starts, we are unlikely to have so many Pragas as much as we have the crews, so you will most likely serve as infantry' - we were told). Took part in war against Slovenia (10-day war, July/June 1991), my light anti-aircraft regiment being based in Ljubljana. 
I've took flight from JNA in August 1991 (as most of Croats did back then) and started my 1st year of university. Dropped from there within a year, and was called in the Croatian army in March 1993. Served as a member of 126th brigade (infantry) until October of 1993. Called again for Operation 'Storm', served through August of 1995.

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## vikingBerserker (Nov 18, 2013)

Some of you gents have been busy!


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## FLYBOYJ (Nov 18, 2013)

VP-65, USNR 1996-2002

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## tomo pauk (Nov 19, 2013)

Thanks for the like, people. Indeed, some of the members were quite busy.


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## Night Fighter Nut (Nov 19, 2013)

You know what might be fun is hearing some stories from people's time in service.

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 19, 2013)

I will get my pic and info up tomorrow. Been busy with school stuff. 

Lets get some more participation. In order for this thing to work, we need as many veterans and soldiers/former soldiers to participate.


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## Vic Balshaw (Nov 20, 2013)

Ok folks, I've nothing inspiring to show, seems I stopped taking pics of me after I'd left training. Anyway, thought I'd give you all a bit of a laugh at 'sprog me'.






Joining the RAF in May 1959, my service was officially for 12 years but taking in training and by youth I was there for almost 15 years and departed in October 1974.

The year is early 1959 and I was just 15½ and what was then caller a Boy Entrant. This was an intense period of learning a trade (I was in supply), there were lots of drill lessons, seemingly more that trade lessons, we ended up doing a 20 minute silent drill display at one of the passing out parades. Anyway my entry into the real 'mans service' as it was referred to at the time came when I was a full 16 years old, which was still too young in the eyes of the powers that be for me to be given my full rank of…………….wait for it…………….Senior Aircraftsman, so I was just a plain old AC serving at a front line fighter station in Suffolk where for two years I was excited by the thunder of English Electric Lightning's shattering the air both night and day. While I was there we had the 56 Squadron Lightning's performing as the 'Firebirds Aerobatic Display Team.

Come the age of almost 19 and by then no longer considered a 'sprog', they shipped me off to the Aden Peninsular in defence of the Empire. For two years I was, along with about 20.000 others, the target of some very irate Arabs hell bent on gaining independence from our mighty empire!! As far as I was concerned, they could have the place, stinking hot, highly humid and not a blade of grass to be seen. The fanfare of my arrival in Aden was somewhat overshadowed some 7 days later by the assassination of John F Kennedy and this in turn was overshadowed just before Christmas 1963 by the attempted assassination of the British High Commissioner to Aden, his life was saved by the Deputy High Commissioner who sacrificed himself by diving onto the grenade lobbed at the gathering.

After the events of that two year stint of seemingly endless guard duties, my following years seemed somewhat mundane, This time I was at a flying training unit in the South West of England, plenty of grass down this way and smack next to the ocean. Nothing wrong with this posting, the south west was and most likely still is the holiday Mecca of England, I was working in the north of the county (Devon) and my folks lived in the south. I had it made, chasing chicks and boozing during the week nights and using my folks home as a base to troll the hot spots of Torquay, Plymouth and all points between at the weekend. They were good times. 






All good things come to an end though and I next found myself up in Lincolnshire at the RAF College, not as an officer cadet but just another of the 'erks' who did all the work. Life changed dramatically here, it was back to some discipline, couldn't have the 'erks' not having regular parades, this was the college, we had standards to upkeep. I also got hitched while here and started a family. Like I said, it was life changing and we lived some 23k from the base but as it was a married quarters patch, transport was provided to take us to and from work the bus being left on the patch overnight. Like I have said, parades on a Saturday morning were the monthly event even in the depth of winter and onetime with the snow some 2 feet thick on the ground word came through on the Friday that the parade would still be held, they had even had us out clearing a patch of snow on the aircraft apron. Someone very quietly that night let all the air out of the bus tyres. So no parade for us that day, but as a consequence the bus was never left overnight again.

From her I was posted with family in tow to Cyprus, this was in April 1971 and was almost like a 3 year holiday on this lovely Mediterranean island. Grog was cheap especially brandy (10/- a demijohn), fags were cheap, food was good and one could go for a swim every lunchtime. Groups of us would spend the weekend on the beach or just disco the nights away. This was before the Turkish invasion and the whole Island was open to our exploration, they had some fantastic open beaches (sadly now though most are all hemmed in with skyscrapers). The Limassol annual wine festival was always a treat, going for a couple of weeks in late August and early September, a time of perpetual hangover and hell at work during the week. It was a sad day when we left the island.

As for my last posting, It was Training Command again, this time very near Chequers (the British Prime ministers country residence) which was our responsibility to keep functioning. It so happened that my boss here was a former corporal under my Father in the mid 1950's and my dad had done him a couple of big favours at a time when life in the RAF was not so good (politicians interfering again). Needless to say my time here though short was a breeze. Three weeks after leaving and on demob leave but still officially in service, I was in Saudi Arabia working as an expat with the then British Aircraft Corporation.

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## Wayne Little (Nov 20, 2013)

Excellent, look forward to reading up on you Guys...


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## Angels one-five (Nov 20, 2013)

I thought I'd add my piece to the forum mix!

A quick pic from the Prairies of Suffield in Canada when I was commanding an Armoured Infantry Company.






My service spanned one Navy, two armies and 22 years...

I joined the Royal Navy in Jan 1988 as a Midshipman as a pilot hopeful. After a term at Dartmouth, I moved to flying grading and the Chipmunk and after 14 or so hours, the Royal Navy wisely decided that I would probably kill myself and more importantly damage aircraft if I continued into flying training proper. Therefore I shifted into the mainstream Seaman officer branch and completed a further two terms at Dartmouth before moving to my first ship for Fleet Time - Junior officer makey-learney time - onboard HMS Hecate, a survey ship. My final medical at Dartmouth had picked up that my eyesight had begun to deteriorate and during Fleet Time, I was deemed to be visually unfit for bridge watchkeeping duties (despite Nelson only having one eye!) and was unable to continue in the Seaman branch (particularly annoying was the fact that I had put in for fleet time on small ships to get onto Type 21 Frigates, then regularly part of the West Indies Guardship rotation, and the order to stop training came through days after my drafting notice to HMS Arrow which was taking over as WIGS!). Options in the RN for me were then limited to the Supply and Secretariat branch (which was overborne in any case) and the Air Traffic Control branch (which didn't appeal), so the Navy and I parted company amicably in June 1990.

Being shortsighted, I naturally felt drawn to a career where you could be blind, so joined the Army... I arrived at Sandhurst in May 1991 to commence Army officer training (similar to RN officer training but with more shouting and fewer parties). I commissioned from Sandhurst into 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales in April 1992 and after Platoon Commanders Battle Course joined my Battalion at Stanley Fort in Hong Kong in August 1992. Five months after joining them, the Battalion moved back to UK on completion of 2 years in the Colony and we settled in to life in Shropshire - a poor exchange after Hong Kong - and started focusing on preparation for Northern Ireland. We also filled in roles as Spearhead Battalion, I spent time in the Falklands as part of the Reinforced Infantry Company and went to Jamaica on exercise. In July 1994, we moved to Ballykelly in Northern Ireland as a Residential Battalion, with rifle companies rotating between Ops1, Ops2, Guards and leave/ training roles. A good period, which coincided with the first ceasefire and allowed us to get out and see a bit more of the Province. I posted out of the Battalion in June 1995 and spent the next 18 months as a training platoon commander at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick.

From Catterick I promoted to Captain and attended the Dismounted Recce Commanders course before returning to Battalion as the Recce Platoon Commander. The Battalion was now back on the mainland and filling a role as a Public Duties Battalion, so not much recce, but lots of time at Windsor, Buckingham Palace and The Tower of London. We managed a lengthy exercise in the US which allowed us to get some soldiering in, but Public Duties was the very unpopular focus! 

From Hounslow, we re-roled as an Armoured Infantry Battalion and moved to Paderborn, Germany. I also moved from Recce to be the Battalion G2. We arrived in Paderborn in late 1997, locked up the vehicles and began Northern Ireland Training before taking over as the East Tyrone Battalion in '98. We had a successful tour, which was overshadowed by the tragedy of the Omagh bombing in our neighbouring AO. At the end of that tour, I attended my Junior Staff course and was posted to HQ 3rd Division for my first staff post as part of the UK element of the ACE Mobile Force Land (AMF(L)). AMF(L) was a hoot - winter in Norway and Summer in Greece, with occasional easter exercises in Eastern Europe in then PfP nations. I promoted to Major at AMF(L) and was selected for staff college. I had 6 months to kill so managed to get released for ops and went to Bosnia, working with the Office of the High rep in Sarajevo and living outside the wire in downtown Sarajevo. Good times!

Two years at staff college followed by another two at MoD and then I rejoined 1 RRW, this time in Iraq on Op TELIC 6. I caught the last three months of that tour and then settled into life in Tidworth, went to Canada on Armoured exercises and then began Iraq training again (with an amalgamation with 1 RWF thrown in for good measure). We deployed to Iraq on Op TELIC 10 in May 07 (15 months after recovering from Telic 6) and had a fairly fruity tour. I left the Battalion for the last time in September 07 and took up my final job in the British Army instructing on the Junior staff course. During the preceding year, I had picked up an opportunity to move to the Australian Defence Force, so in Aug 2008, exchanged my beret for a slouch hat and transferred to the ADF.

I spent 12 months at the School of Infantry in Singleton before deploying to East Timor as part of the JTF HQ, which was a fantastic experience. On completion, I moved to my final posting with the Defence Materiel Organisation in Melbourne. Unfortunately Oz didn't pan out as well as I had hoped, and my wife got terribly homesick and wanted to move back to UK, so I reluctantly discharged from the ADF in Aug 2011 and even more reluctantly headed back north.

I look back on all of my time in uniform with great fondness and although I am not sorry to now be out of uniform, I do miss some aspects of service life which simply don't exist on the outside. I haven't moved too far from the military however and I now work for a defence engineering company

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## Night Fighter Nut (Nov 20, 2013)

This is great stuff.


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## Boa (Nov 20, 2013)

As a Swede (we had a conscript army) I did my service in 1988 as an AntiTankGun sqd ldr.
In -94 I did a tour with The Swedish International Forces (under UN flag) in Bosnia as sqd ldr.
Did a 2:nd tour -96.

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 20, 2013)

Picture?


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 20, 2013)

Very cool Gents!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 20, 2013)

Lets get some more participation...

Here is mine contribution.

B Co. 2-1 Avn. - 2000-2006 Katterbach, Germany
Operation Joint Guardian KFOR 4B, Kosovo - Oct. 2002-August 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom 2, Camp Speicher, Iraq - Feb. 2004-Feb. 2005

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## Wildcat (Nov 21, 2013)

Great stuff guys!
I enlisted into the regular Army straight out of high school at the age of 17. I served from 2000 - 2005 as an Air defence gunner in the Army's 16th Air Defence regiment down in Adelaide. My first posting in the regiment was to 110 bty which was equipped with rapier missile systems. I quite enjoyed my time on the Rapier and associated radar trackers. In 2002 I obtained my para wings before being posted to 111bty in preparation for deployment to the Persian Gulf aboard HMAS Kanimbla. 111bty was equipped with the RBS-70 which had special mounts made up to provide point defence for the Kanimbla (from both air surface threats) which is the minor role I played in the Iraq war. We were on station in the AO before the commencement of hostilities and still remember watching many a cruise missile being launched against Iraqi targets.
I discharged from the Army in 05 to pursue a job I had successfully applied for in the railways ending my short but overall enjoyable Army career. 
Some pics I took in the Gulf can be seen here http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/personal-gallery/wildcats-deployment-pics-1619.html I have many more but unfortunately don't have a scanner at the moment.

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## Angels one-five (Nov 21, 2013)

Boa said:


> As a Swede (we had a conscript army) I did my service in 1988 as an AntiTankGun sqd ldr.
> In -94 I did a tour with The Swedish International Forces (under UN flag) in Bosnia as sqd ldr.
> Did a 2:nd tour -96.



Which unit did you serve with? I did a short exchange with the Swedish Army in 1995 with Angermanland Arctic Brigade 21 (NB 21) in Sollefteå. I had a great time, my first exposure to winter warfare and my first exposure to skiing (much to the amusement of my hosts). I was genuinely impressed with the way the Swedish Army operated in the field.

I travelled to Sweden from Northern Ireland, so took four bottles of Bushmills Whiskey with me - a shrewd move which made me a popular dinner guest during my stay!


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## Wayne Little (Nov 21, 2013)

great reading Guys...


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## Wildcat (Nov 21, 2013)

Steve did you get to retain your rank when you transferred to the ARA or did you drop down one?


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## Angels one-five (Nov 21, 2013)

Wildcat said:


> Steve did you get to retain your rank when you transferred to the ARA or did you drop down one?



I retained MAJ, but lost seniority - I was a year 8 MAJ in-zone for promotion when I left the British Army but dropped to a Year 2 MAJ on transfer (which was fine as I retained pay equivalence and had I stayed it would have let me build up enough reports to have a chance at promoting). I found the move to the ARA was really well handled and they did all they could to make the transition as easy as possible. Met some quality people.


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## Boa (Nov 21, 2013)

Here it is, me on the right..
Bosnia -94

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## tomo pauk (Nov 21, 2013)

Ever been in Croatia?


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## Boa (Nov 21, 2013)

Yes, all our Convoys went to Split (Divulje)


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## tomo pauk (Nov 21, 2013)

I was born in Split, went to high school college there  Worked there, also (3 years), last 8 years been working in Trogir, 5 km from Divulje. If you were traveling from Split to Bosnia, then I guess you've passed through a small town of Trilj over it's bridge - lived there almost 30 years.


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## Boa (Nov 21, 2013)

Its a small world, Ive been to Trogir many times and their lovley resturants.

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## parsifal (Nov 21, 2013)

wow guys, really cool thread, finally


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 21, 2013)

tomo pauk said:


> Ever been in Croatia?



I have been several times.

I made it to the actual country of Yugoslavia once before it split apart. Then during my time in Kosovo, I made it to Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Serbia.

I love the food down there, especially Civapcici and Alvar.

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## Wildcat (Nov 22, 2013)

Angels one-five said:


> I retained MAJ, but lost seniority - I was a year 8 MAJ in-zone for promotion when I left the British Army but dropped to a Year 2 MAJ on transfer (which was fine as I retained pay equivalence and had I stayed it would have let me build up enough reports to have a chance at promoting). I found the move to the ARA was really well handled and they did all they could to make the transition as easy as possible. Met some quality people.



Good stuff mate. We had a couple of WO's who came over but they had to drop back to SGT, not that they cared as they were both thrilled to be here - nice guys too.


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## Angels one-five (Nov 22, 2013)

Wildcat said:


> Good stuff mate. We had a couple of WO's who came over but they had to drop back to SGT, not that they cared as they were both thrilled to be here - nice guys too.



It's a well trodden path! In fact DMO sometimes seemed like a British Army retirement village!


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## Night Fighter Nut (Nov 22, 2013)

This is great, I guess the most exciting thing I ever got to do was play Santa Claus for the Wolfhound Orphanage in Osaka Japan. Received the key to the city of Osaka doing that. I have a video tape of the Orphanage and the party with the kids. I was the only guy in the room with shoes one.  Was also in Malaysia, in camp Palada near Johor Baru. We had been sent to teach the Malays how to fight tanks in the jungle. They were worried because of the tanks left in Vietnam.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Nov 22, 2013)

Great thread Adler and a BIG THANK YOU to all who are and have served.


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## Vic Balshaw (Nov 23, 2013)

Thanks for all the likes gents, most unexpected.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 23, 2013)

Come on I know there are more of you out there. Need more for my tribute...


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## ToughOmbre (Nov 24, 2013)

New Jersey Army National Guard  23 March 1971 - 22 March 1977

Scout (11D10) - I Troop, 3rd Squadron, 104 Armored Cavalry, 50th Armored Division 

Converted and re-designated 1 July 1975 as 3rd Battalion, 113th Infantry.

Never left the States, spent time at Fort Dix, NJ, Fort Knox, KY and Fort Drum, NY

Steve

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## mikewint (Nov 24, 2013)

Draft board revoked my student deferral and I was drafted in 1962. Fort Ord for Basic and Fort Sam Huston for Medic followed and I was in Vietnam in 1963 as an Advisor. I was assigned to the 8th Field hospital in Na Trang (beautiful sea-side town with a white sand beach near the Lon Van AB). Grew to hate the duty very quickly and volunteered (ya, green and dumb) for the Army’s new MEDCAP program (what LBJ termed “hearts and minds”). As part of this program I got to travel throughout Vietnam with a small ARVAN (mostly old men and young boys) group setting up medical clinics at various villages and hamlets. Soon I was spending most of my time in the Central Highlands with the Degar (Montagnards) and Nungs. The Army wanted to recruit civilian defense units and scouts (CIDIG). The Montagnards were perfect for this as they were hated by the Vietnamese both north and south. It was “Dances with Wolves” for me and I loved it. It was very difficult to gain their trust but after about 6 months I had been “adopted” by the Jarai and Bahnar tribes. I had also become friends with many SF guys during this period who were in the Highlands trying to form and train the Montagnard CIDIG units. In my 10th month the village we were at was hit by an entire VC company. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 weeks later I was found in the jungle by an ARVAN patrol. From Vietnam to Japan to Walter Reed for more surgery and rehab. My roommate turned out to be an SF trooper I had met in Vietnam. They (SF) highly valued my experience, my MOS (medic/expert medical), and especially my connections in the villages. Not having finished my tour (13 months 15 days) I knew I was going to be sent back, but this time I would go as a professional with professionals. Ft Bragg and Ft Benning and back in Vietnam 11/64 assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (abn). Essentially back to my old job setting up clinics and training other medics. I became aware that MACV was forming a Joint Personnel Recovery Command (JPRC) under Col Alderholt which would attempt to rescue downed pilots and captured soldiers. On paper it would have the ability to take assets from any service to accomplish its rescue missions. Code named “Bright Light” its teams would be medic heavy as POWs were expected to be in very poor shape. I volunteered (not green anymore but still dumb). It was too good to be true, in reality, the JPRC had to coordinate between a major Army command, major Air Force command, and no less than eight different sections in the MACV headquarters staff and co-ordinate with ARVN forces.
Mission #1 was a preview of things to come: A 17YO VC defector had told debriefers that he had been a guard at a prison camp where Americans were being held. It took a month and a half for a mission to be given the go-ahead. C-130s needed to transport the 3 Bright Light platoons were re-directed at the last minute by 7th AF on a supply mission (3 hrs lost); Hueys needed to insert the 3 platoons were pushed back and arrived 2hrs late. During the lost 5hrs the weather had gone from good to bad (heavy dropping cloud cover). Army intelligence had indicated no combat forces within 10 miles and only 12 guards. The first two platoons were dropped in the middle of a field where an entire VC battalion was resting and the 3rd platoon, lost in the heavy cloud cover was dropped on the other side of the river totally cut off. Air strikes were called in to cover the 3rd platoon but the AF over-ruled the use of the requested Skyraiders and sent F-100 Sabers. Hampered by their high speeds and low cloud cover, the F-100's released their bombs over the wrong area and bombed the Nungs, destroying a Huey on the ground and killing more friendly forces than were killed by the Viet Cong for the duration of the mission. End result: over 12 killed, 17 missing, two helicopters shot down, and no prisoners at the camp.
When not part of a JPRC mission I worked with recon teams going into Laos and Cambodia. By Ambassador Sullivan’s edict these incursions were limited to a 12 mile strip with no air cover allowed. By late 1967 I’d had my fill, especially when the Army refused to believe our reports of VC and NVA buildups, including tanks, along the border. They weren’t tanks, just bulldozers we were told. I refused to re-up and refused offers of OCS. 
A lot older and just a bit wiser, I returned to the world to be spit on and called every foul name in the book and a world in which congress hadn’t quite gotten around to passing a GI bill for Vietnam.
Back row boonie hat and sunglasses
Center back row
Old, fat and grizzled
Class A's with my "to dumb to duck"

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## parsifal (Nov 24, 2013)

Hope you dont get offended Tough Ombre, but to me in some of those shots you remind me of Donal Sutherland in that movie "Kelly's Heroes".

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## CharlesBronson (Nov 24, 2013)

Interesting topic, at first I thought it was for the veterans of the forum, meaning the ones with more years signed up, evidently is not, good photos of though men here.


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## Airframes (Nov 25, 2013)

parsifal said:


> Hope you dont get offended Tough Ombre, but to me in some of those shots you remind me of Donal Sutherland in that movie "Kelly's Heroes".



You beat me to it Michael!
Woof, woof !

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## mikewint (Nov 25, 2013)

COULD BE, could be....

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## vikingBerserker (Nov 25, 2013)

Man, I can't wait until I can grow a real mustache like TO or Terry.

Cool pics Gents!

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## ToughOmbre (Nov 26, 2013)

parsifal said:


> Hope you dont get offended Tough Ombre, but to me in some of those shots you remind me of Donal Sutherland in that movie "Kelly's Heroes".



I'll take that as a compliment! 

Steve


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## Wayne Little (Nov 27, 2013)

Thanks for sharing Guys..


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## parsifal (Nov 27, 2013)

How Sutherlands character beats two Tigers with just one Sherman is a classic. The third tiger is never beaten, but part of Sutherlands payout is to keep the captured tank as booty. He complains about what a mess it is inside (oil leaks and dodgy clutch from memory.

Anyway, one of those classic moments from a fun war flick


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## Soldier (Dec 4, 2013)

I was in from 1996 to 2007 time was spent in Active and Reserve of the U.S. Army. Duty stations include: Germany, Operation Joint Guard (Bosnia), Kuwait 2000 (Operation Desert Spring) also known as the time when USS Cole was bombed, and Iraq 2004 to 2005 (Al Taqqeddum AB) Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

as for the Pic it is located in the Members Mugshots thread

BIO:

I was born in Olathe Kansas. I lived there from birth to about 8 and then moved to Topeka, Kansas. 8 years later, I moved back to Olathe. I have two older brothers. One is in the U.S. Air Force. The other works for a Natural Gas Company. 
I graduated from Olathe North High School in 1996 and Joined the US Army. I went to basic training at Ft. Leonardwood, Mo and attended Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Ft. Lee, VA. When I received my orders for my permanent duty station, it was accompanied by N.A.T.O orders. I flew to Germany and two weeks later I found myself in Bosnia refueling Apache Helicopters. Being 18 and the first time away from home besides basic and AIT was bad enough, but being in a Hazardous Fire Zone and not knowing any of my fellow soldiers sucked. During the deployment I decided to get a tattoo while on Pass in Budapest Hungary. I can tell you for sure that alcohol and tattoos do not go together well. THey tend to make you bleed a lot. After living in a tent for 8 months I redeployed back to Germany. The rest of the time in Germany was a blast. Since I had learned how to speak German in high school, getting around was easy for me and I did a lot of traveling around the country. 
In 1999, I received orders transferring me back to the US and assigning me of all places, Ft. Riley, Kansas. This time I was refueling the M1A1 Abrams Tank. In 2000, I was again deployed to a Hazardous Duty Zone, in Kuwait. I was in the desert when the USS Cole was bombed and spent about a week traveling and conducting operations to the Iraq border and taking soldiers to the Air strip to get flown to Quatar to guard the embassy. 
In 2001, I got out of Active Duty and went into the Army Reserve in Kansas City, Kansas driving 5,000 gal fuel trucks (rolling RPG target) . I drove a fuel truck for a while and then was hired as Law Enforcement Officer in 2002. I was activated in 2003 with the Army Reserve and went to Ft. Leonardwood in Preparation to go to Iraq, however our mission was cancelled and I returned to my job until 2004 when I was activated again and sent to St. Louis, MO in preparation to deploy to Iraq. I was deployed with a unit in a position I was never trained. I received about 3 days of training before deploying ( all classroom work). When I arrived in Kuwait to stage for Iraq I was sent as part of the Advanced Party to get me as much OJT as possible. I was stationed at Al Taqquedum Air Base in Iraq. That is near Fallujah and Ramadi. I conducted approximately 35 combat patrols as convoy security and survived two encounters with Improvised explosive devices and mortar attacks. I redeployed in 2005 and returned to work until I ended my military carreer at the rank of Staff Sergeant in 2007. I received the Meritorius Service Medal, 2 Army Commendation Medals, 3 Army Achievement Medals, 3 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals and a handful of other medals to include the Meritorius Unit Citation as a member of my unit. 
But enough about me,

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