How about some funny military experiences?

[RonaldLarson]

I'll start, and I have more, but one at a time.

My ship, the U. S. S. Catamount, LSD17, was participating in the 1956 Hydrogen bomb tests at Bikini and Eniwetok. We sailed the perimeter of the test area setting up weather stations with construction crews from Holmes and Narver Co. Operation Red Wing was the name of the operation, and it was the first air drop of a hydrogen weapon. Our ship also transported bombs for ground shots, and the teams which set up the ground shots. They reached the islands by Air Force high speed rescue boats which we held in our well deck.

Any way, we were on station for eight long months with one liberty at Kwajalein, where we were invited to never return! The married guys were getting restless and one night at Eniwetok, one of our first class gunners mates got drunk at the Enlisted club, and walked across the runway. He boarded a fire truck, got it started, and was headed out the hanger door when he was stopped by A. F police. He stated that he was going to drive to San Diego to see his wife!

What an eight months that was!

Ron

 

[Champane Flight]

One day

One day we had a guy who flew into Phu Loi on a C-130 passed out. We carried him in and sacked him out in one of the hoochs. It turns out he was stationed in Guam and got drunk, his Buddys thought it would be real funny to put him on a plane heading for Nam! He had a real bad hangover and was AWOL when he woke. His CO took it a little further and said he would just have to stay with us until his one year tour was over! This guy swore he would never drink again!

 

[BK]

my uncle was in Korea, he's duties had him working in the armory.

They were ordered to setup a demo of a shrapnel round that used flaciets ( a sliver of thin metal , like double edged knife with two pointy ends) (sorry about the spelling). To show the patterns of a single shot they were told to place ballons in all the trees at the edge of the range. They couldnt find ballons so they blew up condoms and hung them in the trees for the demo instead.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I was supposed to be in Germany until June 72'. Nixon cut troop strength the beginning of January so a bunch of us were told we would be going any day. We got debriefed so could not touch anything important, so pretty much spent the days partying. After a week of this, they decided we could paint vehicles. Okay we did a few trailers and did a nice job. Still no orders so they give us a Jeep. Me and a buddy blasted out of the motor pool with it, just about running over the base commander in the process. We quick put it in the garage and painted it. No prep, no nothing! That night, orders came down and we were out of there. Didn't look back.

 

[Bigsaint]

Good one QRTRHRS. My most memorable were in boot camp... Hey, they really do have yellow foot steps for us to stand on... . what's a 'Rose Garden'... . port side shine 'em up, starboard side shower 'em up... . why am I scrubbing my boots with shaving cream... On Sunday there will be no P. T. , instead, you will be scrubbing the head with duraglit... Uncle Sams Misguided Children ???... the last time I used a red dye chewy to check for cavities, I was in 1st grade... hygenic shower anyone???... why are they packing my street clothes in moth balls and shipping them bacj to momma???... I haven't had a bowel movement in 5 days, when I did it was OD green... what's the Parris Island 500 and do I need a car to compete???... Firewatch, the whole damn building is concrete...



Good memorys, taught me alot. Here I thought I knew it all at the ripe age of 18



Scott W.

 

[mimprevento]

Military misadventure

As a lowly Navy JAG during the Beirut crisis/bombing of 1983 I spent a lot of time on ships without really knowing a lot about the protocols- on board the USS John F Kennedy I didn't understand that during a security alert all members must stand fast and all people moving are bad guys and can be shot- I came out of the head and was staring at a Marine with a shotgun leveled at my head- he could have killed me without question but had mercy on my dumb butt- I immediately changed my drawers- when in Guantanamo Bay Cuba I drove an old Dodge Ram pckup they gave me to use off the beaten path into the edge of a minefield- that was the most careful broken u-turn in driving history-I enjoyed my service and miraculously completed it !!!!!

 

[QRTRHRS]

How about bad memories?

I processed in at Fort Dix, NJ. They had us quartered in these old WWII style barracks for a few days while going through the shots, getting uniforms, etc. No big deal, just the usual hurry up and wait. Finishing up, all 225 of us load up on some base buses to be shuttleled to our basic training barracks.



The buses don't even come to a stop when the DI's are already up and running. I think we all had to change our underware after that initial meeting.

 

[Bigsaint]

LOL, here's mine...



The first day... into Newark NJ ( the Ahole of Jersey) at 0800. Spent the whole day there, then transported to the airport sometime late. Put on a plane to Charlotte, NC, then another to SC, arriving after 2400. Put on a bus, arriving at 0300 on THE ISLAND, tired, bored, scared. Once the D. I. entered the bus and started screaming, I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore.



They also used the old wooden barracks for us to house in during receiving. Funny, I remember looking at all the water/steam piping on THE ISLAND and thinking it was part of the "O" course.



Scott W.

 

[merryman]

Its 1954, we are LST 516 USS Calaveras County, heading up river to Na Trang in French Indo China (in the process of becoming North Viet Nam; we are transfering people from what is to be North Nam to what is to become South Nam.

Comming around a big bend in the river, the ship must have hit a sand bar or something as it failed to respond to the rudder. The ship is under direct controll of a French speaking pilot, whose english is restricted to basic commands.

As the ship heads for the bank of the river, both the Captain of the ship and Frence pilot start screaming commands at the poor helmman whos efforts to stear are doing nothing.

A farmer is plowing near the bank with a water baffalo. When the ship hits the bank and starts riding up it, the farmer forgets the plow and buffalo and runs off across the field.

For a moment there is complete silence, then as the ship slides along the bank and falls back into the river, both the pilot and captain resume screaming at the helmsman again.

Fortunately, I was in a position to watch, enjoy and stay out of the line of fire.



Vaughn