Humor Grunts we were resourceful , 18 found pics of my time in leg land.
A dyslexic bad punctuation ramble ahead two hours sleep and I was wide awake dreamt of my wife last night no drama. Yet thinking of 18 he was laughing so hard in what I was saying from memory telling him stories last night of my time in service I never took it that seriously the stories that I told him are in this insomnia ramble.
Leg land slang for non airborne unit it’s a disgrace after being in airborne community to end up in leg land it’s kind like your buddies catching you riding a Honda instead of a Harley hey man was that you we saw in 7-11 parking lot on that moped putting a helmet on no it wasn’t me fellas.
And yes we definitely had our issues in the airborne community like all families we had our dysfunctional moments perhaps it is late at night in barracks back in garrison your drinking beers or whiskey unknowingly reaffirming your alcoholism for later in life.
A example of dysfunctional moments in the army your one buddy comes to your room hey bro you remember that F.O. from arty that forward observer that staff sgt who walked with us on last FTX field training exercise.
So hey man dudes from second squad met his wife at a club and in your memory you remembering that E-6 F.O. as your buddy is explaining the situation with a Pabst blue ribbon in his hand and a Kool menthol cigarette hanging sideways in his mouth.
So anyway Linus as he continues to tell me Linus my nickname then given to me by my first squad leader because I was quiet I observed we all had nicknames in that world don’t know why perhaps because of youthful bravado.
It’s a different world a subculture loaded with traditions and superstitions airborne infantry nothing special it’s you volunteered to be there you’re all young 18-19 was our average ages our NCO were anywhere from a few years older in their twenties to platoon sgt in his thirties and today we now know we have discovered a man’s brain is not fully mature until twenty six to twenty eight years in age.
Now I look back and think just almost year before maybe your idea of a good time was scoring a six pack and home grown skunk weed and you and your high school sweetheart both getting close to graduation are screwing in your old man’s rambler station wagon out at some secluded place just to have time together.
And now Young alpha males juicing ourselves daily with huge doses of adrenaline or testosterone and aggression always trying to prove to each other we’re bad asses thinking now remembering yea we were so insecure we needed a full time sarcasm a therapist assigned to our world then.
So back to the Staff sgt wife as your friend is describing guys from second squad they smuggled her back into barracks and she’s pulling a train $10 apiece and you think in remembering that artillery Staff sgt fucker was built like Sasquatch that can’t be good as in if Staff sgt finds this shit out dudes built all huge muscular and personality of a shotgun going off in your face. Your friend goes no it’s good he’s on tdy red leg is slang for the arty at a red leg school out at fort sill then your buddy asks hey you got $10 I could borrow bro you reply yea sure.
You hand your infantry brother the $ 10 dollars he wanted to borrow and as he’s leaving he says hey happy Easter eve man god bless you yep we had some form of religious belief from Saint Michael the patron saint of the airborne.
Another example of Religion as in our company first sgt who was a camel non filtered chain smoking bad ass who could run your hungover asses into the ground.
Perhaps C.O. decided after the PT warm up of like 200 push-ups sit ups jumping jacks in a series then PT 5 Mile run drawing your weapons that morning from arms room before PT formation cuz it’s gonna be circuit PT run drop 50 push-ups run more drop 50 sit ups running and passing off your M16 to spell the dude whose running with the Rooster the pig the M60 machine gun and close that 5 mile run out with us running a obstacle course all of us working together to help the m-60 machine gun and his A gunner get the 60 and tri pods through obstacles course as a chaser to the cocktail of PT misery.
I admired that first sgt a warrior a southern baptist sadist who survived the Battle of rip cord in Vietnam as a young draftee.Who would often remind us Jesus loves sky soldiers you heathens need to come to my church get some southern baptist religion .
Then your bud who is now off to partake in the married woman Easter eve train gang bang. He stops in common area outside our rooms and says I hear gonna be ham turkey roast beef spread mess hall tomorrow for Easter Sunday I’ll swing buy will go eat together.
Now in a airborne unit you’re a young trooper in 82nd 325 PIR parachute infantry regiment motivated to fall from the sky in the middle of the night training to kill a commie for your dear ma and then after we stack those red horde bastards we leave feeding their dogs on the way out sounds good in theory so grateful thankful it never happened.
Now in reality is once you hit the D.Z. Drop zone and recover check yourself out no injuries you whisper to your buddy hey bro shine that reds lens on this does that look like piece lung and blood I just hacked up.Why because on the D.Z.after landing and was being dragged over tree stumps rocks or rattle snakes you’re now walking like your full time leg brethren.
And yea I’m going there L.E.G.‘s Lacking enough guts to jump you all were broke ass non airborne enlisted privates not like us in the eighty deuce the All American S.T.D. from the sky why cuz we we’re 11series John D Rockefellers loaded with jump pay flush with cash.
So anyway I caught med pcs broken ankle twice definition permanent change station to West Germany fucking great place to be I later found out just think the movie animal house yet we had M16’s and crew served weapons. In pics six of us all 18- 20 year olds were us standing outside or sitting inside our track 3/3 third platoon third squad our 113 it’s a APC.
Army idea then 10-12 men rifle squad two fire teams one staff sgt E-6 squad leader one E-5 track commander the T.C. Other E-5 fire team leader then you usually a spec-4 or corporal second fire team leader with the anti tank dragon rounds and M-60 machine gun then you had the driver and yet reality volunteer army so undermanned it was six of us young kids I remember Sgt E he was discharging the LT said to me one day Corporal B you’re moving from 3/1 so 3/3 yours.
So anyway above was just describing that time in my life and those memories. So 18 asks looking at pictures dad is that a lawn chair on the side of that tank it’s not a tank it APC kiddo. And that’s just not any lawn chair child it was our commode. We cut a hole in it attached a toilet seat and when you had to shit you dug a hole plopped your ass down on portable toilet.
And then we’d secure to side of the track and I told 18 we was road marching in mechanized column and one night we lost our portable commode fell off the track dude. Andy was the culprit as I point to him in picture showing my son he was the last one to use it he didn’t secure it right . Yea back to squatting over a hole you dug fucking Andy we’d say usually laughing.
And looking at one pic of me sitting in track scrawny shirtless there was these bundles sand bags another Grunt way of being resourceful. Our new platoon sgt another Vietnam vet resourced those sand bags. Reason if Warsaw pac ever decided to move west on us. Apc 113 no chance against say RPG round gonna go through that track like hot knife through butter.
I remembered when he came down motor pool on deuce half we detailed unloading those sand bags. He was explaining hillbilly armor they did it in Vietnam filled sand bags on body of APC to hopefully take an absorb RPG round. Or he would say if we need to we can cover the deck plating protection from Warsaw pac anti tank mines dude was smart. I respected him taking care of us from his experiences. And I remember him saying men if it ever does come to that don’t be riding inside these 113 you gonna want sit on top why cuz of mines.
Anyway a ramble headed out take my furry child Dunc pup for a walk suns up take care have great day.
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Thanks for sharing. Have a nice day, maybe a nap too, that's my plan, been up since 2:30.
