Army Personnel and the Black Berret

[Luv2Fall 0]

Glad I retired before all that shit started........what a shame........I guess the Army, in some ways, is reflective of our society whereby we must "feel good" about ourselves.

[freeflir29 0]

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Were disbanded for awhile but I heard they had just reformed a company. Any truth to that guys?

I worked with them the ENTIRE time I was an ETAC in the Air Force.(Oct 1994-Dec 2000) In fact my unit babysat them (They hadn't had the range class) on the Ft. Bragg range quite often. They were a bit less "High Speed" than their Air Force counter parts but did the job well. I usually enjoyed working with them.

[lawrocket 3]

I'll bet you loved saluting cadets, too. What with those shiny round pip targets on their foreheads...

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[crapflinger2000 1]

Yeah, I am not talking about on a personal level, rather on an institutional level. A Marine's green skivvy T shirt may have some unauthorized stencil on it that says "2/4 Recon Sniper Airborne, One Shot One Kill, Women and Children Die First" or something, but there is nothing visible to the rest of the world...

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What would Vic Mackey do?

[dgskydive 0]

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THAT taught me how to be an Officer - not some school program.

AT least you got it! Not to many did. Earn the respect don't just expect it, and your troops will follow you anywhere.

Dom

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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My favorite afternoons during AIT were spent in front of the PX at Ft. Gordon seeing how many FNG LT's we could get to salute with their left hands! You would be surprised.

...I was in AIT at Ft. Gordon. 31C Radio Operator. (At least it was until they combined our MOS with the cable dogs...now I think it's still 31C, but it's a whole lot more comprehensive, from what I hear.) -I didn't know you were a commo puke, dg! Work in ratt rigs? Gotta love those...I think it's the smell that's most attractive... Actually the equipment kept it warm enough in there to sleep in the winter, as long as your buddy watched to make sure nobody saw! Problem came when the 'buddy' that was s'posed to be keeping watch fell asleep, too!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[dgskydive 0]

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I went to the "Hidden Door" (an E-club for those who do not know- not some weird sexual place)

I remember that place well! The last night I was in that place I ended up at the guest house vomiting all over myself. Lot's a fun at Ft. Benning!

Dom

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Ahh Lawrocket, I woulda LOVED to have you as my lt! Mine was never anywhere to be found...I think he was hiding out most days... That was the lt for the unit we were attached to here at Ft. Lewis. When the lt from our unit in Ft. Ritchie MD flew over to visit, he was a clone of the Captain. He was like her shadow; never left her side, never said a word.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[dgskydive 0]

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I'll bet you loved saluting cadets, too. What with those shiny round pip targets on their foreheads...

I got in trouble more then once for not saluting them. I understood why they wanted us to, but it didn't sit well with me. Some 21 year old on a summer vaction is what I saw. There where a few that had there shit together but most of the ones we got seemed to just want to boss someone around. Probably just my attitude at the time but it just didn't sit well with me.

Dom

[freeflir29 0]

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Lot's a fun at Ft. Benning!

Speaking of Marines at Ft. Benning. I have several stories but this is the MOST embarrassing to the Corps. It was summer and all the cool kids from the class were up getting HAMMERED at some little place up the hill from the barracks. It had a couple eating places and an outdoor patio. I was hanging out with the JCU guys since they were the only other Air Force guys there. After a couple hours someone comes out of the bathroom and says "You might want to check on that Marine that had been sitting with you guys." I walk in the bathroom and there he is.......slumped off the side of the toilet.....PASSED THE FUCK OUT! After a well deserved but short lived laugh....we make a consultation and take stock of the situation. One of the JCU guys has a pick up (Don't have to throw passed out drunken marine, who has now wet his pants and puked on himself INSIDE anyone's car.) So I run back to the barracks, retrieve truck, drive to beer place, retrieve drunken Marine, and we all hauled his sorry ass back to the Barracks. Actually succeeded in sneaking him back in and dumping him in his bed without anyone important noticing. Then...of course went back to our pitchers of beer.

[dgskydive 0]

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31C Radio Operator.

That was my MOS as well. Although I never did it. My first 2 units didn't even have RATT Rig. My SF unit had one or two but we didn't use them. When I got out the last thing I heard was they where going to keep the MOS but only keep them in Special Ops units.

Dom

[osuskydiver 0]

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(At least it was until they combined our MOS with the cable dogs...now I think it's still 31C, but it's a whole lot more comprehensive, from what I hear.)

Actually MP's now carry the MOS designation of 31. MP is a 31B and a corrections specialist is a 31C. WE did have the designation 95B and 95C.

By the time you read this you have already read it.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

-I never did my 'field job' at Ft. Lewis either...I was in a MARS station. That was pretty fun, except the fact that we were 24/7, so we didn't get holidays and vacations like the rest of regular Army...

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[jumper03 0]

ahhh...

your kindness will one day be repaid grasshopper

Scars remind us that the past is real

[freeflir29 0]

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Some 21 year old on a summer vaction is what I saw.

My Airborne School class had about 360 people in it. I think 200-250 were Cadidiots. A couple were prior service. I remember one guy in particular that had a 1st Armor combat patch. The best part was......how many of the cadidiots do you think were female? How much do you think they were DIGGING the "High Speed" Air Force guy?

[freeflir29 0]

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your kindness will one day be repaid grasshopper

Hey...you can't leave a "Fallen Comrade" behind! Even if he is a "Jarine."

[dgskydive 0]

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getting HAMMERED at some little place up the hill from the barracks. It had a couple eating places and an outdoor patio.

Kinda of like an old Dairy Queen or something like that? Just across the street form the barracks? That was the place to go right after final formation. Then it was either the Hidden Door (we where all underage but they didn't mind there at all) or off to VD Drive! Lot's a strippers.

I remember the first Friday night we where their we all headed off to the Sportsman Lounge (my first strip club). I had just gotten paid an extra 800.00 or so dollars for travel and all that stuff. Well, long story short. I don't remember leaving the place and had less then 50.00 dollars in my pocket when I woke up the next morning with my new Airborne tatto from Tatto Tommy. I tell you what I was more scared the next three weeks of one of the black hats finding out about my tatto then jumping out of a plane.

Dom

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Clay, you were far from high speed, fool.

[freeflir29 0]

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Kinda of like an old Dairy Queen or something like that? Just across the street form the barracks?

Yep...that's it. I was there in May 96. It had a Robin Hood sandwhich shop, the standard pizza place, and a small shopette in it. Air Force, Marines, and Squeels always seemed to hang out together since we were in SUCH a minority in Army schools.

[freeflir29 0]

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Clay, you were far from high speed, fool.

Yeah yeah yeah........Couldn't ever run fast enough, jump high enough, or shoot enough to impress an Army guy. Not as long as it said "Air Force" on my chest. I'm just speaking of how they are organized. Only the "O" is qualified to control aircraft and they have 2-3 times the number of people to do the same job. At one BN they would have 6 guys or more and the AF would have 2 or 3 with 2 of the Enlisted fully qual'd controllers. Our "O's" were only there to take notes at meetings. Plus....on the last JRTC rotation I did the SGT Major hated those guys. They would crank their HF up so loud that you could probably hear it for 2 miles, always had their vehicle running, lights on in the vehicle all night. The Sgt Major was BITCHIN up a storm.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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...My Airborne School class had about 360 people in it. I think 200-250 were Cadidiots.

BWAHAHAHAHAA!! I haven't heard that term before.

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... The best part was......how many of the cadidiots do you think were female? How much do you think they were DIGGING the "High Speed" Air Force guy?

I was gonna say "Yeah right. Whatever, Clay." But after reading your post in the other thread, I'll hold my comments...

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[freeflir29 0]

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But after reading your post in the other thread, I'll hold my comments..

Ummm....thank you.....

[lawrocket 3]

I remember that three week CTLT program as a cadet. One of the best times I had in the Army, and easily the best I had as a cadet. I had just left Ft. Lewis after the darkest six weeks of my life. It was "Advanced Camp" where all the senior cadets got rated. The "ROTC NAZI" really stuck there. Just before graduation, I'd made up my mind that if the Army was like that, I didn't want anything to do with it. Backstabbing, tanking, everything. It was competitive, so the idea was to fuck everyone else. That's where the new officers learn it.

I even remember the first day, where everyone sad what they wanted. All the guys saying, "Airborne Ranger!" "Infantry!" "Airborne!" I said, "Transportation." Fuck being cold, wet, dirty and hungry. I was the one guy with balls enough to admit that I didn't want any of that killer stuff.

So, I left that and went to my three week tour at Ft. Hood (I could have gone to Airborne School, but I did not want to. Why? As explained, I had no intention of being in an Airborne unit. Why waste my time and the Army's so I could be a five jump chump? I'd rather do something useful. So, I'm the rare officer without wings. They take the fun out of skydiving, anyways)

At Ft. Hood, my second day I had a raging infection in a blister (fucking Ft. Lewis. I've never been back). So I go to sick call, sitting next to 19 year old PFC Johnson (Blonde hair, blue eyes - she was a real cutie!). We make plans to drive to Dallas on Saturday. I'll rent the car, and we'll hang out.

My platoon sergeant (Nicknamed the Iron Maiden) comes to get me a couple hours later. She sees me chatting Johnson up, the smiles, the smirks, etc. On the way back, she says, "Let me tell you something. This is the best advice you'll get. You're and officer and that means you better keep your hands offa dem privates."

Of course, she was right. But why let her know that? Time to see what her breaking point was. "I'm not an officer. Right now I'm technically E-4. I don't have to leave her alone."

"See that shiny thing on your head? You're an officer. Leave dem privates alone!"

"It's a pip, sergeant, not a butterbar. I'm no officer. Not yet. Until then, I'm enlisted."

"Well, our boys salute you."

"Not anymore. I told them not to because I haven't earned my commission."

"THEY BETTER FUCKING SALUTE YOU OR HEAR IT FROM ME! KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF THEM PRIVATES!"

"Oh, so I AM an officer. Don't tell me what to do, sergeant."

Of course, this was all in her pickup truck. A couple minutes later we pull up to Company, and she's bright red, yelling and screaming about my arguments. She parks, looks over at me, and I burst out laughing, and admitted I was testing her.

We got along great. She even let me pin on her E-7 a couple weeks later. Talk about an honor for a cadet. I guess I made well with them and the troops. The LT's there were pretty cool, too. We partied in Austin, and they were hardcore hellraisers.

Note: nothing happened with Johnson. Dammit...

p.s. Clay. About those wimminfolk officers. Can you think of another reason I stayed out of combat arms?

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[freeflir29 0]

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Clay. About those wimminfolk officers. Can you think of another reason I stayed out of combat arms?

Yeah....you should have seen my face the first time I walked into an avaition TOCC. I had been with straight Infantry and a bunch of other "combat" units for a couple years. I get tagged to go do an "Experiment" with 2/101 attack aviation. I was going on about my business when I come strolling in the TOCC and see several women sitting around at the tables. I just stood there for a little bit....wondering what was up with this. Then I had to ask a friend who had been around a bit longer. I certainly got used to it quickly.....especially when I figured out that they had set up a kiddie pool behind the TOCC for the chicks to get a semi bath in. Of course.....we were set up near that.

[firediver 0]

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I won't even go into the whole debacle behind giving everyone the black beret. IMO it was the worst thing that happened and a slap in the face of Ranger Batt.

I agree....I'm sure if you were anywhere near anyone in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Ranger Batts you would have a very clear idea of their thoughts on it. Further, the Army didn't want to issue tan (sand) berets to the rank and file because it would hasve been insulting to the SAS. I love my buddies across the pond in the in the SAS, but damn, ya don't slap our Rangers in the face just to keep an allied force happy.

Skydiving isn't scary;...but clowns...CLOWNS are scary!