Com-Central.net

"I heard they 'lost' a Bradly to a 'wadi' roll over."
Yes sadly we had three Bradleys that were moveing on-line and all three drove over a 10-15 foot cliff (wadi). They were the Scout Bradleys from HHC 2-7Inf. The PL, a 1LT was lilled as well as the PSG, an E-8 that was to retire within 8 months. The third TC, an E-6 was thrown clear of the track and wasn't crushed. It was during the final big battle, task-force movement to contact, about 0130hrs. Poor visability, driver/TC's were useing 7B NVG's. They couldn't make out the drop-off, it just looked like the terrain was continuous. I have a small black and white photo of the three bradleys on thier tops. Eleven soldiers were hurt pretty bad inside the vehicles as well and were life-flighted out of the field. All the gear, small arms and ammo was tossed around inside and really messed them up. When the accident occurred, a call went out over the net to stop all movement and go to white lights, we knew something bad had happened. Soon there were helicopters and trucks flying across the desert to get to the scene. After a few days, a memorial was held. They anounced that the area where the accident happened would be no longer used for training due to the hazard, and that a marker would be placed at the site. I've been here almost 4 years and I know that never happened. To run the ranges, (small arms, tank, indirect, etc...) you must take a range safety course and be certified, yearly. During that briefing, that accident is always brought up as a notable accident in NTC history. I inquired as to the marker and area being closed to manuver and the range personel had never heard of that. An event I will never forget.

- Dontos

Guess I couldn't be anything else but CAV. My Dad served in 1st Cav in Vietnam 65-66.

"Living the Legend"

I finally found this photo. Not sure if I have posted it here before. Taken in 1966, and explains it all.....

Whoa nellie Don,
That sure does explain everything. My mom dressed me in bell bottoms and paisley shirts at that age. I am so glad all the photographic evidence of this has been lost. I looked like a "Partidge Family" reject.

Jeff, I remember it well too, unfortunatly that particular drop has gotten other folks too. The golden rule is, "You can't see, dismount" Better the TC fall and get bruised than the tank roll. "Death before dismount" really does have a meaning at NTC. Echols wash got me in 92 when I rotated through. Landed on my PL's tank after he went over. One of those no moon or stars night. Never again. When I was stationed there (87-89) the place was especially dangerous, 14 rotations a year. day zero of a rotation we'd wonder how many would get killed/hurt. Guys getting run over, helicopter crashes, folks getting shot at live fire. Units really pushed their troops hard.

Joe D

- Dontos

- Dontos

Guess I couldn't be anything else but CAV. My Dad served in 1st Cav in Vietnam 65-66.

"Living the Legend"

I finally found this photo. Not sure if I have posted it here before. Taken in 1966, and explains it all.....

Slacker....just look at those boots!

HEY, those are 'fresh brushed' 'Hush-Puppys'....!!!!

Cut me SOME slack,....I was only 6 !!

- Dontos

HEY, those are 'fresh brushed' 'Hush-Puppys'....!!!!

Cut me SOME slack,....I was only 6 !!

Oh....Sneaky Pete SF guy, eh....whyincha' say so?

- Doug_Kibbey

- Dontos

- Dontos

Guess I couldn't be anything else but CAV. My Dad served in 1st Cav in Vietnam 65-66.

"Living the Legend"

I finally found this photo. Not sure if I have posted it here before. Taken in 1966, and explains it all.....

Slacker....just look at those boots!

Hey he was either ahead of or behind the time. Several NCOs I knew when I was in the Air Force in the '70s told of being issued rough side out boots in basic and having to rub them with a smooth stone for hours to get them smooth enough to polish. Seems it was a trial in the early -mid '50s and they were still issueing the leftovers at Lackland until about 1963.

Then when desert uniforms came out in the late 70s the initial boots were a roughside out suede finish that supposedly broke up the IR reflectivity of a smooth well polished boot. (We tried to use the 'Sarge my boots aren't shiney because I didn't want to make a good IR target' but they told us that the Air Force wouldn't get us that close to the front lines because the F-15s were too valuable and to polish our f%$@&#g boots!)
So you see he was either a early test subject or happened to be unlucky enough to wear the size boots that hadn't been used up.

The Air Force had a habit of using discontinued uniforms up by issuing them to Basic Trainees at Lackland. When I went through in 1976 most of us were issued two sets of '1505s' (The tan cotton summer uniform that had to be starched and ironed) and one set of 'Comb 4a' (The light blue open collar permanent press shirt and dark blue pants). It all depended on what size you were. The Air Force had last bought 1505s in 1967 and nine years later will still issuing them. I think they stopped at the end of 1977 because in September 1980 they were made obsolete. A bunch of us showed up for work on the Flightline on September 30 in 1505s instead of fatigues that day. A couple shop chiefs tried to tell us we had to go home and change. a couple others were upset 'You'll ruin them' was a common comment. My boss as well as the Squadron commander and a few senior NCOs had heard about it and also showed up in 1505s. Toeards the end of the day the Colonel put out the word that anyone in 1505s should come over to the hanger by his office. He had beer, soda cake (tan peanut butter icing) and other munchies. Only troops in 1505s (and any female personnel since they didn't have an equivilant uniform being retired it wasn't fair to exclude them :-)) could participate.

- bsmart

[Towards the end of the day the Colonel put out the word that anyone in 1505s should come over to the hanger by his office. He had beer, soda cake (tan peanut butter icing) and other munchies. Only troops in 1505s (and any female personnel since they didn't have an equivilant uniform being retired it wasn't fair to exclude them :-)) could participate.

...if he'd been stupid, he probably wouldn't a' got to make Colonel! ...and a commendable interest in his subordinates as well.

- Doug_Kibbey

- bsmart

[Towards the end of the day the Colonel put out the word that anyone in 1505s should come over to the hanger by his office. He had beer, soda cake (tan peanut butter icing) and other munchies. Only troops in 1505s (and any female personnel since they didn't have an equivilant uniform being retired it wasn't fair to exclude them -)) could participate.

...if he'd been stupid, he probably wouldn't a' got to make Colonel! ...and a commendable interest in his subordinates as well. wink

Well he said he was a Light Colonel because he couldn't make Tech Sergeant (E-6). In the Air Force the promotion from E-5 to E-6 was generally considered to be the toughest one to make. Folks were generally considered to be 'Fast Movers' if they made tech in under 10 years. It was not considered to be a stigma to be a Staff Sergeant at 14-16 years and after the thin promotion years of the mid to late 70s just bad luck if you had to retire at 20 as an E-5 (The up or out policy forced E-5s to retire at 20).

The Colonel made no secret that if he had been promoted to E-6 he wouldn't have gone to OTS and that he considered the promotions up to Lt Col (O-5) to be easier than the competition to E-6. He also made sure that new officers knew that they were there to gain experience in Aircraft maintenance from te NCOs but woe be the NCO that tried to con a new lieutenant into letting something slide on the line. He did have a sense of humor though and getting a Lieutenant to agree that 'remove and replace headset spreader' was an acceptable fix for a radio problem that only one pilot seemed to find in an airplane was considered to be part of the LTs education.

The worst infraction near the flightline was parking in his parking space. It was at an L in a fence and every now and then someone on night shift would park in it and still be there when he got in (usually about 5:30 AM). He just pulled up right on the malfactors rear bumper with his late 60s Cadillac and leave his keys on the Squadron Shift Supervisor's desk. The miscreant then had to deal with the chief to get his car. Once or twice someone tried to outwait the Colonel only to find he would have his wife pick him up and leave his car!

Over all one of the best of a good series of COs I had.