The Stovebolt Site Forums The Side Lot Legion Hall When and Where Did You Serve

I received my draft notice 21 December 1965 (nice Christmas present).

My first induction date was cancelled because of a blizzard snow storm. I was finally inducted on 18 February, 1966.

I first was sent to Fort Jackson, SC for processing and then on to Fort Gordon, GA, for basic training.

After basic, I was sent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds to be an Aircraft Armament Repairman. This MOS was basically for use in the Vietnam war effort. I had worked as a civilian for the US Army Corps of Engineers as a Cartographer (map maker) and had a very high security clearance with a restricted travel requirement. When my personnel office found out where I was and what I was doing, I was immediately reassigned to Fort Belvoir, VA. There I was trained to make maps the Army way.

In August of 1966 I was assigned to the 29th Engineer Battalion, 34th Engineer Company which was located on the Ford Island Naval Base in the Center of Pearl Harbor Hawaii. There I was a senior map editor, Specialist E5 and made maps to support the Vietnam war effort.

I was released from active duty and returned to home to Maryland on February 14th, 1964. Because there was so many men drafted in that time frame, I only served 2 years active duty and no active or inactive reserves.

Although being stationed in Hawaii was really an ideal duty station, after a while there, I missed the changing of the seasons. And the longer you were there, the smaller the island became. After a while it was just "another crappy day in paradise".

Retired as a SFC in 2008 with first 10 yrs as an 11C Mortarman & 12 yrs as a 96B/35F as an All-Source Intelligence Analyst
.
Basic & & AIT @ Benning from JUL - OCT of 86.
Fort Polk, La from 86-89.
2ACR, Amberg, GE from 89-92 with Desert Storm somewhere in the middle.
Fort Riley from 92-98.
2ID HQ in Korea from 98-99.
Back to Fort Polk, La from 99-01.
EUCOM HQs in Stuttgart, GE from 01-03.
10th Mountain DIV from 03-08. With 2x trips to Iraq, 04-05 & 06-07 in Baghdad & Mahmudiyah.

Army got an extra 2 yrs out of me after I started clearing back in 06.
I shouldn't be so disgruntled......I traveled a lot. Over 22 states & 18 different countries.

Now living in the area of Lake Charles, La where my veteran wife have bought a house back in 2020. Bought a 68 C10 Longbed in JAN 2023 and will start working on her in late May after I finish some college.

Wish me luck,
iBain

Thats an interesting service. Thanks and Good Luck on the pickup. Stovebolters are here to help when needed.

US Air Force here from 1983-1990. Stationed at Lackland, Biloxi, Nellis and Offutt. Comm/Nav on F5's, RC-135's, EC-135's and E-4B.

Welcome aboard, Gasser! From your service, I'd say you and Hotrod Lincoln (Jerry) have a lot in common.

I come from a family of Jarheads.
Grandfather was Marine Infantry WWII all across the Pacific. Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Midway. Didn't talk about it at all.
Dad was Marine Pilot in Viet Nam. Three tours.
I was a Marine Flight Engineer on KC-130F/R '92-'00. Saw all the finest places a Marine can visit...
One of my sons was a Marine Flight Mechanic on KC-130J '12-'17.

Love the Corps, Love this country.
I think everyone should be required to enlist for two years. Teach them how to be an adult. If you like it, stay in and learn a trade. Just my $0.02.

Semper Fi.

Semper Fi, Bigfoot!

Spent a fair amount of time riding around in KC-130's ... mostly between Okinawa, Korea, PI and Thailand. Spent a little time as 1stMAW PAO. I was in Oki '90 - '92. Did you get there before I left?

S/F
John

I spent a fair amount of time in Thailand in the 1970's, working on some specially equipped USAF C-130's with a computerized cargo drop system known as "AWADS" (All Weather Air Drop System"). We weren't there, according to the spooks, and didn't drop food and ammo to a bunch of guys who didn't exist- - - -who were doing stuff that didn't happen, in places they weren't supposed to be! It turns out one of the guys I went to engineering school with at Tennessee Tech "wasn't there"- - - -on the receiving end of those cargo drops!
LOL!
Jerry

Basic at Ft. Campell Ky. AIT at Fort Knox, Ky, mechanised school. OCS at Ft. Benning Ga. then at Firebase Bear Cat The Republic of Viet Nam and my final year at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville Al.

Army 66-69
Ft. Bliss, TX
Ft. Gordon, GA
Ft. Riley, KS
Naval Air Station, Corpus Christy, TX
1st TC Battalion, Seaborn, USNS Corpus Christy Bay, off of Vung Tau

Thanks for your service Richard.

Sorry for being late to formation.
Joined the Air Force right out of high school. Grew up in Killeen, Texas ( Fort Hood ). Laying in bed on those cold winter nights during my senior year of high school I could hear those big guns going off out at Ft Hood and knew the guys were out in the field on maneuvers. No way I wanted to wind up out there. It was 1961 and the draft was going to get me for sure. Hence, the Air Force.
4 years jet engine mechanic, Springfield, Mass.
4 years helicopter mechanic, Wichita Falls, Texas and then Viet Nam crew chief on Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopters out of Thailand and Laos.
A year break in service so I could get out of that career field and reentered as an air traffic controller (16 years). Finished out a 24 year career in 1986 retiring as a Chief Master Sergeant with three college degrees. Went on to teaching at a private college for 28 years. Spend my days now retired retired down here in rural Texas near my kids and grandkids mowing my 6 acres and working on old cars and trucks. Age 82, God has been really good to me.

i joined the navy Seabees in July of 74. Went to boot camp at Great Lakes Ill. Went to A school at Port Hueneme Ca. to be a heavy equipment operator. Then off to Argentia Newfoundland. Spent a year and a half there ,Then to Gulfport Ms. to join NMCB 62 Battalion. There for 6 months , then deployed to Diego Garcia. south of the equator for 9 months back to Homeport in Ms. for 6 months and deployed again. went to Guam this time, My time was nearly done, so i was there for 45 days and back to homeport to prosses out. Also during homeport, I was part of a detachment that went to Providence R.I. to plow snow in the storm of 77 and 78. one other detachment sent me to Watertown N Y. for cold weather training . I got out in July of 78.Glad to do my time , but it was time to come home.

Thanks for posting Paul. Did you stay with heavy junk after you got out?

hey John, No i did not stick with the heavy junk. i started doing the carpenter thing . I got into doing kitchen and bath remodels. lots of ceramic tile work as well. i should have kept track of how many tile showers and kitchen remodels it took to build a 41 chevy . my wife and I are retiring at the end of April . We are leaving Michigan and heading to northern Alabama . It may turn into a move. I hope she doesn't get any ideas about selling tools.

Paul -- About to send a PM ...

It took me many bathroom/shower and tile floors to redo my '38. Also add in countless square feet of wood and laminate floors.

Sounds fair to me. LOL
Are wives allowed in here? I came with John for lunch.

hey Wayne Are you still at it. I have about 3 jobs left until i get the summer off,--- retire .

Hi Peggy. as far as I know wives are allowed. Tell John if it turns into a move , ill keep his offer in mind. thanks.

Haha! Paul, we're not going anywhere. The last DITY move.