Old soldier in Georgia

[BigJohn]

Folks,
We have a big job ahead of us. I am glad to see the level of expertise on this site.
It looks like you guys are way ahead of the pack and have put a lot of thought into how to survive the coming years. If I can add anything to the confusion, I surely will.
Best wishes to all,
BigJohn

[protus]

welcome to the forum Big John!

[1Admin]

Welcome to the forum! We are glad your here!

[Rmplstlskn]

Old Soldiers are good soldiers... Welcome aboard.

Rmpl

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Welcome, glad you made it here. Look forward to your comments

[rice paddy daddy]

Welcome from an old soldier in Almost-Georgia (three miles on the Florida side of the line).
Who were ya with?

[BigJohn]

Rice paddy Daddy,
I spent about half my career working for a civilian agency as a field operative, but I was in 2nd Armored Division (Fort Hood), 3rd Infantry Division (Weurzburg), 1/10 group (Bad Tolz and again in Stuttgart), KRSOC (Hawaii), MRSOC (Texas), Bad Aibling (Bavaria) and USAREUR HQ (Heidelberg). I have been deployed to about a dozen other garden spots over the years. I had a lot of fun, but I finally got too old to keep up with the kids in 2002 and retired to a desk doing planning for the studs I used to work with. Now I am a trainer at Ft. Stewart GA. (Back in the 3ID again). I get just enough field time these days to remind me of the suck factor, but not enough to chase me off.

How about you?

[BigJohn]

Thanks to you all for the warm welcome.
I don't intend to be a lurker. I have a loud mouth, so slap me down if you think I am being too pushy.

BigJohn

[Gordon]

Welcome aboard, neighbor. I was in the 3ID when it was in FRG. Lived in the lovely community of Kitzingen 74-77. Army Security Agency.

[Kat]

Welcome to the board!

[BigJohn]

ASA? Man you make me feel young. I was a CEWI baby. I was a 98C and later 352C (982A in your day, I believe). I was sent to the 103rd MI as a WO1 in 89. You were there with the old-school Vietnam burn-outs, huh? You should see these guys nowadays. They are unrecognizable. New equipment, new uniforms, new attitudes, new enemy...new music. Rocky the dog is still here and they still sing "the dog faced soldier song", but otherwise everything has changed.

They are still just kids like we were though. I grieve whenever one of them gets hurt.

[rockriver]

welcome.
glad to see all the ga. guys coming aboard.
rr

[rice paddy daddy]

Rice paddy Daddy,
I spent about half my career working for a civilian agency as a field operative, but I was in 2nd Armored Division (Fort Hood), 3rd Infantry Division (Weurzburg), 1/10 group (Bad Tolz and again in Stuttgart), KRSOC (Hawaii), MRSOC (Texas), Bad Aibling (Bavaria) and USAREUR HQ (Heidelberg). I have been deployed to about a dozen other garden spots over the years. I had a lot of fun, but I finally got too old to keep up with the kids in 2002 and retired to a desk doing planning for the studs I used to work with. Now I am a trainer at Ft. Stewart GA. (Back in the 3ID again). I get just enough field time these days to remind me of the suck factor, but not enough to chase me off.

How about you?

2ys, 9mo, 28 days, but I wasn't counting!
1968-69 at Ft Carson with the 46th Field Artillery
1969-70 Vietnam with 75th Spt Bn, 1st Inf bde, 5th Inf Div (Mech), up on the DMZ, on loan to the 3rd Marine Div.

[BigJohn]

2 years, 9 months and 28 days sounds like a pretty rounded out career when most of it was spent on the DMZ.

I enjoyed my military time and I enjoy training the kids coming through. We get the cream of the crop in MI and I love most of them like they were my own kids. Also, I think I would wither and die of boredom if I retired completely.

[Gordon]

I was a 98C, left shortly before ASA was disbanded. Yeah, there were a lot of the old Vietnam hands with us then. It was interesting, ASA was just getting into the tactical role from a mainly strategic role at the field stations. Gone are the days of sitting on the Czech border listening to the Russkies planning the big one. Now the boys and girls do it from Ft Huachuca and places like that. I am still in possession of my Lifetime Certificate of membership as a Marne Man. We weren't really into the infantry thing but had to play the game. Most of us enlisted with the promise that ASA was good living and we would work at a field station. My, how that changed. We wanted cloaks and daggers and got ponchos and bayonets. Would not trade those years for a gold plated Caddy.