Com-Central.net

www.flickr.com/photos/...918007465/

For those of you who spent time at Ledward and Conn, big time flasbacks. Heck, I even found a pic of my old barracks.

And then there was this place:

Some very clear shots of the school house shops at Aberdeen,

What is really impressive are the clarity of the pictures, must have used a quality camera, unlike my pictures I took when I was a private (Kodak 110)

Yeah, I know what you mean. Looks like someone spent his money on something other than beer. Most of mine from back in the day were taken with a crappy 110. Guess he went down to the Audio Photo club and got a nice 35MM.

I had a very nice Cannon QL19 in W. Germany.

But I took it to the field once, Gunnery. It was just to delicate to use as a tank driver and gunner. Always was afraid I'd break it and there really wasn't any way to take spur of the moment pictures with it, so I settled for the cheap 110. Later I went with the paper camera's Kodak came out with, better quality pictures and no regrets if they got ruined.

"G.I.Blues" was on the tube today. The first 30 minutes of the movie has some pretty good tank stuff and motor hole stuff and lots of scenery from Germany in 1960. The rest of it is all E.P., so might as well turn it off when the first 30 minutes are up.

I love the scenes shot at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.

I remember that area well, during my time in 1986-89 having gotten off the train from Kirchgons (actually Butzbach) and then heading to Sachsenhausen (via cab) to spend an evening at 'The 4 Story'.

Then losing track of the time and missing the last train north and spending the night in the park in front of the Haubtbahnhof.

Ahh the 'good ole days'

Don

Aren't there other places you went after leaving the "Hauptbahnhof"

oh,( ) yeah there too..... HA HA HA

(Yambo must have told you THE story??)

Don

He did,

But even if he didn't, I would've figured so anyway. One of those prerequisites of being in 3AD it seems .

Back in the day, 21st Repl. Det. was right next to the Bahnhof. Being turtles, we just gazed out the windows. Not like they let us out anyway.

In the mid-80's 21st Repl Det was at Schloss Kaserne in Butzbach.

I was part of the 1st Armored COHORT Bn (2/5 CAV). 1986 we flew from Ft Hood Tx to Rhein Main AFB and then caught a bus directly to Ayers Kaserne. Since we did a direct replacement (Company by Company) We never had to endure the Repl Det internment.

My roommate (aka Yambo) and I walked off the bus (on 'The Rock') and were assigned our barracks room, on the first day 'in country'.

"Spearhead !!"
Don

I came to W. Germany as a brand new Private E1,

Orders stated "21st Replacement" and that's it.

Remember getting off the plane in Class "A's" and marching to the center. Myself and a bunch of other "Cruits" waited in line while they figured out where to send us. Everyone before me was getting "Crazy 8" (8th ID). Got up there and ended up in 3AD. Guys behind also got 8th ID. Go figure. Rode a bus to Drake along with 5 other 19E's. Next morning they handed out orders. Mine were different, theirs all were 33rd or 32nd Armor. I was trying to figure out why mine said CAV. Made the dumb mistake to say I was a Tanker and not a Scout. Got a quick education by a SP5.

Shortly there after I was on my way to Gelnhausen to spend 2 weeks in-processing and doing head start. Budingen didn't do that stuff. When I finally arrived in my troop, myself and two other guys were seated in the day room. Felt like fresh meat. Bunch of troops and NCO's came down and asked what our MOS was. They were Scouts and their reply was "F--king Tankers" when we answered. Then the Tankers showed up. Wasn't much better of a reception. Basically told us we weren't S--t until we proved other wise. Next day we were in the motor pool helping change track. Most of what I saw of West Germany was from a tank after that. Best damn education I ever got. Couldn't get away with half the stuff the NCO's did to us compared to when I became a Platoon Sergeant.

In `76 it was in downtown Frankfurt, when I came back in `87, it was on Rhein Main AB.

Oh yeah, I had forgotten that the primary 21st Repl Det was at Rhein Main AFB. I never had to stop there. The 'local' Repl Det (21st also) was at Schloss Kaserne.

I only went there (Schloss Kaserne) when I PCS'd (outprocessing) in 1989.

I don't remember Frankfurt much from when I was a dependent living in K-town (1973-76) and Wiesbaden (1976-77). Just the civilian side of the Airport.

Regards
Don