Things That Stick With you

[TomSudz]

Other than stuff that happened in combat, what kind of things do you always seem to remember?

An example from me:

Prior to deploying to Iraq, we were sent to Camp Shelby, Miss. for training and equipping. We flew in to Gulfport and they put us on buses. Those military buses. As we were leaving the airport, there were men working in an open area where they seemed to be putting in the foundation for a building. One of the men, a young black man, stopped working and stood saluting us as we rolled by. I can see that man standing there saluting and I don't ever seem to forget that moment. Sometimes, that image just pops in to my mind and I can't help but wonder how he is and what he's doing. I'll just never forget that moment and I hope that guy is doing well.

Anybody else ever have a moment like that?

[Guamsst]

Saudi sunrises. It just reminds me of "Epic" movies like Lawrence of Arabia or Apocalypse Now. Realizing you are out there doing your job in an exotic far away land that you are too busy to really enjoy or even notice half the time.

Ofcourse, it also reminded me of STAR WARS. Hence the bus stop graffiti which stated "Welcome to Tatooine" (The desert planet Luke grew up on)

[mike24d20]

Beign on guard duty on a Hawk tac site in Korea. Morning before everyone is up an the mist all around the base, real peacefull.

[Nick Riviezzo]

I was leading a Huey Fire team[gunships] one morning in Viet Nam. We picked up a 10 ship flight of Huey lift ships in staggered trail formation to escort them somewhere. The mist and humidity conditions were just right for a rainbow to form over each rotor system in the 10 ship formation! Man, it was beautiful. Nick

[Dan Shapiro]

Going to Vietnam, we had to stay over after refueling in Hawaii. Seems someone slammed the rear door of the plane and broke a door seal. They had no spares locally and had to send for one back state-side. We were bussed over to the local motel where we were assigned 3 to a room. As we were walking down the hallway in our jungle fatigues a man and woman (wearing tux and wedding gown) were coming from the opposite direction. The guy was carrying a bottle of champagne. On seeing us, the guy asked if we were headed to Vietnam. When we said "yes", he handed me the bottle of bubbly - saying "You can use this more than we can."

We did - and it tasted great!

[BEAR]

"Roger that!"
Out of your mouth before you can stop it.

[Sean P Gilday]

One of the things

The Company was formed at Bayshore Armory the day we left for Mobilization in 2004. Pretty emotional to begin with, what with Families and it being an Infantry company they knew we werent going to fix trucks. Once on the Buses as we pulled out the Suffolk County PD had not only giving us an escort but every intersection was blocked off all the way to the Long Island Expressway. At each intersection Police Officers were at attention saluting the units buses, along with Vets groups. they had two patrol cars and two motorcyclists escorted us to the county line where Nassau Cty PD picked up. From there NYPD to the City line.

[Michael Tompkins]

Thirty-three years ago, while stationed at a Nike-Herc site in the FRG, newbies were called "jeeps". You were a "jeep" for 6 months. In the meantime, you were treated with no respect regardless of rank (to a point) and got all the sh*t details. If you did anything dumb, whether you were still a "jeep" or not, you got called a "jeep". No one wanted to be called a "jeep".

My most memorable "jeep" moments were in the mess hall. If someone dropped a glass, plate, tray or whatever, the ENTIRE mess hall in unison would yell out "JEEP!!" It did not matter what rank...officer or enlisted, or time spent at D 5/6 ADA.

To this day, whenever I hear a glass or plate or whatever dropped in a restaurant, I mentally yell out "JEEP!"

[Former Cav]

whenever I hear a chopper I think "gunship"

[Bill F]

I 1049ed my way to the RVN.So there I am standing on the flight line at Ft. Lewis in my brand new Jungle fatigues thinking I might have made a mistake...............

[TomSudz]

Bill, what's 1049ed? That's not another name for volunteered, is it?

Sean, I understand the emotions. I was on the advanced party going to Shelby, so, lucky me, I got to leave two weeks early. No escort, but a tree branch broke the window on the bus door when we slid on ice in the parking lot. The homecoming was great, though, which is another of those things. We were on a C-130 at about 30,000ft. over Baghdad when it occurred to me that we would have a police escort from the airport to the armory and then I knew I would have a fire department escort from our city line to my home. When the realization of the "parade" I (and we) would get, I started thinking about my brother-in-law and the other Vietnam veterans I knew and I started to cry. I couldn't help it and I'm glad it was nighttime and the lights were out. It bothered me that I was a nobody that would be treated like a hero and you guys were hero's who got treated worse than nobody's. I said it to my brother-in-law a week ago and I'll repeat it here- Vietnam veterans, the generations of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who came after you look up to you and respect you. Regardless of what some citizens and politicians might think or say, you are our heroes. Thank you for the example you set. We can only hope to live up to it and not disappoint you.

[Bill F]

Yes Sir.That was the form # to volunteer.We looked up to the WW2 guys who looked up to WW1 guys who looked up to,well you get the point.
Disappoint us.You and your brothers have made us proud.You and your brothers are my heros.

[Ron James]

On my way to Vietnam eary 1966, by the way of Oakland Army Depot, stayed there over night, left the nest day. That morning showered, shaved, cool as a cucumber, then I started to brush my teeth with Brylcreem ( anyone remember Brylcreem Hair dressing ) , damn, rinsed out my mouth brushed my teeth, them I put Colgate tooth paste in my hair. Yeah, I guess i was cool as a cucumber

[Rick]

It never got old watching the sunset on the Carrier.

[BEAR]

Sitting and staring in awe of the northern lights while on Lp/Op at 2:00 in the morning at Ft. Greeley, Alaska. 1 hour shifts due to -35 degree temperatures but my buddy and I stayed out for three hours. What a light show!

BEAR