All About Pocket Knives

AAPK has a pretty large Veterans' Community. I know many of the veterans and the branch of service in which they served, but I do not know all of them. This is especially true since our membership has grown considerably in recent years. AAPK now has over 26,000 members. I know we have members who served in Vietnam, Somalia, Bosnia, the Gulf War, Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan, plus many other hostilities around the globe.
The vision for this forum is a place where veterans can meet and talk to other veterans, to share information, stories, maybe even meet someone who can help substantiate a claim you have with the VA.

By way of introduction if y’all would be so kind to post your branch of service, dates of service, any particular actions you were involved in, if you so desire. Sharing such information can be very personal but it can also be very cathartic. We have some very gifted writers in our veteran community who have shared many stories of their time in the military. I always find them fascinating to read.

So, without further ado, I will give my information and get the ball rolling.

Dale Vincent
United States Marine Corps
March 1970 to October 1973 (I think)
Vietnam 1972

Terry Ferguson M.M.3 United States Navy. March 1968 to December 1971. 2 6 month
West Pac Cruises Vietnam '68 and '70. Boot camp Great Lakes Ill. Machinest mate Forward Engine room. U.S.S. Anderson DD786. A Gang U.S.S. Lockwood DE1064.

Jerry Downen Corporal E-4
United States Marine Corps
June 27, 1962 - September 9, 1966

Boot Camp, Platoon 145 MCRD San Diego, CA
ITR, MCB Camp Pendleton, CA
Construction Electrician School, Sea Bee Base Port Hueneme, CA
'C' Battery 2nd LAAM Bn, 29 Palms, CA
Basic Electronics & Radar Fundamentals, MCRD San Diego, CA
Basic Electronics (again) and CW Radar School, Fort Bliss, TX
'B' Battery, 3rd LAAM Bn, MCAS Cherry Point, NC
.....Operation Steel Pike, Rota, Spain
.....Four days liberty in Las Palmas on Grand Canary in the Canary Islands during the return trip.
.....Firing Exercise Vieques Island, PR
,,In transit - Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA
,,In transit - Okinawa, Japan
'A' Battery 1st LAAM Bn, Da Nang, Republic of Viet Nam
'B' Battery 1st LAAM Bn, Monkey Mountain, Republic of Viet Nam
,,In transit - Okinawa, Japan
Out processing, MCAS El Toro, California
4 years, 2 months & 12 days

Stephen J Warden TSgt E6
United States Air Force

1980 Basic Training, Lackland AFB, TX
'80-'81 Tech School, Chanute AFB, IL
'81-'83 Wright-Patterson AFB, OH C-135, C-141, C-130
'83-'86 Rhein-Main AB, Germany C-141, C-5, C-130, C-9
'86-'00 McGuire AFB, NJ C-141, KC-10

Avionics Technician all 20 years.
Avionics - automatic flight control systems, (auto-pilot), compass systems, inertial navigation systems, flight instrumentation systems

Spent 7 years teaching it as a Field Training Detachment (FTD) Instructor at McGuire. Earned Master Instructor rating.

Two years as Avionis Quality Assurance Inspector.

McGuire was a staging base for jets heading overseas for the Gulf War. I was fortunate to remain stateside to handle the maintenance on those heading across the pond.

Time at Rota NAS, Rota, Spain during the Kosovo War. Worked the refuel tankers, KC-10s.

Thoroughly enjoyed my time in. I'd do it all over again, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Dave Nelson
Sgt. United States Air Force
Feb. 1971 to Dec. !974
Weather Equipment repairman; Tech. school, Chanute AFB, IL.
Rapid City S.Dak. Dec. 1971 to Dec, 74

Tom Chase MSgt Retired
USAF- Security Police/Security Forces
Feb 1979- Aug 2001

Pease AFB, NH 79-84
Kunsan AB, S. Korea 84-85
Langley AFB, VA 85-97 Nine years in the Unit there and 3 years on the HQ Air Combat Command Staff
Lajes Field, Azores 97-2000
F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming 2000-2001

Desert Shield/Desert Storm Aug 91-Mar 92
Daharan AB, Saudi Arabia

Garry Moore
CPT.
U.S.Army June 66/Mar. 72
Basic -Ft. Polk, LA/ OCS-Ft.Knox KY
Tank Company Cmdr- Germany, Ft. Riley
Vietnam- Battalion Advisor ARVN 1st Bn, 44th Regt., 23 Inf. Div. Mar. 69 to Mar.70
Great Lakes Naval Hospital Mar. 70 thru June 70
Ft. Knox thru Mar. 71

Roundtree, Allen, USMC, Sgt. one each
1987-1993

MCRD San Diego
DLI FLC Monterrey, Ca.
mission training Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX.

18 months Ft. Davis, Panama, attached to Co. D MARSPTBN, Galeta Island
Cryptologic Linguist, also some code breaking
in country during Operation Just Cause

last 3 years Camp Lejeune, NC, 2nd Radio Battalion

David L. Roberts, ACCS(AW) E8
U.S. Navy (Ret.) February 4, 1971 to October 1, 1997
Recruit Training NRTC Orlando, FL 1971;
Air Traffic Control School NATTC Glynco, GA;
Carrier Air Traffic Control School NATTC Point Loma, CA;
Airport Management School NATTC Millington, TN;
Airspace Management & Development FAA Academy Oklahoma City, OK.

2 Tours NAS Kingsville Control Tower Chief and FAA Control Tower Examiner.
USS Constellation CV-64 Carrier Air Traffic Control Center Supervisor.
Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, NAB Little Creek, VA. Air Operations Chief/Supporting Arms Coordination Center Detachment Chief MARG 1-86 USS Guadalcanal LPH-7.
NAS Meridian Air Operations Department Leading Chief & Command Traffic Court Judge.
Department of the Navy FAA Representative Great Lakes, Central, Southwest and Gulf of Mexico Regions.

Joe Watts, U.S.Army - Specialist E4
Fort Lewis, boot camp
Fort Ord, Ca., training
Fort Story, Va., training
Nha Trang, Viet Nam. Psychological Operations. 67- 68
1966 - 1968 active; 1968 - 1972 inactive.

Wayne Zieschang, LCDR, USN/USNR

Sept 1973 - Aug 1977 NROTC Texas A&M University, College Station TX (Unit - Fightin' Texas Aggie Band)

Sept 1977 - Feb 1980 USS DENVER (LPD-9) San Diego CA (with 4 months at SWOS at Cornado Amphib Base) EWO/CICO

Feb 1980 - May 1982 USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64) San Diego CA - Electrical Div Officer / Non-weapons Computer Maintenance Officer

June 1982 - Feb 1984 USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19) Navigation Officer (Department Head for Navigation/Signalmen/Aerography Dept)

Mar 1984 Joint Electronic Warfare Center, Kelly AFB San Antonio TX (Duties not disclosable)

Apr 1984 - Oct 1984 Department Head School, Newport NS, Newport RI

Oct 1984 - Jan 1988 USS MERRIMACK (AO-179) Norfolk, VA Department Head for Navigation (QMs and SMs)/ Admin (PNs & YNs & PCs ) 1st Lieutenant (BMs & GMs) --- The minimum manning concept was a dismal train wreck.

Jan 1988 - Sept 1997 - USNR San Antonio TX - COMNAVSURFGRU WESTPAC (Subic Bay RP), COMNAVLOG WESTPAC (Singapore RS)

Admiral, Texas Navy Sept 1997 - present, currently Executive Officer for Edwin Moore Squadron, Austin TX

I thought this would be the appropriate place for this. Tis the season so all the stars are aligned.

jerryd6818 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 1:02 pm I thought this would be the appropriate place for this. Tis the season so all the stars are aligned.

Fantastic! Great job! ftd

SP 4 John M. O'Dell
Army 1966-68
Ft, Hood, Texas, 6/92 Arty, 2nd Armored Div
Ft. Hood-1/14 Arty, 2nd Armored Div., to 198th Light Inf. Brigade, to Americal Div., Chu Lai, Vietnam, Oct., 1968
M.O.S. 82C20 Artillery Surveyor
TDY to MACV team, Ly Tin Subsector as artillery liaison/observer support.
ETS August '68.
Welcome home to all my homies! God keep the rest.

J.O'.

Steve Voorhees
USN 1970-1974 Boiler Tech 3rd at separation
BT "A" School after boot camp at GL, Il
USS Rowan DD-782 homeported in SD and then Yokosuka Japan with the USS Midway
Naval Gunfire support and chasing birdfarms off the coast of RVN until that wound up.

My deceased younger brother Dave also served in the USN as a Boiler Tech on the USS Coral Sea, WestPac, 1971-1975.

Cool idea Dale!

I made this post in another thread this morning, another member suggested I add it here. So here it is, right after my introduction.

Thomas DeVore
US Army 1990 - 1993
Rank: E4 - Specialist
Basic Training: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Tour of Duty: Wildflecken, Germany

Here below is the post I made this morning in the EDC thread. Didn't know this thread had been started.

"Case-Christmas-Celebration"

Ran across my Ol' Bug Out Bag the other day. Thought I'd show it off.
(It's folded in 1/2 on these pictures.)

Name + Rank: E-4 / Specialist
(I was the 1st. SGT's Hummer driver, Unit Armorer & a "Combat Life Saver" which is advanced first aid.)
(I left with the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM), Army Achievement Medal (AAM), Army Good Conduct Medal (AGCM) (Being Top's driver came with some advantages.), a Battalion Coin from the Colonel & a lot of memories. Both good & bad.)

Branch: Army

AMF (L) : ACE MOBILE FORCES (Land) + ACE = Allied Command Europe
(Got to do some "Extream cold weather Training" in the Alps of Italy on the border to Austria. Got to visit Venice on this trip. If anyone says "Cool", then they have never slept in a snow cave at sub-zero temperatures or gone skiing down an Alp in FULL military gear with 100 non-skiers like myself. Yes, there were a number of injuries & broken bones. I made in through uninjured. And a month of Desert Training in Turkey on the boarder to Irak. Found out what sand storms are like. Got to visit Istanbul on this trip.)

Patch: 54th Engineer Battalion - (represented three bridges across the Main river)
(up close it looked like three W's on a line so we said "We Work Weekends & get the Shaft")

And last but not least..., the world's greatest flag!

Thanks for looking friends and have a great day!

Well done Jerry.

Nice Jerry!

MERRY CHRISTMAS Jerry.

jerryd6818 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 24, 2021 7:44 am 659345118_n.jpg

Well done Marine! Welcome Home! ftd

Welcome home to those who went and Merry Christmas to all y'all.

rob Skelton
1966 2nd AD , Hell On Wheels, Ft Hood, Tx
1967 C btry, 5/16th Arty, 4th Inf Div. 155 self propelled 155 Howiters, central highlands
1968 C bty, 5/22 Arty Americal div. 175 Guns and 8" Howitzers. self propelled .central Highlands
prime motor carrier operator(driver), asst gunner. sand bag filler

Checking in .
Enlisted 1976 , re- Enlisted several times . Final Honorable Discharge from Ft Campbell in early 90 s
Original MOS was Signal Corp and ended up in 3 rd Infantry . Thought Comms Specialist would be cool,but didn’t like infantry when there are helicopters to fly around in . After several years obtained new MOS and went from there . A lot of rotations and some DI assignments in between.
Entered Private E - nothing. Discharged as A NON Commissioned Officer .
Pic of Gramps getting ready to ship out with the Battalion during WW2 .

US Army Airborne, E 4 , 1964-1966 Basic training Fr. Leonard Wood , Mo. Medic Training in Ft. Sam Houston, Tx, Jump school in Wiesbaden Germany, stationed at Coleman Barracks and Army Hospital Frankfort, Germany. Made 13 jumps all in Germany and Holland.