Veterans Day

[Mulletwagon]

As we approach Veterans Day I suspect many of our members date back to a time when most young men spent a few years in uniform. Just curious how the services are represented in our membership and request those with military time share their branch and years served. I did USAF 1971-1991 and spent time in CA, TX, FL, Korea, Saigon Evacuation, UK, and Germany.

Happy Veterans Day to all and special thanks to our active duty veterans and those that support them.

[Glen in Hillman MI]

USA. Germany 60-63

[DD931]

US Navy 1958-1969: USS Topeka (CLG-8), US Naval Academy (Class of 1964), USS Barry (DD933), USS Forrest Sherman (DD931) Three combat tours Vietnam.

[Jemelton#]

USAF 1965 - 1969 Guam, Okinawa, Vietnam

[elklake]

My father, 31 Model A coupe owner:
Marines - 1942 - 1945, Iwo Jima, Nagasaki

[daren007]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Vietnam 1968-1969 Combat infantry. 1969-1970 Huey mechanic. 1971-1972 Cobra mechanic.

[Badpuppy]

USAF 1964-1969, France, Netherlands (NATO) Telecom

[divcoone]

Vietnam ‘69-‘70 Army

[RRW]

USMC 65-68, Vietnam 66-67 grunt

[Dave in MD]

USN 1959 to 1963 USS Delta AR-9

[barnstuf]

WWII Army combat infantryman, Omaha Beach to Germany, 29th Division, then transfer to Army Air Force in Germany, as Squadron supply NCO in Army of Occupation, Germany.

[Ted Duke]

U. S. Navy 1960 to 1980


-VW-11 EC-121K Argentia, Nfld, Canada/then AEWTULANT, Pax River, MD
-USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63 CICWO (most of time off south VN)
-VAW-123/VAW124 (last VN cruise)/COMTEVFOR E2A and E2B, all Norfolk, VA
-JITF-JINTACCS Ft Monmouth, NJ. (joint staff)

[rfitzpatrick]

AirForce -- 1962/66 Cuban Missle Crises

[kbinde2]

'68-'72 USN VA-72 (Bluehawks)/JFK
'84-'08 USAF/DE Air Nat'l Guard (Fire Protection)

Proud to Serve

[37 Coupe]

US Navy Sub Service 1966-1970.USS Corporal SS 346 and SSBN 611 John Marshall .My homeport New London Ct.

[Benson]

Army 1967 to 1969, First Cavalry Division Feb 1968 to Jan 1969 . Ft Monmouth 1967 and 1969.

Thanks to the Huey "Slick" crews AKA "The Man in the Doorway", who brought us 7.62 mm ammo at "Oh Dark Thirty" on Jan 30th and 31st during Tet Offensive, when the Viet Cong were "inside the wire" and we were out of ammo.

This was my introduction to the newly introduced AH-1 Cobra, Slicks and Huey Gunships.

If anyone in Vietnam could be called a Hero it is these Pilots and crew members!
For those who do not know about "The Man in the Doorway":
https://www.military.com/video/opera...y/806796741001


I will forever be in debt to you guys!

Feb 10th, 1968 to Jan 27th 1969
Provided Technical Support to First Cavalry Division, 173rd Airborne and others based at "The Golf Course", Central Highlands.

Thanks to the 134th AHC for flying many support mission for us at AnKhe. Remember the TDY trips and the hundreds of ammo bunkers filled with all the 7.62, 5.56 and 2.5 inch rockets that you could never shoot in a lifetime AND No paper work to fill out!

Charter member of the Colorado Tribute to Veterans Memorial Fund. We raised $660,000 to build the Veteran's Memorial at the State Capitol in Denver.

Charter member of The Friends of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.
Have you used the data base in one of The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial LAPTOPs at The Wall in WDC and The Moving Walls to cross reference names, dates, units and etc in The Big Green Book?

As a Charter member of "The Friends" in the 80's I was the one who referred Pegi Donovan and Ira Hamburg to one of my customers who was Ross Perot of EDS (Electronic Data Systems) when The Friends were looking for someone to convert the list of names on The Wall from IBM 2420 1/2 inch tape (some of which we created at AnKhe years earlier) to Personal Computer format for use on the laptops.

Ross Perot funded the project to provide the software and laptops.

See also posts 51 and 71

[Steves46]

USAF 1979 thru 2003; Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom.

[oldforder]

Vietnam 68/69 truck driver Army reserve

[burner31]

Barely made Vietnam, Jan '74-end thru mid-late '75.
Flew information gathering missions (rhymes with "eye planes") over all those poop hole Counties over there, all lovely Counties from the air tho..eyes roll...
Left Air Force later went to work as civilian aircraft production Supervisor, mostly on the heavies, retired Oct. 2019.

[Pete W.]

USAF 1976-80 Andrews air force base Washington D.C. presidential support, fire protection for president Carter.

[1931 flamingo]

USN 65-69 Memphis NAS TD-A School, Newport OCS instructor.
Paul in CT

[Tom Endy]

The Santa Anita A's of Arcadia, California honored the veterans in their club a few years ago by first identifying each veteran and making a list, Then each month, starting with the earlier service dates we published a one page bio of each that appeared every month in the club newsletter. The series ran for 25 months. Each article was written in the first person as if the veteran was telling his story.

We were honored to have several veterans who served in WWII. One was in the army and was in the Battle of the Bulge and later crossed the Rhine under fire, another was a Marine and was in the invasion of Iwo Jima, and a third was in the Merchant Marines and had his ship sunk. He was one of four survivors and was in a life boat for over 30 days in the Atlantic. We celebrated his 100th birthday shortly before he passed away.

Of the three only the Army vet who was in the Battle of the Bulge is living today, He is 95 and still drives his Model A and still comes to club functions.

We took it a step further and created a section on our web site with all the bios posted. You can view them by going to www.santaanitaas.org. Click on the veterans window on the home page.

This was a worthwhile effort that I would encourage other Model A clubs to do. Put someone in charge who can do the ghost writing each month and interview the veteran. Have the veteran provide a photo of himself while in uniform to be included in the article.

Tom Endy

[Cape Codder]

USAF 1961 - 1969 RAF Lakenheath 5 1/2 years then Volk Field, Wisconsin 2 1/2 years
MA Air National Guard 1973 - 1997
Aircaraft Mechanic - F-100's, F-101's, F-106's & F-15"s.

[henry's 31]

Us army-24 years retired

[Roger Green]

U.S. Forest Service, 1976-2011

[daren007]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Burner 31 nice comment. Real nice.

[Bill G]

OR & CA Air National Guard 1971 to 1977

[copgib]

U.S. Navy from 1972 to 1992 , 20-years Retired. My duty stations include : USS Kitty Hawk CV-63, Subic Bay in Philippines, San Diego Calif, Okinawa, Japan, NAS Bermuda, NAVFAC Iceland and NAS Key West, Florida. Once retired from Navy, I became a Deputy Sheriff in the Florida Keys for 13-years.

[JollyRoger]

US Navy 6 years 1982-88, supporting the Subsurface Fleet Boomers and Fast Attack boats out of Charleston SC, and, briefly, out of Diego Garcia.

[ed thibodeau]

USAF, 1954-1958 Japan Korea

[Gary WA]

U.S.N.1969 to 1991 Seabee's Ret. E-7 BUC

[Marcus]

Chief Warrant Officer - 4; US Army retired (1969 - 1995); Combat tours (Three) Vietnam; Grenada; Panama; Desert Shield/Storm. Duty stations Fort Bragg,NC; Nuernberg and Bad Kreuznach, Germany; Washington, DC; Only Army Officer ever assigned to Charlestion Naval Station as Commander, Defense Investigative Service. Proud and honored to serve;
Gladly serve again. Just retired again as the Director, Eighth Judicial District Drug Court. Still playing with Ol' Clyde, 1929 CCPU, and too many other toys!

Wife: Margretha, 1970 - 1991, retired as a Major; served at Fort Bragg, NC; Nuernberg, Germany; Bad Kreuznach, Germany; Fort McClellan, AL; DLI, Presidio, CA; Fort Huachuca, AZ; Washington, DC, Fort Belvoir, VA; Fort Myer, VA; Commander, US Army Recruiting Command, Jacksonville, FL. Proud to serve and willingly do it again. Still my best friend, loves Ol' Clyde (and all the other toys), and tolerates my "addiction."

[TerryO]

Thank You to all.


TerryO

[sjhark]

Army National Guard-1982 to present. Deployments to Desert Shield/Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.

[JoeCB]

US Navy 69 -73 - USS Graham County LST 1176 / APG 1176. Looking at some of the other Navy vets postings we could have crossed paths somewhere along the line...
1931 Flamingo, you could well have been one on my instructors at Newport OCS school in 1970. Came out a shiny new Ensign and reported aboard The "Graco" in the Med. Did another Med cruise then shipped out again on the Graham Cty. with a load of Navy Sea Bees ( ACB-2) to support building the very first air strip on the then deserted island of Diego Garcia, middle of the Indian Ocean ( Jolly Roger and GaryWA) where you there in 1971. On this mission our little LST "steamed" independently (by ourselves) completely around the world... 41, 000 miles at a brisk 14 knots.
Upon return home , Little Creek, VA. the ship was converter to a Patrol Gun Boat Tender, we were assigned three Patrol Gun Boats (PG's). Escorted them across the Atlantic to new home port of Naples Italy. Where I was discharged as a civilian. All in all quite an adventure.

[Bob/AZ]

USAF '62 to '66 Airborne Nav Aids tech

[Gary/IA]

1963-1965 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) Adjutant General's Corps. I had the job of interviewing and checking records for correctness of many retiring WWII and Korean Vets from the Division. Many were very gracious and would share their war time experiences as we examined their records. I felt so humbled as I sat daily in the presents of heroes.



At that time, there was not a lot of respect from some in society for anyone in uniform. I wish those people could have had the opportunity I had, they would have formed a different opinion of our servicemen. I often wonder how those that spit on returning soldiers feel now when the nation honors our Vets with pride and enthusiasm.



I apologize for the editorial.


Love and respect to all who served.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Navy, 68-72 USS Arcturus AF52 10 Med Cruises and 4 Caribbean cruises bringing fresh food to the fleet at sea

[Jim B]

Jim B
US Army 1963-1965 93rd Signal Germany

[chap52]

US Navy, 1963-65. Naval Air Facility, El Centro CA, Crash Rescue Firefighter and 1965-67 USS Constellation CVA 64, (Viet Nam) Flight Deck Rescueman. Chap

[Steve Rinaldo]

Air Police- SAC- Viet Nam Tet 68/69

[Brian SATX]

USMC 1968-1989 Viet Nam as a grunt, then MCAS El Toro, MCRD Parris Island, Camp Butler Okinawa, MCAGCC 29 Palms, Lackland Air Force Base and retired out of MCLSB Barstow

[daren007]

Any one here from the Big Red One 1968-1969 Lia-Khe area. A company 2/28th.

[daren007]

OOP's Lai-Khe.

[MickeyT]

USAF 1961-1986, Chief Master Sergeant
Vietnam Nam 1967-68 , 40th Air Rescue and Recovery out of Nakom Phanom, Thailand and "other places".
Retired: Chief Air Traffic Controller, Dover AFB, Delaware 1986

[barnstuf]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Am I the only WWII veteran on fordbarn?

I listed on page 1 of this topic.

Veteran US Army Infantry and Army Air Corps, both in WWII,

[Mulletwagon]

barnstuf,

I believe you are our senior vet and applaud your service. I think I speak for most of us if I was to ask you to tell us more about your WWII experience. Veterans like yourself are now very rare and can give us a perspective of history which can never come from a book.

Thanks again for your service.

[Marcus]

Barnstuf - Thank you for your service; my Uncle, no longer able to play with toys or drive at 97 years of age, is now relegated to an "armchair" status, but avidly reads about all the new cars plus hot rods plus anything else automotive related. He served as a Navigator and Communications Officer, 1340th US Army Air Force, Kunming, China and regularly flew the "hump." Incredible when you realize aircraft of the day were unable to fly over the Himalayan Mountains, but were required to navigate and fly the valleys, fog and adverse weather notwithstanding!
You and my Uncle, plus all the other WWII vets, quietly did your dangerous jobs, returned to the USA and built this country. May God continue to bless you, all other Veterans, and the USA. You have my undying gratitude!

[TerryH]

USAF Security Service, 1967-1971, Aleutian Islands; Anchorage, Alaska

[holdover]

USMC 1968-1969 Vietnam machine gunner


Someone paid tribute to "The Man in the doorway"


I wish to pay tribute to "God's Own Lunatics" by Joe Galloway although the Marines didn't use slicks but used CH34s, 46s and 53s those guys who kept us in ammo, delivering it through the green tracers are my heroes, and the only reason I am alive to be on the barn.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqYOAqxlL_Y


a great Veterans Day to all my fellow Vets and especially to Barnstuf our senior vet who served with the guys from Bedford VA on the invasion

[Benson]

Doctor Mark Garrison recorded a whole series of fascinating interviews that tells you why Joe Galloway refers to pilots, door-gunners and crew-chiefs as "God's own lunatics".

There are 8 or 10 of these interviews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrMoGd0d0g

See post #71 and #16...


Additional youtube:
https://www.google.com/search?client...rrison+vietnam


The crew chief was responsible for being sure the aircraft was safe to fly ... so much dedication that they rode along as one of the door-gunners!!



"The Man in the Doorway" was ALWAYS there when the shit hit the fan! You could always count on them to show up!

This kind of thing was going on EVERY day and sometimes at night also!

[bucket-o-rust]

US NAVY 1957 to 1976 3 far east cruises on aircraft carrier USS MIDWAY. 3 far east cruises on aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN.

[Fordfan29]

USAF, 1968-72. "bee bee stacker", Ubon Thailand 1969, Minuteman missile, B-52, F-106 support, Montana & South Dakota.

[Ed Wendell]

U S Army '66-'69, 52nd Signal in the Delta '67-'68 then Fort Bragg

[Pete]

Originally Posted by barnstuf

Am I the only WWII veteran on fordbarn?

I listed on page 1 of this topic.

Veteran US Army Infantry and Army Air Corps, both in WWII,

I missed WW2 by about 3 months.
Joined USAF later. 50 to 54. Alaska. Communications maint. and M2HB repair.

[daveymc29]

USMC, 1954 to 57. Camp Pendleton after MCRD San Diego. Worked in the Test and Experimental Unit, Schools Regiment, Camp Delmar, Oceanside. Took part in testing a development of the P5 Series Amphibious Tractor, with high surf testing in Monterey/Seaside and San Clemente Island. Our Colonel had a girl friend Carmel and when her husband (Navy) was at sea, Monterey would suddenly develop high surf and we could go there for a couple of weeks to run our tractor through the surf. We all wanted the Husband in law to put int Hawaii for a transfer so we could test in the Hawaiian surf, but it didn't happen during my enlistment.

[DannL]

I guess I'm one of the youngsters here. USAF '81 to '96. ATC & WX Radar Tech.

[39portlander]

USMC 82-86, best thing I did to break me out of the "high school" mode. You new things were about to change when your standing on those yellow foot prints and a D.A. yellin in your face

Happy Birthday today to all the "Jar Heads"

[John]

USN Vietnam 1968 aboard the USS Rich DD820

[Merc Cruzer]

During WW2 my Dad designed mid ranger bombers. After the war he designed Lincolns and Mercury's.

As for me: U.S.Army - 4 Inf - Viet Nam - Central Highlands - 68'-69'

[al's28/33]

a hearty "THANK YOU" to all the Veterans who have served.

[oldman]

US Army 4th Inf Div 1965-67, Viet Nam '66-'67

[electricman]

My dad served in ww11 as a crew chief on Okinawa. Later flew 110 missions flying an L19 Birddog in the Koran conflict spotting artillery. As for myself Phan Rang Vietnam 1969.

[loubob]

U.S.Army 1965-1990 MP & later a 1st Cook. 1209th Garrison and 403rd C.A. Unit

[wmws]

Thanks to all Veterans. U.S. Army 1960-1963

[Jim Brierley]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Reading all this makes me feel humble and very proud of you all!

I was a draftee, served in Nurnberg, Germany in a 280mm cannon outfit (the "Atomic Cannon"), then 3 months in Benbecula, a very small island off the coast of Scotland, on a NATO project. Was in Nurnberg in '61 when the Berlin Wall went up. This was in "peacetime".

Thanks to all of you!!!

[dave s]

Air Force 57-66 mitchel lAFB , Japan ,Langley,Sewart

[1930artdeco]

As of Sept. 2020 I will have enough time in to retire from the Air National Guard. Not going to as I like shop and unit. We are a rescue unit and have over 1190 saves!!!! Started in 'The ISO Dock' working on C-130's moved to the line and am now in Maintenance Operation Control. Will be working for my uncle for another 12 years.






Mike

[Mulletwagon]

Thanks to all who responded and shared their military history. Everyone is a unique story and those with military time often look back at their uniform years as a special chapter. Behind everyone’s comments was a clear sense of satisfaction and pride. For a good story from all veterans, ask them how they felt the morning of basic training graduation. The usual response is there was nothing they could not do.

Hope all had a great Veterans Day.

[History]

I lost most of my left foot to a lawn mower in 1967, I was 3 1/2 years old. During the Vietnam war so many people told me I'd never have to worry about ever going to war because of my foot. Looking back it was people who were saying, you won't have to do what my son, my husband, my brother, myself has to do. So, I never considered joining, just thought they would never accept me and truthfully they may not have. Not many appreciate you veterans more than I do. Vietnam pisses off because you guys weren't allowed to win, it was a political bs war. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate you because I do, greatly. My dad was a Korean-war marine, yes he liked pogey bait.

Mr Barnstuff, I knew a fellow who was in the 29th and landed on Omaha. I don't know what wave or his company but his name is Graham Pugh from Piney Creek NC. I met him one morning when I was a foreman on a line cutting crew, it happened to be June 6th. He looked at his watch when I was about to walk away from our discussion of what we would do on his property and said, "I'd just made the sea wall". I stayed with him probably two hours after that. He was a super nice fellow and I wished I'd known him sooner.

My neighbor who's gone now also landed on Omaha, 4th wave, 51st combat engineer, Bill Saunders, not sure of his hometown. His guys were the ones who stopped Joachim Pieper from crossing the last bridge during the battle of the bulge. I have photos of him under fire building a pontoon bridge across the Rhine.

Other neighbor was a 36th ID T patcher, fought and got shot in the leg in Italy but survived, "Doc Evans".

I could keep going with veterans I've known or just met, had a great uncle killed in Germany, Nov of 1944, "Eddie Stamper", met Metal Of Honor recipients. Had a fellow who was in Pattons army give me a bayonet he'd brought back.

Met Walter Schuck WW2 German ace, he flew ME-262 at end of war and he got shot down by Joe Petersbur in a P-51. They were great friends once they knew their connection. Walter and Joe were both just nice old guys when I met them.

Wife had a patient when she was first out of nursing school doing home health who was a WW1 veteran.

Many thanks to all of you regardless of what conflict you were involved in.

[Benson]

I forgot some information ... see post 16 and 51 for info.

This a Utube which I forgot to include about "God's Own Lunatics" by Joe Galloway.

Joe Galloway's "Gods Own Lunatics"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_gJTsRSd38

Joe Galloway was a reporter that covered First Cavalry Division's "Battle of the Ia Drang Valley" in Nov, 1965 in the area West of Mang Yang Pass in Central Highlands.

The Book "We were Soldiers Once ... and Young" was about this battle.


and The movie "We Were Soldiers"