Your military service...

[leahcim_dahc]

There are a couple threads where prior or current military service has been brought up. I am curious...and not for any other reasons than I want to get to know fellow service members. In particular those that happen to share the same hobbies as I, like...umm, I don't know...fishing.

With that said...what did you do or are doing in the U.S. military? Just share a little about your career(MOS, rank, etc., etc.), what made you decide to join, even what units (if you want). I think it would be quite interesting to know what type of military career we have had.


Me:

I tried enlisting in the Army when I was still in high school, but for reasons beyond my control I didn't get in. A couple years later I tried again...still no dice. Fast forward to Sept 2001. After the trade center attack, I decided I should try again. Third time is a charm. I ended up enlisting, but because I had a young family and prior obligations, I decided to try out the National Guard.

I was 28 when I enlisted and was one of the oldest in my troop at BCT and AIT. I attended OSUT in Ft. Knox and was trained as a 19D or Cavalry Scout. Lots of sneaking through the woods, sneak and peak...recon...that sort of stuff. In late '03 my unit was mobilized to deploy to the middle east. That opened even more doors. I was selected to attend and successfully completed sniper school. Which has added even more skills to my scouting mission. Not much to talk about with regards to the deployment...other than it was hot, windy, dirty, and not to mention lame. Learned alot throughout the deployment...some good...some not so good. That's just the way it goes.

Currently I am a gunner on a Bradley fighting vehicle with the best group of cavalry troopers in the entire squadron.

If I had to do it all over again...I would most definitely do so.

There you go...just a little bit about myself, don't be shy, step up and lets hear your story.


Chad

[cavdad45]

I joined the Navy a month after my 17th birthday on the delayed entry program and went to boot camp 6 days after high school graduation. I was an Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Technician in the P-3 community at Moffett Field. In my 3 1/2 years in the squadron I was deployed to Misawa, Japan; Kadena, Okinawa; and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Besides these places I went to Adak, AK; Barber's Point, HI; Midway Island; Guam; Perth, Australia; Cubi Point, Philippines; Kwajalein; Bahrain; Hong Kong; Korea; and others. In 44 monthes, I was at home for a grand total of 11 as I was part of a special projects group that detached alot.

After the squadron, I went to shore duty at Whidbey Island and went with the reserve P3 squadron to Misawa for another month. After shore duty, I went back to Memphis for C7 school, but was medically discharged after blowing my knee while playing football.

I served 9 years and chased Soviet submarines around the Pacific and Indian Oceans. I was detached to look for survivors and evidences after KAL007 was shot down. I was in the Persian Gulf escorting naval ships and conducting other maritimes shipping missions. We even had a part in destroying targets that most will never remember. Or killing Arabs before it was fashionable.

After 9/11, I tried to go back in, but was not medically qualified and too old. Waivers were denied.

[The Quadfather]

The military..... well, you asked for people's experiences. One thing for sure about the military is I don't think that two people with even the same job will have the same experience. I went into the army in '88. I was a 91F, psychiatric techician. I spent 1 year in school at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio Tx. After a years school, I spent the next three years at Ft. Ord, Ca. The army did make good on there sending me to the said school, but once I got assigned to a unit, I got the one and only slot into a field hospital like what you see in "MASH"
This meant 3 years of no patient care. Three years of pulling whatever details came along. Gate guard, waving people through the gate, picking up trash out in the field, folding tents.....then unfolding them after lunch, painting deuce and a 1/2's with a paint brush....... when it dries..... paint it again. I could go on for ever on that sort of thing.
I think that those 4 years were not maybe not a complete waste of time, in the fact that it sort of hardened me for my future outside the military. That is to say, that when you go back to school as an adult after living life for awhile, it makes you work that much harder at your goals, and I think that I just grew up fast during that Army time.
I know plenty of other people who had good experiences and found valuable skills during their service time. Of course if I had been in during any combat time... I would have had more time to work my job than I could have asked for.

All that being said,,, I didn't mean to sound disrespectul to the folks on the list who are active or prior service. I do know what a hardship and challenge military service is on families. I have much respect for those who make the service a part of their life. And I know that many people are working very hard at jobs that are doing good for many people in the world....... not everybody is folding and unfolding tents.
To this day I work in healthcare still,, but in cancer care not psych.

[panfisher]

i enlisted in the navy in "81" was sent to the aircraftcarrier (USS Midway) that was in japan and is now an aircraftcarrier museum in san diego. became a shellback in "82" and had the privy of helping many slimy polywogs meet king neptune and become shellbacks themselvse in "84" and "86" and got out in "87" at the time i went in i did not know what i wanted to do, so i was sent to the G-4 ordnance shop were i became an aviation ordnanceman (AO) got orders in "85" to squadron VAQ-134 on whidbey island.which deployed to the carrier USS Carl Vinson. i pretty much fished everywhere i could while i was in. alot of it from the carriers themselvse. eventually i'll put on some fishing pictures from them. i have one daughter who'll be getting out of the navy after "8" years. she did 4 years in japan and is currently in hawaii. i also have a son in the navy who is serving on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as an air traffic controller this is his 3rd year of the 6 he is obligated for. also have a daughter looking to do college and a son who is a senior in highschool. my father did a stint as a marine and grandfather who was a major in the army during WWII and was involved in several of those nasty battles in europe.

[The Quadfather]

Wow.. I mispoke on my Army time. I went in Nov 1984, and got out on Nov 5 1988, Geez, that would be 19 years tommorrow.

[littleriver]

I guess I'm a little surprised there are so may vets in the group...

Can't say that I'm a great soldier but I signed up for Air Force ROTC when i went off
to college a long, long time ago. The ROTC stuff was mostly because my parents expected it of me (lots of air
force and army air corps experience in the family you know) and in part because it paid for a portion of
my education expenses.

Wanted to be a pilot and fly F-5's but they told me I was too fat.... yeah, ok, the medical terms were very much different than "too fat", but that's what it really meant. And hey, just because you're a little overweight it doesn't mean you can't fly F-5's. The guys who make these decisions should try to follow me around as an old man. I climbed South Sister (10,380 feet) in central oregon about 6 weeks ago and typically climb at least one named peak a week during the short but very vigorous summer season which typically runs from sometime in July until sometime in October in this state. I spend most of the rest of the year out fishing.

Anyways, I was assigned to Minutemen Missiles in North Dakota.... put in my 4 years ('71 to '75) and ultimately ended up being one of only a very few junior grade officers to earn the job description of "combat crew commander" but made a quick exit after my time was up because I really didn't enjoy it and went on to earn some technical degrees and become a consultant.

Did ok as a consultant but much better as a real estate investor and was able to retire about 17 years ago. In my retirement I have spent a lot of time studying the history of our species and dearly wish I had been in possession of that kind of knowledge when I was on active service. it would have made me a much better soldier. Now I want to reenlist and do it right, but they won't take me because I'm too old. Darn it, I almost feel like the roman businessman named Crasius. You know, the one who became so obsessed with that darn Spartacus guy who was killing all the legions that he put up his own money to form new armies so he could go out and take control of the situation. Things were quite a bit more visceral then than they are today. The English word for "decimate" originated from this particular series of events. Crasius's first attempt to overcome Spartacus's rebels was repulsed and he went into a rage. So enraged he stormed down to the returning troops and told them that they were a bunch of cowards and that they had more to fear than Spartacus and his followers. He then lined them up and counted down the line of soldiers. When he got to the number 10 he would ram his sword through the soldiers heart and kill him. Every time he got to the number 10 he would repeat the process. At the end of the day he told surviving soldiers that there was no reason to fear death on the battlefield because the only thing that mattered was victory. Anyways, whenever you hear the word "decimate" that's where it originated from.

Sad note and follow up. The troops, so inspired, went out and lost another battle.. Hmmmm what's a desperate general to do??????????? Ultimately Spartacus was defeated but only because the germanic tribesmen who comprised a fair number of the gladiators spartacus had organized became angry with leadership and decided to go out and fight on their own. Once the rebels became divided the roman legions were able to have their way and prevail.



In order to make amends i donate generously to the various military charities and spend at least a few hours every week on the left wing blogs defending the honor of our brave soldiers.

[sgpwayne]

Jeez, I feel like the old man in the sea. I joined the Navy in Dec. 1965, went to boot camp in San Diego, CA.. After a series of testing I was assigned to Electronics Technician School in the Great Lakes. Somewhere between ending Boot Camp and reporting to school the Navy decided to reassign me to the Damage Control "A" school at Treasure Island, CA. This was done for the "GOOD OF THE SERVICE", seems that their was a critical shortage in that MOS. For those of you not familiar with that term it is a combination Fireman,Carpenter, Pipefitter and Metalworker. I learned how to repair battle damage aboard ship. Anything that could go wrong shipboard. I also was responsible for NBC warfare preparation. 7 months later I was assigned to the USS Guadalupe AO 32 ( Fleet Oiler ) where I was also assigned to the Liquid Cargo Team. I made 3.5 Westpac cruises spending most of the time replenishing ships off of MARKET TIME and YANKEE Stations. Can't even begin to count the number of trips we made between the Phillipines and Southeast Asia. If you have ever seen the movie "IN HARMS WAY" there is a scene right after the attack on Pearl Harbor where the Cruiser and its escorts were chasing the Japanese Fleet and needed fuel but only found an empty tanker sailing by.That was my ship!!!!! Any way after completing my time I was discharged in Jan 1970 . I loved every minute of it and probably would have stayed in except my EX threatened to divorce me if I reenlisted. Saw most of SE ASIA, JAPAN, HONG KONG,TAIWAN THAILAND,SINGAPORE,AUSTRALIA and a bunch more.Crossed the Equator 3 times and the International Date Line 7 times. Managed to freeze my @$$ off in the Northern Sea of Japan and sweat enough to fill a swimming pool, but I wouldn't trade a minute of it. I also managed 6 months in country where I repaired River Patrol Boats.

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

US Navy from 1968-1973. Spent 22 months on Midway and Guam supporting a reconnassaince squadron. I still don't like islands to this day. Then 2 to 2 1/2 years on the east coast supporting bass and crappie fishing and dove hunting. Almost went to a KKK meeting to see how the "good white folks" behaved until our C.O. caught wind of it and placed it off limits. It started when I asked him about it as it was in the town he lived in. Didn't take long to make the off limits list.

[cavdad45]

Panfisher, we may have crossed paths because I was at Whidbey from June 85-Jan 89. I just about lived on Campbell Lake, but fished all the lakes up there. Maybe we can cross paths and hit some of those old haunts this summer?

[bassackwards]

Air Force 90-94

Enlisted to become a "LE" (Law Enforcement), because I scored high in the "mechanical" section of the test and for the "GREATER GOOD OF THE AIR FORCE" (good one), I spent my enlistment as a Crew Chief on B-1B's at Dyess AFB in Texas. I was also trained in in-flight refueling on the KC-135's.

I deployed to Riyadh AB in Saudi Arabia with the "135's" during the Gulf War (because we TECHNICALLY didn't have any B-1's over there ) and they WEREN'T fully loaded with the "bid dogs" either (now I have to kill all of you ...LOL )

Loved my military service. I needed to be yelled at for a few years out of high school. I'm not much of a "student", I like to just go out and DO IT...I can't stand learning about something in a book. I'd much rather go do it wrong a few times THEN figure it out (my wife calls this "hard-headed").

After the military I spent 4 years as a Police Officer in Colorado (3 yrs on patrol, 1 yr. as a Dare Officer). I worked my way back to California and spent the next seveal years as an Electrical Lineman for So. Cal. Edison. I currently work at PSE. I'm never leaving WA!!! I absolutely love it here.

Anyway, sorry to get off track, glad to see everyone's background. Thank you to all you "old farts" who paved the way for us "young buck's"....LOL.

You are all hero's in my book

[felts_jf]

I joined the Air Force in December 2002, lucky enough to spend Christmas at Lackland AFB in San antonio TX. Found out my job was going to be Aircraft Structural Maintenance, from there I spent 6 months at Pensacola NAS for my tech. school, only good thing about that was I was there for spring break, that was fun. From there I got orders to McChord AFB WA and got here in June of 03. I have been here every since, not that I want to but I just cant seem to get orders out of my shop. I have deployed to maintain planes in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as did TCN Duty "fake cop" at Kirkuk Iraq watching the locals work "most boring deployment ever." I deployed for the big psunami in Indonesia, that was kinda disturbing finding bodies when you flip over a pice of plywood in the water. I have been in going on 5 years and been deployed all in all 1 year and 5 months away from the states. Looking forward to retirement only 15 more years left.

[EastsideRedneck]

I joined the Navy as a walk-in back in '99 after wasting five years in college (pretty much majored in drunken debauchery.) I went in as a Nuclear Machinist Mate and a submarine volunteer. I went to boot camp in Great Lakes, "A" school, Nuclear Power School, & Nuclear Prototype in Charleston, SC. Upon graduation I made my way up here to the PACNORWEST to join the crew of the USS Michigan (SSBN/SSGN-727). I pretty much spent my time on the boat either at sea (5 strategic deterrent patrols, 2 "others") or in the shipyard refueling the reactor and converting it from a strategic asset to a guided-missile/spec-op killing machine. The last 18 months of my 8yr stint were much less glamourous as a production controls supervisor and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt doing process improvement initiatives for the Navy.

[panfisher]

hey chuck! you show me you fishing holes and i'll show you mine, LOL! i've really became buisy with work and have had no time to fish:pale: but hopefully to do alot this next year! maybe we can get together then!!!

[Marc Martyn]

My military service began in May of 1970, when I received an official looking letter that opened with “Greetings from the President of The United States”. The fact that my draft number was 12, I knew what was coming down, I was drafted.

Being engaged at the time, my future bride pleaded with me to get into the service in a non combat position. Just a few months prior, one of her brothers was killed at Khe Sanh and the other brother, also wounded at Khe Sanh, was in critical condition in the Phillipines. She told me that she didn’t have the emotional strength to do it again.

I immediately started canvasing the Navy, Coast Guard, Nation Guard and Air Force recruiting offices for any openings. I was very fortunate to get a slot in the Air Force in aircraft maintenance.

After six weeks of basic, I was sent to Sheppard AFB in Witchita Falls, TX and trained on F-4, F-100, F-111 & F-101 jet fighters. I had always been intrigued with the B-52 bomber, so towards the end of graduation I put in for station duty at a SAC base and got assigned to Beale, AFB in Marysville, CA. When I got there I went through another 6 weeks course on the bomber. I worked both recovery and launch until May 1972.

Upon arriving at work one morning I was informed that I would be deployed to Anderson AFB, Guam. I was ordered to tell no one except my wife. Shortly thereafter, I was run through a quick crew chief course, given flight equipment and taught how to use the parachute and oxygen system. At the end of the 1 day course, the instructor said, “Oh, by the way, there has never been a successful crew chief jump out of a B-52". What!!!?? With that in mind and assigned to a B-52G, on June 3, 1972 I was strapped in my seat, sitting right next to the in-flight urinal for the next 13 1/2 hours. You can’t open a window for fresh air at 42,000 feet!

It was not until we landed that I realized that I was participating in the largest bombing campaign in the entire Vietnam War. The following is from the 306th Bomb Wing archieves:

In February 1972, in response to the increased infiltration by the North Vietnamese into South Vietnam, Operation BULLET SHOT was initiated. B-52Ds, crews, and staff from the 7th BW, Carswell AFB, Texas deployed to Anderson AFB, Guam and were followed by the 306thBW and 96th BW, Dyess AFB, Texas. This was the start of a buildup that would eventually involve every B-52D unit. SAC B-52G aircraft, crews and staff were deployed TDY to Arc Light during this period and assigned to the 72nd Strategic Wing (Provisional), Anderson AFB. By July a force of almost 50 B-52Ds, 100 B-52Gs and over 12,000 personnel were bedded down at Anderson AFB. Every available building on Anderson was converted to quarters including old tin buildings that were being used as retail concessions and MWR activities. Tin City, as it was called, was soon joined by Tent City which was soon filled requiring personnel to be quartered at other military facilities and commercial hotels on Guam.

When I got off the bomber in Guam, I was picked up by the line chief who greeted me with “Welcome to ‘The Rock’. You’re not in Kansas anymore Toto!”

Man, he wasn’t kidding. I had never seen so many bombers. Driving what seemed to be about 50 mph, he came to a quick stop, said “here’s home”, dropped me off and sped away. I was left standing in front of hundreds of canvas tents.

For the next 6 months, while on the flight line, it was A & Elbows. I was assigned a crew of maintenance guys and we parked, refueled, inspected the returning bombers from Vietnam. Stateside, a recovery crew consisted of about 10-12 personnel. In Guam, there were 5 on a crew. With 12 hour shifts (many extending up to 14) we did 3-4 bombers per shift. All the time I was there I heard constant running jet engines and smelled JP4 jet fuel. Bombers were taking off and landing continuously. A group of 3 bombers (a Ball Game) would take off every 15 minutes, 24 hrs a day. I worked with the finest guys you could imagine. Of all the sorties that were flown in those six months, we did not lose one B-52 due to mechanical failure caused by poor maintenance. Not one!

Ah, Bullet Shot, what a ride!

Upon returning to the states, I was selected for reenlistment which I declined and in June of 1974 I was discharged with the the rank of E-4 (Sgt). I returned to Spokane and attended school.

I look back on those years with pride and fond memories.
My military experience taught me how to make quick sound decisions under pressure and how to take on responsibility.

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

Mark, do you remember what the acronym for G.U.A.M stood for?

[cavdad45]

Marc, WOW! That's all that comes to my mind. Thanks.

panfisher, let's take a look at a trip to Campbell or Cranberry early next summer before the slop gets too thick and see what happens.

[raffensg64]

I gave Uncle Sam's Army 23 years of my life as an infantryman. My initial plan was to serve for four years, but after spending my initial tour in Fort Carson, CO and Germany, I decided to make it a career. Most of my time was spent on Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, a tremendous piece of equipment with it's 25MM cannon, 7.62 coax machine gun and TOW missile system...the absolute best vehicle in the world for what it's designed to do! Like any job, it had it's pros and cons, but for the most part I loved it. And I still believe military service to be an honorable thing.

I was assigned to the 4th ID at Ft. Carson, CO four times as a grunt, team leader, squad leader, section leader, company master gunner, battalion master gunner, platoon sergeant and first sergeant. I served as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Master Gunner Course instructor for 2.5 years at the infantry schoolhouse in Ft. Benning, GA, and as a gunner, section leader and master gunner with the 5th ID in Ft. Polk, LA. My Germany service was prior to the wall coming down, and where I was assigned to the 56th Field Artillery Command (Pershing). My unit, the 2d Bn, 4th IN Regt, provided security for those nuclear missiles in both fixed and tactical environments. Wow....those things made the Russians and Germans both extremely uncomfortable! Two 1-year "hardship" tours in Korea with the 2d ID, at Camp Casey and Camp Hovey, as a company master gunner and platoon sergeant, capped my overseas time. My final overall assignment was here in Spokane with a readiness group that worked with local National Guard units.

I was very fortunate and had a "charmed" career. I was a "needs of the Army" kind of guy. I never asked for an assignment or asked to be removed from one. As such, Uncle Sam moved me constantly....ten duty stations in 23 years! But in the end I never saw combat despite being in the one MOS that should. During the first Gulf War I was with the 5th ID in Ft. Polk, LA. As the Army's "bottom of the totem pole" division, we were the last to be fielded with new equipment. As such, we did not deploy. That was a tough thing for 15,000 people to stomach...we all became "CNN Warriors". When 9/11 occurred I was in my fourth tour in Colorado with the 3d Bde, 4th ID at Fort Carson. We got as ready as anyone for possible deployment, but in the end, Afghanistan was a light infantry and special ops fight, not a mechanized (heavy) division one. By the time President Bush and his advisors lost their minds and decided to invade Iraq, I was already in Spokane, working with some really great Washington National Guard folks! When they were alerted for mobilization/deployment to Iraq, our headquarters in Fort Lewis asked for a list of volunteers to deploy with them. I did so immediately, as did one other Spokane guy and several from detachments in Olympia, Kent and Seattle. We were told to get everything in order and go through every step of the mobilization and training process with our Guard counterparts. But in the end, the Army was unwilling to part with any of it's Active Duty assets, and we were shut down. Only after several mobilization missions later, to Lewis and Yakima, did I realize why we were denied. As Iraq dragged on and continued to drain resources, we were needed to continually train and mobilize units ranging from Guard, Reserve, Air Force, Air Guard, Navy and Navy reserve as the Active forces dwindled.

I retired as a First Sergeant in April 2006. About a year prior I'd met a really sweet Air Force Tech Sergeant at Fairchild AFB. She is now my wife and a Master Sergeant (Select)! So much for returning to northern PA and it's tremendous hunting and fishing opportunities! The Spokane area is just fine, though....while the hunting is not as good, the fishing is definitely better.

My military time was an awesome experience and I would not change a thing! At times it was tough but not as tough as it could have been. I was very fortunate.

[Marc Martyn]

Mark, do you remember what the acronym for G.U.A.M stood for?

Boy, that was a long time ago. Nothing comes to mind.

If it is appropriate for the site, post it. If not, PM me.

I do remember that with 12,000 G.I.'s on the base, there was a women behind every snow bank!:cheers:

[bob johansen]

[quote="sgpwayne"]Jeez, I feel like the old man in the sea. I joined the Navy in Dec. 1965, went to boot camp in San Diego, CA..
"Old Man Of The Sea?" Maybe you will feel younger after this. I joined the Navy in July 1949 and went to boot camp in San Diego, CA. Went to AP school in Memphis, Tenn. (Actually Millington.) Was 3 days away from graduating from from the school and taking a 30 day leave to go home and get married when the Korean War started. We graduated early and that same evening we we were reporting aboard the carrier USS Philippine Sea in San Diego and soon on our way to Korea. Was over seas for 30 consective months before returning to the States. Spent a lot of time in Japan in Fasron 120 supporting a squadron of PBMs. I was an aircraft engine mechanic and went up on test flights after overhaul of engines. Had an exciting flight over Mount Fuji on one flight and got some good photos. I am proud to have served in the military of the greatest nation on the Planet.

[sgpwayne]

Bass Tracker, I humbly surrender the crown of OLD MAN IN THE SEA to you. Thanks you for your sacrifices, Good Job. WAYNE