Military experiences.

[ohairas]

Thank you everyone for your service! :eusa_clap
Nikki

 

[Madcap72]

Joined the Marines in 2000.
First deployment was after 9/11, spent 5 months on standby in the Arabian gulf. Never got feet dry. BUT got to hit Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and Hawaii coming back. On top of training on the Big Island oh Hawaii, and some more in Kenya.

Second Deployment was to invade Iraq (actually called everyone on Christmas leave, 25 Dec.). Left January got to Kuwait in Feb. Invaded March, home in Oct. Drove straight north to Baghdad, went through An Nasaryia, lots of the intersection fights, Al Kut, and into Saddam City. Took over the Cigerrette factory, the UN weapons inspectors compound and finally settled in the Musayib Power Plant. Also spent time at a Pistol Factory in Al hillah, and the ruins of Babylon.

Was in STA plt.
Javelins (Anti Armour) Driver (IFAV)
HQ plt.
CAAT (combined anti-amour) Driver/ vehicle commander (TOW Hmmwv)

Camp Pendleton, Hero shot.

Truck I drove in Iraq. (I have the dirt bag mustache).

Haze Gray and underway some where in a long stretch of Pacific Ocean.

 

[SGT Rocket]

Army 1986 to 1989– 82C/13C: Field Artillery Surveyor

Minn National Guard– 2007 to present: 13C and I’m reclassifying to 35F– Intel Analyst.

I’m being deployed in early 2009 to Iraq (January they say). Upon my return, I’m going to try to get into Warrant OCS. I’m hoping to go full time guard after that. If not, I’ll stay part time guard and try to get a federal job that can use my skills in DC.

 

[DrSpeed]

I've served as a doctor in the Royal Netherlands Army and was deployed to Afghanistan.
I agree with mikepara and tangoyankee amongst others; don't wear uniform items you haven't earned. You're bringing yourself down.
There's no shame in not being a super duper commando, there is in pretending to be one. What's the use?
I wouldn't expect someone to wear a medical badge who's not a medic, after all.

 

[Gaige]

0844 MOS: Field Artillery Fire Direction/Control Specialist, USMC

 

[Diamondback]

As someone who's still trying to drop the weight to join up, gotta offer a healthy "Semper Fi!"* to all of you.

*Yes, I know it's officially USMC, but it strikes me as good words for anyone to live by, no matter what uniform one wears (or even if no uniform at all).

 

[Aviator]

Hit 20 years active duty earlier this year...

Active duty Coast Guard; enlisted in 1988 and served aboard a Cutter out of Portsmouth, VA.
Then went to yeoman (clerk/typist/pay specialist) school and was stationed at HQ in DC for 4 years (we are the only service with our HQ in DC...little known fact).
Then back to a cutter out of Hawaii (Sand Island on O'ahu), where I was fortunate enough to go to Navy Dive School at Ford Island and get my scuba bubble, as we had working divers on board the ship I was on. That was a fantastic 3.5 years as we went all over the Pacific as well as the other islands...fond memories of the 50th state.
Then back to Virginia, this time at Yorktown where I was stationed for a year, before being picked up for officer candidate school.
Then it was flight school with training just north of Pensacola, as well as Corpus Christi, TX and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Then 4 years flying the C-130 out of Elizabeth City, NC, doing Search and Rescue, Homeland Security patrols, and some International Ice Patrol flights out of St. Johns, Newfoundland.
Lastly, I have been flying out of Florida for the last 4 years, doing migrant patrols & Search and Rescue, and will do another year here, as well.
Life has been good.

 

[Maguire]

I am not nor have i ever done anything remotely military.. however I plan on joining some military organization once i'm out of the United States and have my citizenship papers in orders. Ideally I'd really like to join the Spanish Legion but if that fails me or becomes too difficult logistically I'd even settle for the Army in Ireland. Although i believe the place of the military has changed drastically in society since the turn of the 20th century, its still an important thing one should go through, train, etc. The discipline is something sorely lacking in both myself and in society as a whole and the military could help kick that out of me.

 

[Slim Portly]

I served in various capacities with both the Air Force and the Navy, first in the medical field and then in weapons development and testing. When you see the movies where the military guys are in the big rooms with lots of computer screens and the giant wall display of the world with lines showing missiles and such flying around, that's where I used to work.

 

[WH1]

USMC 1371 Combat Engineer Currently 8999 1st Sergeant
Desert Storm
Central America/Drug War
OIF
Enlisted 1984-Still serving

Thank the young ones serving, they are the ones doing the hard work. Don't thank me I'm just doing my job.
Semper Fidelis

 

[Tommydean]

US NAVY from 1981 to 1985 was a aviation structural mech on A-6 Intruders
(VA-75) the Sunday Punchers!! out of Nas Oceana Va Beach Va, did two med IO cruises on the USS John F Kennedy and sat off the cost of beruit after the attack on the marine barracks in 1983. got out in 1985 moved to Denver were i stayed.

 

[imported_the_librarian]

Guess I'll pitch in my duffel bag here.

Field Arty. Track Mech. 2/138th FA 1/623 FA

Enlisted only.

M-110
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M110_howitzer)

M-109
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M109_Paladin)

My vehicle: M-578
(http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergepanzer_M_578)

Operation Desert Storm

Get this, went to Ft. Polk for basic (late eighties)...they had just reactivated the training component...on the rifle range, my farthest target had a tree in front of it...I got the points!

Still had the open bays, insignias and monikers from the sixties all over the the place...time warp almost, but they were redoing things the same time we were there.

Any of you still remember the Gamma Goat? Jeeez what a pain to work on!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gama_Goat

 

[Sjoconn]

1986 - 1995 as an MP in the Reserves with trips to: Alaska, Germany (REFORGER), Desert Shield/Storm, Panama, and Japan.

1995 - 2001 Active duty as as a Signals Intelligence Analyst

2001 - 2004 attended SFQC

2004 - present Special Forces Medical Sergeant

5 more years until I live the good life as an Ex-pat sitting on a beach in the tropics.

Its been a blast and couldnt imagine doing anything else.

Sean

 

[Madcap72]

1986 - 1995 as an MP in the Reserves with trips to: Alaska, Germany (REFORGER), Desert Shield/Storm, Panama, and Japan.

1995 - 2001 Active duty as as a Signals Intelligence Analyst

2001 - 2004 attended SFQC

2004 - present Special Forces Medical Sergeant

5 more years until I live the good life as an Ex-pat sitting on a beach in the tropics.

Its been a blast and couldnt imagine doing anything else.

Sean

I'm thinking the Island of Dominica.

 

[Sjoconn]

I'm thinking the Island of Dominica.

I have heard great things about Dominica, but I am looking at the Philippines. I really do love it down there. and the cost of living is low enough I could actually live off of government retirement!

 

[kpreed]

U.S. Army 1972 till 1975. Airborne/Infantry 11B. Last post was 2nd Ranger Co. in North Georgia.

 

[52Styleline]

Uncle Sam's Canoe Club, Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club in other words USN. Started as a lowly Ensign right out of OCS and ended as a lowly Lt. Spent most of my time bobbing around aboard destroyers in various parts of SE Asia. Saw/heard naval guns fired, but to the best of my knowledge, never had anything fired at me so no hero stories to tell.

I loved being underway at sea. I was one of the few sailors who really didn't long for port. I also preferred the smaller ships to the big boys of the line. All of this was a long time ago.

 

[Puyallup Lee]

US Air Force

Air Force 1964 -1968
Basic at Lackland AFB, Texas and stayed on for EC&CE (Cryptographic Repair) School.
After Crypto School I was stationed at March AFB (SAC). The 22d Bombardment Wing was assigned to the base. They flew B-52's and KC-135 Stratotankers. I was in communications and my squadron was the 33rd Communications Squadron, which was a detachemnt out of Hickam AFB.

The crypto equipment was kept in a vaulted inclosure in the command post.

I remember comming to work one day and all the guards to the command post, had been changed. General Olds was the base commander and as I understand it, he had a picture of a monkey put on his ID badge. He went in and out of the command post for a week without anyone challenging him, so he had all the guards reassigned.

I worked graveyard shift and slept during the day. It was great for Barracks inspections, the inspection team would open the room door, see someone was sleeping and very quietly close the door and go to the next room.

We had 7 airmen on our shift and we rotated jobs. Four were assigned to playing cards "Hearts", One was assigned to sleep, and Two were assigned to watch the equipment. Basically this was very boring duty.

One day we came in and there was a wooden box on the wall with a grill in front and a small antenna on top. We were told it was a device to detect radiation from the crypto equipment. It was actually a camera and microphone to watch us. We used to joke around and speculate that it was a camera and the guys would flip the bird at it. I wonder what the person who was monitoring us thought. We didn't know, at that time, that one of our team was a Russian Spy.

When the trial was held in Alexandria, Virginia, I received orders to appear as an essential government witness. It came out at the trial that a few of the KC-135 Stratotankers were converted to Airborne Command Posts and the spy gave the Russians the tail numbers of these aircraft. I am sure the Air Force renumbered the whole fleet. The outcome of the trial was that the spy received 30 years at Ft. Leavenworth. If Viet Nam had been a declared war and not a police action, the outcome of the trial would have been much different for the spy. CasaBlancaChuck, what was it like for the spy at the detention center?

I am sorry I wrote a book, but I wanted to tell my story.


Lee

 

[Gaige]

Wow... maybe you should consider writing a book! Great story!

 

[Foofoogal]

General Olds was the base commander and as I understand it, he had a picture of a monkey put on his ID badge. He went in and out of the command post for a week without anyone challenging him, so he had all the guards reassigned.

This is funny but so scary at the same time.

My dad and uncle were Navy, my 2 brothers in Vietnam were Army, have 6 nephews and 1 niece current military. 2 have had 2 tours in Iraq and one 1 tour. Every single branch including Coast Guard represented proudly.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
Thank you all for serving. Especially the ones in our military keeping me and mine.

For all you newbies. This is the place to hang out. Purty girls and all to help moral.