Never Volunteer

[Rick]

I was coming back to the Untied States to go to school with some of my buddies from the Cat crew that were being discharged. We landed in Rota ,Spain in the middle of the night and only one clerk was on duty. So he asked if anyone in the line could type so I raised my hand.

The clerk gave me the job of checking in all the orders and then typing the new orders to get the men off Rota. What I found is I could type in the priority of each of the men. So naturally I gave myself and friends a high priority. We were expecting a week or two to catch a flight out but instead we left on a flight that gave my friends two hours of sleep and myself none.

Now my friends made a lot of fun of me for volunteering but couldn't believe their good luck getting out of Rota so fast. Myself I knew enough to keep my mouth shut about what I did. Also worried about some high ranking officers I bumped of the plane to make room for us.

[Sean P Gilday]

February 2005 Baghdad, I came up for R&R slot back to the world. One of my joes just back said sarge, volunteer for the loading detail. Ok ,got to Doha and during some forgettable briefing they asked for volunteers and I raised my hand. Major next to me was like WTF? and I told him the scoop, he volunteered too.

Loading detail loads the bags on the plane while the plane loads with troops in Army manner Back to front fill every seat. Last aboard is loading detail, riding up front in first class instead of jammed in the back. I rode from Kuwait to Atlanta laying across 4 seats. And the detail wouldnt let me and the Major touch a bag we supervised.

[rider]

A buddy of mine in Basic had clerical experience so they had him help out in the Orderly room. He checked the training schedule and saw that there was a long "speed march" scheduled in the following week so he put us on KP for that day. We were peeling spuds and BSing under a shade tree behind the mess hall when those guys came draggin' in later on that hot July afternoon. That was the first time I ever "got over".

[Michael Tompkins]

I only volunteered once. In basic, my DI said, "OK, who wants the day off?". I looked around and saw others raising their hands, so I raised mine too. DI said, "Line up over there!" We lined up on the sidewalk and about 10 minutes later and military ambulance backs up to where we are standing. DI says, "Get in. You going to go bleed for Uncle Sam!" We got in and went to the base hospital to give blood. Got donuts and orange juice too! Wasn't so bad, but I knew not to do that again. Mike

[mike24d20]

I have never volunteered, but I have been volunteered a lot. In basic at Fort. Ord got stuck dilvering o2 too home bound on base housing an general clean up around the area. Later got too eat at the hospital mess, best food I had while in basic. Got stuck as a orderly in BEE at the Basic eletronic school in great mistakes. My co was an e-6 fireman who was also a real drunk. Tried too get me busted for stealing the coffee mess funds. Durning the mast hearing it was found out that he had in fact stole the funds, I had kept a detailed record of all who paid into the fund an I did not have the combo for the safe. When it was over he was busted down too e-5 an relived of command an he also learned not too mess with old ex Army vets who get volunteered against their wishes.

[Griff Murphey]

I was a Navy LT dental officer in the dental clinic at Camp Hansen on Okinawa, 1974-75. Everybody kept saying I ought to volunteer for a "Float" with an infantry battalion. Two guys who had been at Mount Fuji with the arty thought it was great. "It really breaks up your tour..." I volunteered, got 1-4. We wound up mounting out Easter Sunday 1975 to go on the Vietnam and Cambodia evacuations, screwed me up on the 3rd Mar Div division matches, I had to turn my NM M-14 in.

Actually I would not take for the experience and am very proud of it, but at the time I remember getting Vietnamese lessons, along with the 1-4 corpsmen, from a Gunny, out on the bow of USS DUBUQUE, and thinking what a dumbass I was for getting out of the Army. I could have been drinking beer in Weisbaden....

[Dan Shapiro]

While in-transit to Vietnam from Germany, got to stay at lovely Oakland for a few days. First day, morning formation, I could already figure out what was going to happen. We were fodder for local details. Having already anticipated this, I'd brought a clipboard and papers with me. At an opportune moment, when people were moving to different details and others were still being selected, I grabbed a buddy who was also from Germany and said "Let's go". As we walked off, he was asking what we were detailed to do. I replied, "anything we want as long as we stay out of sight and just make formations." Spent a couple hours at the local PX, wandered around the base, then went to noon chow. Almost got caught that afternoon in the barracks, but the Cadre made too much noise coming down the hall. When he entered the squad bay, my buddy and I, clipboard in hand, were busily counting bunks, and correlating them with the number of nearby wall lockers.

[0440]

I was due for discharge in August 1950. When the Korean war broke out President Truman slapped another year on our enlistment. The war looked as if it would end by Christmas, so I VOLUNTEERED
for what I thought would be occupation duty in Korea. Thought to save some money during the second enlistment. Needless to say I screwed up. the war had continued when I got there Christmas.
Yes, I learned not to VOLUNTEER after that.............

[Former Cav]

I lucked out twice.
volunteered at Camp Casey in So Korea in 1966 and ended up working on the rifle range out the back gate. was with HHC7X T/F
volunteered in Vietnam after we went to save Tan San Nhut AFB during TET 68 in my armored cavalry squadron...3/4 Cav 25th ID.
then did house to house chit in Cholon.....I didn't know what day it was.... a COL landed in his chopper and asked for volunteers.
I figured ANYTHING was better then the meat grinder we had just been through, so I said here.
They took 7 of us and 2 APCS and we sat at the amabassors residence in Saigon for about 6 weeks. The game plan was if the residence got hit (remember...the embassy got hit during Tet 68) we would go out in a blaze of glory in our APC's with the 50's blazing out by the cemetary across the street which was a free KILL zone after dark. The ambassador Ellsworth Bunker was going to go out in either in 66 or 7 Chrysler Imperial armor plated limo through the front gate, or chopper out if there was one there. Course who knows, he could have hidden and stayed put too.
Fortunately we never got hit, so all we did was take turns monitoring the radio on the APC's It was a "gravy job" considering that against pounding the bush and getting into chit every day..
I went downtown one day with "TEX" and we got drunk. I got a DR filed on me, and I ended up in back in the bush. STOOOPUD!!