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Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 05:59 PM   #1
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Calling all Veterans

I have noticed that several other posters are prior Military. Take a minute and give your background.

I am a former Marine 75-79.
Enlisted Man.
Boot Camp at Paris Island.
Technical School at NAS Millington, TN
Avionics Technician on CH-46 Helicopter
Stationed at New River Airstation (by Camp Lejeune, N.C.)
Went on two 6 month Med Cruises 76 and 78. Both on the USS Guam.

I spent time in Italy, Spain, France, and Sicily. Best places visited were Rome, Palma De Mallorca, Barcelona, Cannes. Spent time in many other places in the countries listed that were also interesting...


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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 06:13 PM   #2
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Re: Calling all Veterans

USAF ground pounder 1991-2002
Time in Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Italy, Germany, Saudi, Kuwait and various other US bases.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 06:36 PM   #3
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Re: Calling all Veterans

I’m former USAF 70-78.
OTS at Medina Annex (Lackland AFB, TX)
Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, MS
Flew : T-29 (Osan, Korea & McCoy AFB, FL), KC-135 (McConnell AFB, KS), and T-39 (Randolph AFB, TX)

My last assignment was flying a desk as an instructor at Officer Training School, so I came full circle and ended my military career right back where I started it.

I spent time in/on Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Thailand, Wake, Midway, Guam, Hawaii, Adak, Goose Bay Labrador, UK, and Spain. Best place I visited was home with the family.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 06:37 PM   #4
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Re: Calling all Veterans

US Navy. 1982-86 I was a Machinest Mate with the rank of Second Class Petty officer when I left. I was Enlisted - went to boot camp at Great Lakes Ill (or as we fondly called it, Great Mistakes Ill) I was fortunate to go on one Westpac cruise. We had females onboard, fully 75% came back pregnant!! I served most of my time aboard a Submarine tender (the USS McKee AS-41) out of Point Loma Ca working with 'bubbleheads' like Nords there's nothing like being a QA inpsector working on 'Subsafe' or 'priority one' components : what a freakin' paperwork nightmare! In spite of the paperwork I really enoyed working on Subs. I can still rebuild a Marrotta valve blindfolded!! I almost re-upped to get a set of dolphins and a 24K bonus (over 5 years) , but decided I'd rather be a civilian. I have no regrets.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 06:59 PM   #5
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Re: Calling all Veterans

I am former USAF 81-91.
OTS at Medina Annex, separated as a Captain
My best (and last) assignment was my 4 years on the F-117 (Stealth Fighter) program
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 07:34 PM   #6
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Re: Calling all Veterans

US Army 1969-1972
11B-MOS (a grunt, ground pounder for the uniformed)
Shake n Bake NCO School, Airborne & Ranger Qualified, all at Ft. Benning, Ga.
ETSed as an E-6
One year in the beautiful Republic of South Viet Nam beating the bushes and going on search and avoid missions.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 07:55 PM   #7
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Re: Calling all Veterans

USMC 1980-1983 Sniper
Corporal, WpnsCo, 1stBn, 6thMar, 2ndMarDiv
Parris Island
AIT - Camp Geiger, NC
Stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC
Water Safety Survival Instructor (Little Creek, VA), Arctic Warfare and Survival Instructor (Camp Ripley, MN and Tromso, Norway for 3 months) , Jungle Warfare School (Camp Smith, Panama)
1 -3 month Arctic float, 3 - 2 month Carribean floats

Ports of call - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England, Iceland, St Thomas, St Croix, Puerto Rico, and of course, Vieques.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 08:16 PM   #8
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Re: Calling all Veterans

USAF 1966 – 1987
Pilot training in Del Rio (maintain site www.class68d.org )
Have time in F-111, T-33, OV-10 (got to fly others once or twice F-100, F-105, T-39, O-2, lots of time riding in a C-130 and C-141)
Flew OV-10 in SEA as a Forward Air Controller, Operated in Laos, Cambodia, and all 4 corps of Vietnam.
Stationed at: Las Vegas, Monterey Ca, Ft Walton Fl, Mt. Home Id, Satellite Beach Fl, Germany, and Hawaii. Flew all over the place. Made several trips across the Pacific ie Hawaii to Korea and back in the OV-10. (it takes 10 to 14 days island hopping as OV is not air refuelable! It's also real slow!!)
No bad assignments.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 08:52 PM   #9
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Re: Calling all Veterans

US Army 67-70
Meteorologist. Spent my time littering the world with used weather balloons.

Republic of South Vietnam 68-69..... Met Section 2nd BN, 11 Field Artillery, 101 Airborne.
Germany 69-70 Meterologist at Vilseck Army Airfield, Grafenwoehr Training center.

UH
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-03-2007, 09:18 PM   #10
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Re: Calling all Veterans

..
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 12:30 AM   #11
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Re: Calling all Veterans

Escaped from Pittsburgh 1978.
USNA '82.
Six months' temporary duty at the Naval Research Lab in Wash, DC, near my spouse-to-be.
15 months of nuclear power & submarine schools in Orlando FL, Ballston Spa NY, and New London CT.
'84-'86 USS JAMES MONROE's ballistic missile patrols out of Holy Loch, Scotland (near my spouse-to-be in Spain & the Azores) with offcrew training in Charleston, SC. Division officer jobs included chemistry & radiological controls, Damage Control Assistant, and a victory lap in radio as Communicator.
'87-'89 Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, CA) for degrees in Weapons Engineering & Computer Science. Upgraded to spouse.
Six months' brainwash refresher in New London's department head school followed by USS NEW YORK CITY 1990-92 as, believe it or not, Weapons Officer. Deployments to the Arctic, the Western Pacific, and the Eastern Pacific. Guam, Chinhae Korea, Yokosuka Japan, Esquimalt's ranges, and many hair-raising places in between that we don't discuss.
'92-'94 COMSUBPAC as Current Operations Officer. I took the long-range schedules a quarter at a time and shredded them within two weeks. I was in charge of "How soon can you MEDEVAC?" and "You want it when?!?" As the Cold War drawdown cut deeper, I learned that I wasn't going to make the cut for an XO job. Upgraded from "DINK spouse" to "parent".
'94-'97 Fleet Combat Training Center Pacific in San Diego (on top of Point Loma, looking down on Subase). After Instructor Training school I became the head of the over-the-horizon targeting department, teaching people how sensor networks enabled them to shoot at things they couldn't see-- and maybe even hit the target. Mastered acronyms like OTH-T/C4I. I became a Master Training Specialist and a thorn in the side of the training HQ staff.
1997-2002 Back to Hawaii at Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific for nearly five years as the Director of Ford Island Schools-- engineering, weapons, Instructor Training School, and (my favorite) the fire & flooding trainers. Terrorized training HQ staff by "telling it like it is".
June 2002-- retired and took surfing lessons.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
I served most of my time aboard a Submarine tender (the USS McKee AS-41) out of Point Loma Ca working with 'bubbleheads' like Nords there's nothing like being a QA inpsector working on 'Subsafe' or 'priority one' components : what a freakin' paperwork nightmare! In spite of the paperwork I really enoyed working on Subs. I can still rebuild a Marrotta valve blindfolded!! I almost re-upped to get a set of dolphins and a 24K bonus (over 5 years) , but decided I'd rather be a civilian. I have no regrets.
Always a pleasure to meet a fellow QA weenie. Ah, the stories, including Marotta "percussive maintenance". Don't miss that a bit.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 03:55 AM   #12
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Re: Calling all Veterans

I remember my military service with fondness now. At the time, I was like most young kids... Joined because I didn't have any better prospects at the time. But, once I found myself standing on those yellow foot prints... I couldn't wait to get out.

But now, I realize how much the experience helped me to develop as a person. The two traits it imparted on me were maturity and self discipline. Truthfully, it has been one of best experiences in terms developing direction in life. It probably wound up being the singular experience that has most influenced my life. And 30 years later the lessons I learned are still helping me with life decisions.

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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 06:45 AM   #13
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Re: Calling all Veterans

58-79 Enlisted in 58 at 17 years old; Started in Supply, then Ordnance, then Clerk, then PSYOPS RVN, then 1966 on Warrant Officer-Personnel, then Assgmt Off then Pers procurement for all WO US Army, then RETIREMENT at 38 years old. Countries, RVN, Okinawa (Japan), Korea, Turkey, some other smaller countries in SEA. Best Assignment ALASKA. Worst Assignment can't remember maybe Washington, DC ("time heal all wounds!")
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 06:52 AM   #14
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Re: Calling all Veterans

USN - 1988 to 1983 - USS Puget Sound, Hull Tech (for you squids out there, I was a NON CHT HT ) - carpenter shop & locksmith
SIMA Norfolk - sheetmetal shop, QA (I had to laugh at Alex - so true!)

USNR - 1993 to 1999 - Sima Norfolk unit, then moved to MI for civ job...drilled at Coast Guard Base Detroit/Selfridge ANGB

Back on AD as a USNR recruiter in 1999 (Detroit, MI) - switched from HT to NC (full time recruiter)...got promoted, transferred to Newark, NJ (fell in love with NJ - believe it or not!)

Back in USNR as of 2005 - lateral conversion to Personnel Specialist (GAG/BARF/THIS SUCKS) - but managed to hang out in good unit last year - RIMPAC 2006 out in HI last June was my last "Navy cruise"

Today, drilling down in DC one weekend per month with an admin weenie until July 2008 when I reach my 20 and call it quits!!! WOOOOHOOO!!! All four weekends will be MINE!!

Spent time in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Djbouti, Guam, Sicily, Antalya Turkey, Torremolinos & Palma Spain, Barbados, Bahamas, Diego Garcia...

Went to Japan for a high school exchange program...never made it back via the USN But, the travel bug bit!
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 07:41 AM   #15
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Re: Calling all Veterans

1st. post. 70-72 Army. Spent a year at Fort Huachuca,Az. before I was sent to Pleiku,Viet Nam. With the 14th Medical Detatchment, until the 67th Evac arrived from the Coast. beautiful weather. I'd go there before Huachuca. Al
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 08:23 AM   #16
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Re: Calling all Veterans

US Navy 69-72
OCS Pensacola, FL
Armed Forces Courier Service
LTjg - OIC Navy Courier Station, Subic Bay, Philippines 70-71
Medically Discharged 1972 for injury from base landslide in 1970
Viet Nam service and campaign ribbons.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 08:25 AM   #17
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Re: Calling all Veterans

I'm not military, but I suddenly feel a LOT SAFER on here..............
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 08:31 AM   #18
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Re: Calling all Veterans

Army 74-84; Combat Engineer, MP and CID. Assigned Ft. Campbell, Ft. Carson and Wiesbaden, FRG. Departed as E-6(p). Since then retired U.S. Gov't. at age 50.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 09:09 AM   #19
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Re: Calling all Veterans

Quote:
Originally Posted by chinaco
But now, I realize how much the experience helped me to develop as a person. The two traits it imparted on me were maturity and self discipline. Truthfully, it has been one of best experiences in terms developing direction in life. It probably wound up being the singular experience that has most influenced my life. And 30 years later the lessons I learned are still helping me with life decisions.
My wife was asked the other day which branch of the military she was in. The person told her that she presents herself as very disciplined, similar to the military. What is interesting is her total time in the AF was less than three years.
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Re: Calling all Veterans
Old 04-04-2007, 12:38 PM   #20
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Re: Calling all Veterans

Born in the US Army Hospital in Tehran Iran in 1959.
Dad was in the Foreign Service but we ended up in Korea where I went to the USAF's Seoul American High School 1974 to 1977. Lived on base for three years. Learn to address all my friends' parents as Colonel or General since Seoul was an Army HQ.
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