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Wow what a great read. Thank you for sharing.
I've heard about that incident before. Amazing to hear your direct account. I can only imagine how frustrating that was. Was your EF111 capable of being on the datalink network, and was it? I can't even imagine how this could happen, except for pure negligence as you pretty much describe. I'm glad those guys got sent home. You're even talking to them on their frequency saying don't shoot and they are so target fixated they cant hear you. Holy shit! Scary shit. Imagine if you had gotten pushed down into the shorads range. Holy fuck what a bad situation. |
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@sparkvark
I’m pretty sure that the F-15 that almost lit you up was one of mine ????? 7440th Combat Squadron, JTF Proven Force (525 Bulldogs out of Bitburg) |
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Wow, thats a pretty intense story, couldn't stop reading it.
My brother got a model of an F-111 when we were kids. We had never heard of it before that, and our little minds were blown that another variable swept wing warplane had existed. SxS cockpit, camo paint scheme on the box, in that pre internet world it was irresistible to a kid Always thought they were interesting planes, cool to read this story today. Thanks for sharing, thank you for your service. |
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Quoted: I listened to a podcast with Tyler Jay Satterfield( the EAS Song guy) and he brought up an interesting point. He said that as Marines all we ever looks for is a CAR. That he is more impressed by the NDR because you volunteered during active conflict. And the CAR really just means you were doing your job and defended yourself. It was part of a larger narrative and story but I found it interesting. View Quote You're absolutely right on that - that was the ribbon that mattered to all of us. Sure there's a whole bunch of other stuff that got handed out, but the CAR was where it's at. |
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I am begging you OP and any one else who has any type of story to tell to sit down and say it to a camera.
My grandad was in Korea and never told people about what he had done even the intricacies of daily life over there not even just the combat. My other grandpas brother was a bombardier over germany and I sat him down many times to tell me about it. My great regret was not recording the sessions. You wrote it out. That has a thing to it and it can be consumed. Tell the story to a camera. It is so much different coming from you and not text. |
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Great story OP. That must have been freaking hairy. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to read more.
I got out on 2/22/91. Always felt shitty about that, but I wasn't going to extend my enlistment 2 years, and my ship was a non-combatant, pictured in my avatar, and we were just coming out of the yards after an overhaul and some upgrades. |
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Quoted: The Jamming system on the EF wasn't designed to defeat airborne radars for interceptor aircraft. Our self protection jammers were optimized for Soviet AA radars. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: OP, thanks for sharing! The Vark has always been one of my most favorite aircraft, and I never agreed with retiring them when we did, especially the Spark. 6 months later it cost us. Question - could you have oriented your aircraft in such a way as to jam the F-15 that was targeting you as a means of self defense? The Jamming system on the EF wasn't designed to defeat airborne radars for interceptor aircraft. Our self protection jammers were optimized for Soviet AA radars. Thanks for the answer on that. I recall reading a story from someone who lit up a Prowler, kind of like a prank (peacetime stateside), and the Prowler responded in kind by jamming the fuck out of the guy's radar. I don't remember what he was flying. I seem to recall that you guys mostly 'broadcasted' sideways? |
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Quoted: We had business cards made up. "Proven Force Limited a division of Desert Storm Incorporated " I remember being on der Diem the entire time. It was both good and bad. Good that I got the money, bad in that is was damn hard to find food. I was flying strike mostly in the middle of the night so when I was up the officers club was closed. I usually ate at the snack bar the line maintenance guys had set up. When we got back in the morning we would go to the enlisted dining hall for breakfast because the O club wasn't open. We could go there but had to pay a surcharge I think of 65 View Quote |
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Thanks for sharing! The 11 year old me was glued to the TV in those days and watched the briefings from General Schwarzkopf, General Horner, and Chairman Powell religiously. I had my mind made up I was joining the USAF after high school to fly jets after watching all of the footage.
Ultimately fate had a different plan for me as my eyesight was not 20:20 when I had my physical my junior year of high school. Had I kept on that track I likely would have been flying jets in that same part of the world during the GWOT. Thanks for your service! |
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Thanks for the story OP. I always thought the woodland camo painted F 111 was sex on a stick.
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This 20 year old at the time, A-6 Maintainer didn't even recognize the significance of the date.
I still remember how our crew was constantly pissed at the Airforce handing the juicy ATO's (Air tasking orders, how they handed out targets) to all the Air Force guys and we got table scraps. I definitely remember the female Air Force intelligence officer that was walking around the ship. She was probably homely but she was the only female anybody had seen in 3D in quite a while. Attached File |
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Quoted: This 20 year old at the time, A-6 Maintainer didn't even recognize the significance of the date. I still remember how our crew was constantly pissed at the Airforce handing the juicy ATO's (Air tasking orders, how they handed out targets) to all the Air Force guys and we got table scraps. I definitely remember the female Air Force intelligence officer that was walking around the ship. She was probably homely but she was the only female anybody had seen in 3D in quite a while. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/80691/me2_jpg-3098204.JPG View Quote What ship were you on? My uncle was hanging bombs in VA-115 aboard Midway. |
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Quoted: @sparkvark I’m pretty sure that the F-15 that almost lit you up was one of mine ????? 7440th Combat Squadron, JTF Proven Force (525 Bulldogs out of Bitburg) View Quote @fighterFixer1 I'm pretty sure it was 7440th Combined Combat Wing (provisional). 42 ECS (Deployed) When we got back it really hit the fan. The pilot that targeted us was a 1st Lt. He tried to tell me I was in the wrong place and wrong altitude. I turned to the AWACS guys and they confirmed I was where I was supposed to be. He then turned to my Squadron Commander and pointed his finger at him yelling. I can still see my bosses face and hear him calmly saying, "Son let's go see your Squadron Commander". He was on the next flight out of base. |
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Quoted: Thanks for the answer on that. I recall reading a story from someone who lit up a Prowler, kind of like a prank (peacetime stateside), and the Prowler responded in kind by jamming the fuck out of the guy's radar. I don't remember what he was flying. I seem to recall that you guys mostly 'broadcasted' sideways? View Quote The EA-6B had a slightly different version of the ALQ-99 jamming system. They had less total output power but some different capabilities than we had. |
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Quoted: Wow what a great read. Thank you for sharing. I've heard about that incident before. Amazing to hear your direct account. I can only imagine how frustrating that was. Was your EF111 capable of being on the datalink network, and was it? I can't even imagine how this could happen, except for pure negligence as you pretty much describe. I'm glad those guys got sent home. You're even talking to them on their frequency saying don't shoot and they are so target fixated they cant hear you. Holy shit! Scary shit. Imagine if you had gotten pushed down into the shorads range. Holy fuck what a bad situation. View Quote @IL2windhawk We didn't have data link capabilities back then. You have to remember this plane was designed in the mid 70s and put into service around 1980. It had the best 1970 technology money could buy! The plane was considered a National Resource. They cost $60 Million a piece in 1980 dollars. Use an inflation calculator and see what that is in current dollars. The plane was more expensive than a F22 or F35. In USAFE we were Theater Commander resources and were often tasked directly by the USAFE commander for some interesting missions. |
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Thank you for this story. I remember watching it unfold on TV.
I love this place. |
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Quoted: You're absolutely right on that - that was the ribbon that mattered to all of us. Sure there's a whole bunch of other stuff that got handed out, but the CAR was where it's at. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: You're absolutely right on that - that was the ribbon that mattered to all of us. Sure there's a whole bunch of other stuff that got handed out, but the CAR was where it's at. I'd be interested if Marines in the earlier wars did the same thing. Like were WW2 Marines size up each others stacks. At least what passed for "stacks" back then. My dad was Navy, and so we had a Navy color guard for his funeral. Even when the sailor handed my mom the flag, I caught myself looking at his stack. Which was hefty, and included a FMF pin, CAR, and an Iraq ribbon with two stars and an EGA. I know my dad would've appreciated how salty that dude was. Quoted: @fighterFixer1 I'm pretty sure it was 7440th Combined Combat Wing (provisional). 42 ECS (Deployed) When we got back it really hit the fan. The pilot that targeted us was a 1st Lt. He tried to tell me I was in the wrong place and wrong altitude. I turned to the AWACS guys and they confirmed I was where I was supposed to be. He then turned to my Squadron Commander and pointed his finger at him yelling. I can still see my bosses face and hear him calmly saying, "Son let's go see your Squadron Commander". He was on the next flight out of base. Yelling at a squadron commander after you shit all over his bed is certainly one way to handle that situation. I wish I could've been a fly on the wall for that second meeting! |
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I’m surprised I hadn’t heard that story (AWACS for close to a decade). AWACS crews study the Black Hawk shootdown during MQT, but this would be an equally important “lessons learned” scenario. Then again I wasn’t weapons/surveillance so maybe those guys are familiar with it.
Well written account of the events, thanks for sharing. |
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Quoted: I’m surprised I hadn’t heard that story (AWACS for close to a decade). AWACS crews study the Black Hawk shootdown during MQT, but this would be an equally important “lessons learned” scenario. Then again I wasn’t weapons/surveillance so maybe those guys are familiar with it. Well written account of the events, thanks for sharing. View Quote You know how the AF is. If the lesson isn't written in blood then it's all good, until it isn't. |
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Amazing story. My dad was flying out of Incirlik at that time in RF-4s out of Zweibr cken.
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Quoted: 33 years? Holy shit. I'm old. View Quote I was a male war bride. I got married 4 days before my unit got it's deployment orders. Ft. Sheridan housing/barracks was full so my unit's officers stayed in a local hotel while prepping. My new wife came over every evening after Retreat and spent the night. After the war, we took a real honeymoon. We are still married. |
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I was in Elementary school at the time I remember my schools gym coach got called up for duty.
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Quoted: Great story OP! Wow. Bunch of old guys in here. https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6FhWFCW/1/8a885601/O/i-6FhWFCW.jpg View Quote "Price is firm. I knows what I got!" |
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I spent DS/DS guarding Lee Barracks in Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany. It was several months of 4 on, 8 off motor pool, perimeter fence, and back gate guard duty. For the most part, it was extremely boring.
We were equipped with unloaded M-16A2's and a PRC-77 radio. If someone tried to ram the gate or somehow try to gain access to the kaserne, we were supposed to go to Port Arms, yell "Halt" a couple times, and hope they obeyed. If they didn't, we to get on the radio and call the Brigade Staff Duty. They would radio over to our Echo Company, who were the 24/7 QRF. Those dudes would have to wake up, get dressed, draw weapons and ammo, jump on their trucks, and drive over to dig our bodies out of any rubble. At no time did any of us on guard duty have any ammo, not even after someone drove past the embassy or consulate and sprayed a mag's worth of ammo at the fence. There were only two exciting moments of the entire time. The first was when I caught one of the battalion's maintenance officers (who was the SDO, as it turned out) climbing over the motor pool fence to get the small tv out of his office. He'd forgot the keys to the motor pool gate, apparently, and decided to climb over. As he climbed back over with a tv in his hands, I stopped him and made him stay perched atop the gate until the SDNCO came down to vouch for him. The second time was at the back gate. I was checking under the car for bombs with a mirror on a pole while my squad leader had the driver open the hood to inspect the engine compartment. The driver noticed a loose fan belt or something and tried to tighten it by hand while it was running. You can imagine, I'm sure how successful he was. I was the only one present who actually had a field dressing on him, so I wrapped his bloody and mangled hand, with the finger barely hanging on by a thread. My squad leader then drove him to the small clinic on base. The next day, one of the medics from the clinic came through the gate and told us that my wrapping his finger and hand so quickly was the only thing which allowed him to keep the finger. |
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I couldn't imagine being a Tanker and missing the greatest use of tanks the world has ever seen.
At one point, my tank was the point tank for 3rd Armored Division and my LT was navigating. You may not believe it, but you can't stand in a hatch on a M1A1 tank and use a compass, so I, as the loader, had to climb on top of the turret, while moving, and take a reading. I would hold the Ma Deuce barrel with one hand and the compass with the other. When I shot my azimuth, I would direct the TC to turn the gun tube to the proper heading, Once the tube was set, he would hold the Cadillacs and the driver would tunr the tank until the gun tube was right over his head. Then we would travel at a set speed for a certain number of minutes and do it all over again at course change. I can start a Tanker thread if anyone is interested in the ground aspect... |
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Quoted: I couldn't imagine being a Tanker and missing the greatest use of tanks the world has ever seen. At one point, my tank was the point tank for 3rd Armored Division and my LT was navigating. You may not believe it, but you can't stand in a hatch on a M1A1 tank and use a compass, so I, as the loader, had to climb on top of the turret, while moving, and take a reading. I would hold the Ma Deuce barrel with one hand and the compass with the other. When I shot my azimuth, I would direct the TC to turn the gun tube to the proper heading, Once the tube was set, he would hold the Cadillacs and the driver would tunr the tank until the gun tube was right over his head. Then we would travel at a set speed for a certain number of minutes and do it all over again at course change. I can start a Tanker thread if anyone is interested in the ground aspect... View Quote Please do! |
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Quoted: Great story OP! Wow. Bunch of old guys in here. https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6FhWFCW/1/8a885601/O/i-6FhWFCW.jpg View Quote The velcro on those chicken vests never worked lol |
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Quoted: I couldn't imagine being a Tanker and missing the greatest use of tanks the world has ever seen. At one point, my tank was the point tank for 3rd Armored Division and my LT was navigating. You may not believe it, but you can't stand in a hatch on a M1A1 tank and use a compass, so I, as the loader, had to climb on top of the turret, while moving, and take a reading. I would hold the Ma Deuce barrel with one hand and the compass with the other. When I shot my azimuth, I would direct the TC to turn the gun tube to the proper heading, Once the tube was set, he would hold the Cadillacs and the driver would tunr the tank until the gun tube was right over his head. Then we would travel at a set speed for a certain number of minutes and do it all over again at course change. I can start a Tanker thread if anyone is interested in the ground aspect... View Quote That's awesome. I'd be interested in that. |
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Quoted: I couldn't imagine being a Tanker and missing the greatest use of tanks the world has ever seen. At one point, my tank was the point tank for 3rd Armored Division and my LT was navigating. You may not believe it, but you can't stand in a hatch on a M1A1 tank and use a compass, so I, as the loader, had to climb on top of the turret, while moving, and take a reading. I would hold the Ma Deuce barrel with one hand and the compass with the other. When I shot my azimuth, I would direct the TC to turn the gun tube to the proper heading, Once the tube was set, he would hold the Cadillacs and the driver would tunr the tank until the gun tube was right over his head. Then we would travel at a set speed for a certain number of minutes and do it all over again at course change. I can start a Tanker thread if anyone is interested in the ground aspect... View Quote Link it here, I need to try to find more pictures, but stupidly we mostly used the px to do our prints...and 99% got "missing" and it was some wild pics we had |
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Thank you to all the Air Gods for prepping the battlefield, making enemy air a non-factor, providing EW, psyops, and screening/immediate intel of the ground battle space forward and to our exposed flanks, running counter fire overwatch, close air support, assault support lift, and medevacs.
1stMarDiv TF Grizzly Comm/TACP guy. |
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Thanks for sharing! I gave birth to my daughter during Desert Storm. I was induced and didn't realize I was in labor until it got very annoying to hear James Earl Jones say "This is CNN" I'm usually very pleasant but after the umpteenth time of hearing it I barked "Alright already, you're CNN." I delivered 10 minutes later. It's hard to believe it's been 33 years.
Sorry for the off topic. During Desert Storm we mostly saw the patriot missiles being deployed. It shouldn't surprise me that there was so much more going on. I recall a neighbor of mine's husband was deployed and when he came back he had something she referred to as gulf war sickness. Was that really a thing? She said that after he returned it burned her when they made love. @Clarinath. cool story, thank you for sharing! |
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Quoted: Thanks for sharing! I gave birth to my daughter during Desert Storm. I was induced and didn't realize I was in labor until it got very annoying to hear James Earl Jones say "This is CNN" I'm usually very pleasant but after the umpteenth time of hearing it I barked "Alright already, you're CNN." I delivered 10 minutes later. It's hard to believe it's been 33 years. Sorry for the off topic. During Desert Storm we mostly saw the patriot missiles being deployed. It shouldn't surprise me that there was so much more going on. I recall a neighbor of mine's husband was deployed and when he came back he had something she referred to as gulf war sickness. Was that really a thing? She said that after he returned it burned her when they made love. View Quote It's real. |
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Great story Op I enjoy hearing them and glad you made it home. I was on the ground mostly between KKMC and Al Jubail. I drove those old Mercedes Benz trucks hauling shit around. we were a provisional unit 702nd Trans.
Many great times out and around and driving through Khafji, Hafar al batin just to name a few of the places we drove through. |
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Quoted: I couldn't imagine being a Tanker and missing the greatest use of tanks the world has ever seen. At one point, my tank was the point tank for 3rd Armored Division and my LT was navigating. You may not believe it, but you can't stand in a hatch on a M1A1 tank and use a compass, so I, as the loader, had to climb on top of the turret, while moving, and take a reading. I would hold the Ma Deuce barrel with one hand and the compass with the other. When I shot my azimuth, I would direct the TC to turn the gun tube to the proper heading, Once the tube was set, he would hold the Cadillacs and the driver would tunr the tank until the gun tube was right over his head. Then we would travel at a set speed for a certain number of minutes and do it all over again at course change. I can start a Tanker thread if anyone is interested in the ground aspect... View Quote You should. I think it would be great. |
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I was on the ground, I still appreciate all that you guys did in the air to make our jobs easier.
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We had a saying in USAFE during the Cold War. You could shoot down all the MIGs you wanted, but if a Soviet Tank Commander is eating lunch in you snack bar you have lost the war. Wars are won my men on the ground and to support that men in aircraft going "downtown" to rain death and destruction on the enemy.
To that point having air superiority allows you to do all of the above. |
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Quoted: I spent DS/DS guarding Lee Barracks in Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany. It was several months of 4 on, 8 off motor pool, perimeter fence, and back gate guard duty. For the most part, it was extremely boring. We were equipped with unloaded M-16A2's and a PRC-77 radio. If someone tried to ram the gate or somehow try to gain access to the kaserne, we were supposed to go to Port Arms, yell "Halt" a couple times, and hope they obeyed. If they didn't, we to get on the radio and call the Brigade Staff Duty. They would radio over to our Echo Company, who were the 24/7 QRF. Those dudes would have to wake up, get dressed, draw weapons and ammo, jump on their trucks, and drive over to dig our bodies out of any rubble. At no time did any of us on guard duty have any ammo, not even after someone drove past the embassy or consulate and sprayed a mag's worth of ammo at the fence. There were only two exciting moments of the entire time. The first was when I caught one of the battalion's maintenance officers (who was the SDO, as it turned out) climbing over the motor pool fence to get the small tv out of his office. He'd forgot the keys to the motor pool gate, apparently, and decided to climb over. As he climbed back over with a tv in his hands, I stopped him and made him stay perched atop the gate until the SDNCO came down to vouch for him. The second time was at the back gate. I was checking under the car for bombs with a mirror on a pole while my squad leader had the driver open the hood to inspect the engine compartment. The driver noticed a loose fan belt or something and tried to tighten it by hand while it was running. You can imagine, I'm sure how successful he was. I was the only one present who actually had a field dressing on him, so I wrapped his bloody and mangled hand, with the finger barely hanging on by a thread. My squad leader then drove him to the small clinic on base. The next day, one of the medics from the clinic came through the gate and told us that my wrapping his finger and hand so quickly was the only thing which allowed him to keep the finger. View Quote Cool story. Everyone adds so much to threads like this. |
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Quoted: Thanks for sharing! I gave birth to my daughter during Desert Storm. I was induced and didn't realize I was in labor until it got very annoying to hear James Earl Jones say "This is CNN" I'm usually very pleasant but after the umpteenth time of hearing it I barked "Alright already, you're CNN." I delivered 10 minutes later. It's hard to believe it's been 33 years. Sorry for the off topic. During Desert Storm we mostly saw the patriot missiles being deployed. It shouldn't surprise me that there was so much more going on. I recall a neighbor of mine's husband was deployed and when he came back he had something she referred to as gulf war sickness. Was that really a thing? She said that after he returned it burned her when they made love. @Clarinath. cool story, thank you for sharing! View Quote @QueenDeNile It's called B.S.S. burning semon syndrom, I remember the VA saying that in the early 90's and it is very real and not fun, it burns the wife and using condoms it will irritate the me, it started the spring/early summer when we got back, a lot of the guys thought their wifes had gotten diseases from cheating, at the time I actually down my EXwife to get tested with her girlfriends..they came back clean B.S.S Quick link above |
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Quoted: Cool story. Everyone adds so much to threads like this. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I spent DS/DS guarding Lee Barracks in Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany. It was several months of 4 on, 8 off motor pool, perimeter fence, and back gate guard duty. For the most part, it was extremely boring. We were equipped with unloaded M-16A2's and a PRC-77 radio. If someone tried to ram the gate or somehow try to gain access to the kaserne, we were supposed to go to Port Arms, yell "Halt" a couple times, and hope they obeyed. If they didn't, we to get on the radio and call the Brigade Staff Duty. They would radio over to our Echo Company, who were the 24/7 QRF. Those dudes would have to wake up, get dressed, draw weapons and ammo, jump on their trucks, and drive over to dig our bodies out of any rubble. At no time did any of us on guard duty have any ammo, not even after someone drove past the embassy or consulate and sprayed a mag's worth of ammo at the fence. There were only two exciting moments of the entire time. The first was when I caught one of the battalion's maintenance officers (who was the SDO, as it turned out) climbing over the motor pool fence to get the small tv out of his office. He'd forgot the keys to the motor pool gate, apparently, and decided to climb over. As he climbed back over with a tv in his hands, I stopped him and made him stay perched atop the gate until the SDNCO came down to vouch for him. The second time was at the back gate. I was checking under the car for bombs with a mirror on a pole while my squad leader had the driver open the hood to inspect the engine compartment. The driver noticed a loose fan belt or something and tried to tighten it by hand while it was running. You can imagine, I'm sure how successful he was. I was the only one present who actually had a field dressing on him, so I wrapped his bloody and mangled hand, with the finger barely hanging on by a thread. My squad leader then drove him to the small clinic on base. The next day, one of the medics from the clinic came through the gate and told us that my wrapping his finger and hand so quickly was the only thing which allowed him to keep the finger. Cool story. Everyone adds so much to threads like this. Indeed. I never served and didn't really get interested in military stuff until I was in my 30's but now I could read all of your guys stories all day! Thanks for your service and for sharing. Subscribed! |
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