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

Jan. 1967-Jan, 1970. US army. Dec.1967-Dec.1968 Republic of Viet Nam. 3rd squadron 5th cav, 9th Infantry div. Attached to the first Marines at Wonder Beach, DMZ. After that a year until discharge at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville Al.

USAF
Telecommunications Operations Specialist "291"
1981 - Lackland AFB TX Basic
1981 - 1982 Kelly AFB TX
1982 - 1985 Hahn AB Germany
1985 - 1990 Buckley ANGB CO
1990 - 1993 Wright Pat AFB OH
1993 - 1997 Offut AFB NE
1997 - 2001 Pentagon (Chantilly VA)
Retired !

USN....Sonar Tech...1965-1969

USS Charles Berry..DE 1035...Homeport Pearl Harbor

June 1966-Sept 1969

Joined the U.S. Army in 2004. Medically retired in 2013, Some real fun things happened during that time.... and I learned to embrace the suck. I tried real hard to stay in and I miss it everyday.

US Navy....10-68 - 12-72
Boot camp San Diego
TRARON 24 VT-24, Beeville,Texas 01-69 - 02-71
USS Hancock CVA-19 Tonkin Gulf 03-71 - 12-72
Petty Officer 2nd Class

USAF - 1980 - 84.

Lackland AFB,
Lowry AFB,
McClellan AFB.

Got out in Feb of 1984. Since I was from the Sacramento area (McClellan is in Sacramento) I stayed here.

USAFSS 1964-1968
Lackland, Biloxi Morse Intercept school, 15 Months Peshawar Pakistan then 15 Months Shu Lin Kou Taiwan. Then went to Kelly TX for 9 Months then to College. Bill

USAF 1988-1998 Lackland, 374th Tactical Airlift Wing Clark AB, 722 Air Refueling Wing March AFB, 58th Special Operations Training Wing Kirkland AFB.

I didn't see any bubble heads....I was USN from 12/94 until 2/04, served as a nuc MM, aboard USS Nevada (SSBN-733), then as an instructor at NPTU Ballston Spa NY. Jon

I grew up with a kid in Helena Mt who was in 14th co at the Academy. He was Class of 85.

US Army Tanker. Retired in Dec2005. I served in 2/69 AR in Benning, 1/68Ar in Wildflecken W. Germany, 2/102 CAV in New Jersey and Combat Vehicle Transition Team Gowen Field Idaho.
I was on M48A5s, M60A3s, and all of the M1s up to through the M1A1H.

I see this thread hasn't been visited for some time.

U. S. Coast Guard....retired Senior Chief Machinery Technician, E-8. August 1973 - September 1994, 21yrs. Active Duty, Honorably Discharged. Spent 8 yrs. aboard (2) different Coast Guard cutters patrolling the waters off the coast of Alaska...looking for US fishery violations from the Canadian fishing fleet. Search and Rescue ops. 4 yrs. patrolling the Gulf of Mexico...drug interdiction, Search and Rescue ops...etc.
Served at the U. S. Coast Guard training Command Center, Yorktown, VA. (2) tours. One tour as a Coast Guard recruiter in the eastern sector of the US.

2 years US Army. 1969- 1971.
Thanks for all the service, Vets. Hope we never need to do it again. 72 is not to old. God bless you all. God bless the USA.
Nuff said.
N4RSN
Steve N

A lot of us visit and read but not everyone leaves a comment.
So far this forum has had over 59,000 views so someone is looking.

Thanks to all who are posting your units and thank all of you for your service.

Your welcome AChipmunk.

AChipmunk>you know this section of the site should be visited and appreciated daily NOT just November of each year and specifically the 11th of the month. Your thoughts....

Senior, if you spent time recruiting in Maine, ('82 time frame) you may have recruited my best friend Davey. One of my neighbors currently is a retired Chief (Machinist Mate) and spent most of his time on buoy tenders out of Portland (the REAL Portland, not the one out west ...) and on my childhood river, the mighty Kennebec.

One of my favorite "There I was..." stories: On the Island of Iwo Jima in '92 as an assistant Battle Study Leader. Just up from invasion beach, a recent typhoon had deposited the bow ramp from a Higgins Boat. (one can guess what happened to the rest of the boat ...). For some reason, a couple of us flipped it over and on the front side, still visible after 50 years exposure to the pacific Ocean, was a big. colorful, United States Coast Guard emblem. It reminded us all immediately of Douglas Munro (for those of you who don't know of him, look him up). I wish we could have saved it.

We Marines remember who our friends are.

Semper Paratus/Semper Fidelis,

John

Hello John and thank you for your service to our country. Great story...what a piece of history you and your comrades discovered on that beach, to bad the CG insignia couldn't have been salvaged and archived away. By 1982 I had moved on from recruiting duty. USCGC Kennebec homeported in Portsmouth, VA. Had some friends stationed aboard the USCGC Munro 378 ft. High Endurance Class Cutter many, many years ago. The story of Douglas Munro and his heroism is one everyone should read. If I would have not retired my next duty assignment more than likely would have been on a 378 on the west coast.

Semper Paratus (Always Ready)
George

Semper Fi, George. Douglas Munro's story, along with his shipmate, Navy PO Samuel B. Roberts, never fails to move me. As for Munro, what can you add to a write up like that? A MOH submitted by Chesty Puller himself?? Ooh rah!!

Yeah, well, we share a bond only Mud ducks and Jarheads understand i.e., We share a common enemy .... hehehehehe

I hear you about the latest Munro -- too bad she was built ...down there. I am the proud son of two Bath Iron Works retirees

.... "Bath built is best built"

And there is no need to thank me for my service -- the Marine Corps was far better to me and my family than I deserved. It sent us to to one tropical island island paradise after another -- which is why I always felt that I need to thank the taxpayers, not the other way around

Irish-Scottish origin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Munro_of_Foulis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Munro

My birth ushered in in-door rest room modifications to our house.

Munro, an American hero and well deserving of all the accolades we can bestow....

One of my cousins had 2 sons. Both could have went along to go along as they didn't want nor need.
When they both got of age, the oldest enlisted in the Coast Guard and shortly afterwards the other in the Marine Corps. I am extremely proud of both equally.

Welcome aboard....

Drafted fall of 1970. Basic at Ft. Leonard Wood. Balance spent at Ft.Monmouth in NJ as Computer technology instructor and finished in Office of Doctrine Development Literature and Plans (ODDLP) which we pronounced Odd Little People. Out in 1972,

Boot camp Orlando Fl. May 71
Aviation Electronics and Training Devices school Millington Tn
Ground School Instructor for student pilots on simulators for TA 4 Skyhawk in Kingsville Tx
Fun ,interesting job. Loved it
Discharged May 75
Thanks to ALL who served and God Bless those who saw combat
Gerald

*** Looks like I'm one of the old guys. Joined the Air Force 1960 after basic in Lackland & tech school in Amarillo Tx was stationed at Biggs AFB El Paso,Tx. Was a B-52 & KC-135 mech. served my 4 years and in 1964 went to work for the Airlines as an aircraft mech. Retired from FedEx in 2013 {what a great co} Probably the smartest thing I ever did was going into the Air Force. Hope everyone that choose the Air Force had a good a time as I did for those four years plus learning a great trade.

Joined Air Force May 66 to 70. basic at Lackland and tech school at Lowery in Denver and then to Germany for two years. Over to Udorn RTAFB,68 &69 and then to Key West NAS. Was trained as 462,worked on F105's and f4s while in Gemany. T28's at Udorn and other places in SEA. Retred from GTE,now Verizon. Made a better person out of me.

Thank you for your service.

.....I was in Lackland just after you in 66 in Flight 2153

Gotta follow up now that I have finished my service. I did in fact commission as a Wisconsin Army National Guard Field Artillery officer in DEC 2012. After serving my 8 year commitment I hung up the uniform in December of 2020. Overall it was a good part of my life and was relatively mediocre with the exception of the Afghan vacation in 2019. I look forward to the next chapter as husband and father. Thank you to those who have served and continue to serve.

Well done, DDicker! A successfully completed tour of duty, an honorable discharge ... You have well and faithfully carried out your duty and passed the duty on to the next generation. You handed them a fit and orderly unit ready for assignment and in good order. You have carried the flame and kept it lit. Nothing mediocre about that. We who have gone before you salute you and heartily welcome you to the "Old Corps" Take your place among us with honor and pride.

And I always remember my favorite bumper sticker, seen in Okinawa:

"Guns don't kill people. HOWITZERS kill people!"

King of Battle!

Basic Ft. Campbell Ky.1967. AIT Ft. Knox Ky. OCS Ft Benning Ga. 3rd squadron 5th Cav. Firebase Bearcat Republic of Vietnam 1968. Redstone Arsenal Huntsville, Al. 1969 then out Jan. 1970.

Entered the AF 10 days after graduation in June 1977. Went to Lackland AFB for Basic and Sheppard for Tech School.
Moody AFB 1977- 1982
Taegue Korea 1982-1983
Back to Moody AFB 1983-1986
Okinawa Japan 1986-1990
Langley AFB 1990-1998.
No I work for the Navy and have for the past 20 years. Been blessed to be in the active military and work as a Fed employee with the active military.

Deegs53

1953 Chevy 3100

Welcome aboard, Deegs! I did 22 years as a DoN Civ (NAWC-AD) after my Marine Corps career. I'm glad *you* find working for the Squids to be a blessing ...

I retired two years ago

My brother went into the AF in 1961 unit 1984 he was an E8 then the next years until retirement at Wright Patterson AFB. I sometimes wonder if I would have stayed in the service if I had gone into the AF.

99-07 USN
Gas Turbine systems mechanical
USS Port Royal CG-73 (getting decommissioned tomorrow)
USS Hopper DDG-70
Maintenance Facility Everett Wa.

Thanks for your service, Alwayswrenchin! A Marine Corps brother of mine's (we were in 3rd MarDiv together) dad was the CMC aboard Port Royal at one time. Too bad about her grounding -- you weren't aboard at the time, were you?

Both of my parents retired from BIW and were both involved with the DDG-51 builds so they both had a part in building Hopper. I actually had the honor of meeting RDML Hopper when I was a midshipman. She gave me a "Nanosecond" -- a piece of wire the same length that an electron travels in a nanosecond (about 2 feet). I wish I still had it.... she was a fascinating lady and scary smart.

S/F
John

The grounding was after my time on the PR. RDML Hopper was definitely a scary smart lady from what little I have read on her.

She had a clock in her office that was backwards. Read time in the opposite direction. Part of her effort to inspire subordinates to "think out of the box. She *was* scary smart. She was one of several people I was blessed to meet and get inspired by while at the Severn School for Wayward Youth. I was glad they named a Bath-built DDG for her. "Bath built is best built."

You served on a good ship. I know from first hand family experience that a lot of pride went into her -- from the keel up..

USAF 1965-69. After Basic at Lackland in Texas and tech training at Chanute in Illinois I split my time between Clinton-Sherman AFB in western Oklahoma, Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and a few short TDYs (actually typhoon evacs from Kadena) to Guam, the Phillipines and Tiawan. Twisted wrenches on B-52 and KC135 autopilot and navigation systems.

US Navy STG2; 1973 - 1977
Basic in Orlando; ASW School in San Diego, then USS Coontz homeport in Norfolk, VA.

The Vietnam war was just starting around 1964. I made a decision to join the Navy. Not realizing if I had joined the Army I could only spend two years of service. So that bad decision cost me two extra years of service, or may have saved my life, who knows. So off to boot camp. At Great Lakes Navy training center. Then to Memphis Tennessee for aircraft engine school, on radial engines. I was assigned to a sea plane, patrol squadron stationed at North Island Ca. close to home. The planes were water landing only, that meant no ship for me. I spent time in Japan, the Philippines', and a short tour in Vietnam. Last duty station was Moffett Field in the San Francisco bay area. We got 12 new Lockheed Electra planes. (Navy P3's) and had to learn Jet type engines. My four years were just about up, and I was asked to ship over for another four years, and the opportunity to go to Adak Alaska. No thanks. I had a good time and I was done. That's about it. Stan

Stan, you missed out by not going to Adak. LOL
I spent a couple weeks in Shemya, a lot farther out the Aleutian chain on a civilian contract job, and experienced every kind of weather you could think of the day we arrived. Got off the plane in sunshine, 5 minutes later was rain, then snow, then gale force winds (they use a log hanging on a chain for a wind sock ) etc. The Air Force guys stationed there had a saying - The recruiter said I could go to a Pacific Island full of foxes, but they forgot to mention North, and the 4 legs the foxes have. Adak is very similar.

Anyway, Thanks for your Service.