Veterans

[orvet]

My vet status has not changed, but here is a picture I have not shared before.
The picture was taken in Spring of 1971 at NAS Millington TN. This is my class graduating from GSE (Ground Support Equipment) School.
I was top Marine in my class to I got my choice of duty station; MCAS El Toro.

For the guys in USAF, the Marine Corps’ GSE was what y’all called AGE; (Aerospace Ground Equipment). I had to take a piece of gear over to the AGE detachment at El Toro to loan to the Air Force when they were taking care of Air Force One. This was during Nixon’s presidency and he flew Air Force One into El Toro before taking a chopper to Camp Pendleton where he transferred into his limo. Later after he got a helipad built at his house he flew directly from El Toro to his house in San Clemente.

[CheckSix]

Cool thread! Dale! which one if you in that photo?

[Chase]

U.S. Air Force
1979-2001
New Hampshire
S. Korea
Virginia
Desert Shield - Desert Storm
Virginia
Lajes Field, Azores
Cheyenne Wyoming
Retired


Tom

[FRJ]

Thanks for your service, Tom, and thanks for posting.

[Quick Steel]

Ft. Knox OCS near graduation 1967.---5/32 Armor, Headquarters staff, I'm seated 2nd from the right as Adjutant 1969, we were attached to the 24th Inf Mech and rotated from Germany to Ft. Riley.. Night firing my tank company B/5/32 in Germany in 1967. Yes, I became CO as a 2nd Lt. Vietnam did that kind of thing to the Army. RVN 1969-70. 4 months Great Lakes Naval Hospital [Thank you Navy, received excellent care.] Then Ft. Knox until April 1972.

[orvet]

Cool thread! Dale! which one if you in that photo?

Top row, right hand side, in green.

[CheckSix]

Cool thread! Dale! which one if you in that photo?

Top row, right hand side, in green.

Thank goodness you specified "in green".

[jerryd6818]

Cool thread! Dale! which one if you in that photo?

Top row, right hand side, in green.

I never would have guessed that. Seriously. You and the red-head would have been given a pass from me until eternity.

[bighomer]

A long time ago in a far off land.

[Black Lion]

The same far away land...

[jerryd6818]

Love those pictures. Keep 'em coming.

[CheckSix]

bada$$es all!!! ('cept for Ann Margaret)

Jerry, in the last photo of the 4 of you, what are you grabbin' with your right hand????

[fergusontd]

Here's a couple from the gunline, taken from the ship I was on in 1968.

[Quick Steel]

fergusontd: Your top photo is really strong. Everything is in motion: the ship, the waves, the chopper. Excellent. You might consider enlarging and framing it.

[jerryd6818]

bada$$es all!!! ('cept for Ann Margaret)

Jerry, in the last photo of the 4 of you, what are you grabbin' with your right hand????

I've been a smart A#$ my entire life so it didn't start there.

[FRJ]

Here is a picture of my friend Don Feiler from Cincinnati and me, in T shirt and three Korean soldiers that worked with us for a while. Obviously, two cultures with our own approach to friendship.
Nha Trang, Viet Nam. 1967

[CheckSix]

Disclaimer: I never served. They wouldn't take me. 4F'ed me in 1972. The reason was, that I had a medical issue that didn't affect me mentally or physically but as they explained to me... "we don't want to pay for your medical care, for the rest of your life." So, that's how it turned out for me and my draft lottery number was 4 that year. I was in college at the time but I was pretty much on my way with that low of a draft lottery number.

In 1971 I had passed my private pilot's check ride. So, I knew how to fly and loved flying airplanes. So, had I served... I would have flown something..... and this is a great segue to the attached photo. In 1993, I spent 10 days at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage. I got a 45 min guided tour in the back seat of the F-15E Strike Eagle, by the WSO that flew it.

Last photo: A retired Navy SEAL Master Chief that is an acquaintance of mine, wore this T-shirt that I thought was pretty appropriate.

[jerryd6818]

I've been looking, on and off, for one of those t-shirts since the first time I saw that picture. Love it.

[CheckSix]

I've been looking, on and off, for one of those t-shirts since the first time I saw that picture. Love it.

I have not seen the T-Shirt for sale. That is Herschel Davis, a SEAL legend that I met back in 2003 at The Site. I am told he was the longest serving SEAL of all time. Over 30 yrs, iirc. At the time I met him, he was still running 10 miles a day, regardless of weather and he was 60 when I met him. He was packing his duffle when we were speaking, to ship off immediately to Afghanistan on the hunt for UBL. I was told by another SEAL that was training me on precision rifle shooting at the time, that Herschel has an incredible record as a SEAL, with respect to confirmed kills.

[bighomer]

A few more photos.

[Quick Steel]

bighomer: Did you ever fire or observe the Long Toms-175mm?

[bighomer]

Yes I observed never fired, there was a battery of them right next to us at Lai Khe. Not as loud as the 8 inch but they had a hell of crack like a humongous rifle, the 8 inch was more of a boom. I've been told that the battery I was in changed two of the tubes to 175's and left two 8 inchers later in the war.

[jerryd6818]

USMC HAWK Missiles --- "If it flies, it dies."

Bravo Battery - Monkey Mountain, Da Nang, RSVN 1965-1966

[bighomer]

When I return to the states I spent my last 6 months in a little john rocket battery which was obsolete at the time but still classified. Go figure

[RobesonsRme.com]

This is a photo of me working on a wounded Cambodian mercenary, a member of our Civilian Irregular Defense Group.

This was published in the MACV news magazine, The Hurricane, in November, 1969.

I grew those sideburns while I was there. My little protest. Top didn't care, but I had to shave them off before I left site.

Mike Parks is offering the liquid refreshment. He and I have been reacquainted for several years and spent a weekend together at an SF ceremony at
Ft Campbell last March.

Second photo is Sarah and I at that weekend ceremony.

The new generation of Army Special Forces soldiers is very impressive.

Charlie Noyes