I got out of the Army a couple of years prior to you enlisting. I did both OCS and jump school in Southern Georgia and a 2+ year stint at Bragg (82nd). Sandwiched in between was a 12 month, all expense paid tour in Vietnam (173rd). Like you, the entire military experience definately made a man out of me! I would not trade those 4 years for any experience of my lifetime. Even though I considered making a career of the military, hindsight tells me that I made the correct decision! 68 to @85 was one of the worst possible times to be in the US Army. Everything seemed to be shit. No one knew why we lost 50,000 men in a place we walked away from. None of the current training doctrines or equipment was in the pipeline yet. I guess you could say the world's best armed forces kinda had a mid-life crisis.There were 2 Airborne MP Co.s in the Army. The 82nd MP Co. and us. My dad was in the 508th of the 82nd during WWII. I was in “The other Airborne MP Co.”. The 118th MP Co. (AB). We were the 18th AB Corp.’s (Sky Dragons) MP company. Lt. Gen “Gun Fighter” Emerson was Corp Commander. Our backyard was the polo field by the chopper pad by Corp Headquarters. Nothing but open field between us and the Dragon Club.
A Corvette fixed mine. Amazing what a M1 Abrams did for the Army.
Air Mobile = Leg
Airborne!Originally Posted by bigtex
We lived off post and one of my roommate’s grew up with a guy who enlisted with him. Both went to MP school and jump school together but they got split at Bragg. Can’t remember his last name but his first name was Guy, the same as his dad’s. Who happened to be the Deputy Commander of the 82nd. It’s good to know the king! Or the prince or what ever he was. Got shitfaced on General’s Row too many times to count.
I had a real high GT score so I took an examination during basic for the USMA program. I didn’t think about it much till they asked if I wanted a slot. Huh? I would go to a prep school near Philly for a year taking nothing but English and math classes. Then on to 4 years at the Point followed by a 5 year commitment. 10 years planned out, bang.
Knew I wasn’t (should say hadn’t thought about it) going to be a lifer. The Army made a man out of me but I wasn’t one at that point. I had just left school (the bastards expected me to show up for class!). I said thanks but no thanks. Give the slot to someone who hasn’t already thrown away one chance at going to college. Other than enlisting, it was the only other adult decision I had ever made. At this point in my life right now, I’ve made at least 7 or 8 total adult decisions
There is no way I would have made it 5 years in school. The thing would suck because I would get boosted for demerits. I know me. I would have made a good Warrant Officer. Not in the chain of command, officer privileges and retirement, and unrecognized as an officer by E3s and below. Far fewer salutes to return because you couldn’t see sew-on rank on the shitty perm. press uniforms. You couldn’t win the Colonel’s Orderly spot at guard mount either. The winner was always dressed in starched cotton fatigues. No contest between “breaking starch” and “breaking duffle bag”.
PS You find out if you are going to be a cop in the world when you go to your first on-post domestic disturbance. The equipment I work on now has never thrown a pot full of hot chili at me. Of course I have never attacked a machine with a nightstick either
Airborne!
