Veterans stories

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Rattlesnake road
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Veterans stories

Post by Rattlesnake road »

Going through some old MFO boxes my thoughts turned back to 1972, home on summer leave at the right age of 18, I was part of 19 Airportable Brigade HQ. Anyway departed for sunny Cornwall for 2 weeks rest and recouperation, first evening home I went out to the beach with my then girlfriend. After taking her home I went to my own home only to be told by my mum that the Police had been to see me. I hadn’t done anything wrong but I had to return to my unit the following day.
A long journey back in a sad mood hadn’t even had time to say bye to my girl. Back at my unit we were told we were deploying to Northern Ireland. The following day we drew weapons and departed for London by rail, London meant a change of trains, I asked for permission to go to the bank to get some cash forgetting now the rifle slung over my shoulder, try to think of the reaction when I walked through the bank doors. Luckily the bank staff didn’t panic straight off and I back tracked out the doors, handed my rifle to my mate and re entered the bank, big apologies.
Rejoined the unit ready for the journey to Liverpool and the waiting troop ship and it was going to be an uncomfortable journey on a flat bottom ship to Belfast........
971wright
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by 971wright »

Hi 1972 August 15th joined up,traveled to RAF Swinderby on the 17th.First Morning radio cracks to life ,A cpl in the 2nd Royal Anglian reg C company had been shot and killed,instant panic,ran off to find the DI, all of a tiz told about the news and that my brother was a cpl in the 2nd Royal Anglian reg C company. He said go get ready will find out as soon as possible. Called into office at 0830 and told its not your brother,It was my bothers mate who had taken his patrol out ( his name was Mick Boddy).
Stranger still is 6 years later in August 1978 I was at RAF Chesington for rehabilitation injury to my left knee prior to demob , in the barracks in the next bed to me was pvt Boddy who was in the 2nd Royal Anglian reg C company the nephew of Mick Boddy (he also knew my brother), as I had handed in my kit I borrowed Boddys uniform to do my last gate guard.

regards pete
Rattlesnake road
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by Rattlesnake road »

Royal Anglican.......The Vikings

My platoon sgts ex wife was killed in the Aldershot officers mess bombing, I often wonder if the Irish Americans realise their donations prolonged the troubles.

I spent 5 long months living in a converted factory most of the time, a long time in a maggot and camp bed with a soldier box in between the camp beds. The showers were in a tent once a week like something from MASH. The toilets were a long row of thunder boxes where a guy could sit next to you for a chat, no doors no privacy lmao. A sandbag wall was built so the officers could walk from the cookhouse to the offices, the wall was huge so they could walk past it undercover and in safety.
Last edited by Rattlesnake road on Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jarndice
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by jarndice »

Long after I left the service one of my drivers had an adventure in Fleet Street,
He was reversing a 30ft box trailer into the entrance to the Daily Telegraph to pick up the Sunday Telegraph Magazines,
The building actually had an in and an out system but it was easier to reverse an artic into the lower entrance, He was slewed right across Fleet street when a car coming Ironically from the Royal Courts of Justice direction skidded to a halt,
The driver screamed at my man to move the F***ing thing,
Our Lorry Driver of course gave him 2 fingers,
The Passenger got out of the car and pointed a double brreled shotgun at him and made the same request,
He moved, They sped away,
Shortly after the Met Police came from one direction and the City of London Police came from the other but they were long gone.
Our driver took the rest of the week off :haha:
I think I am about to upset someone :haha:
971wright
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by 971wright »

Hi the 2nd Royal Anglians are the Poachers. Vikings are the 1st battalion.
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Jimster
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by Jimster »

Nothing too exciting but I was a Navy Corpsman aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence CV-62 (we called her the “end of the penis”) in ‘83-‘85 and participated in the Greneda Invasion, Operation Urgent Fury, in Oct ‘83 and then went and bombed the dog shit out of Lebanon, Syria 24-7. I remember seeing one of our A-7s landing with most of the tail section full of holes and wondered how the hell it was able to keep flying. A Russian trawler always followed us and picked up our garbage from trash call (throwing plastic bags of garbage overboard) unless our marine detachment blew the bags up for target practice with “fantail fire” which was firing a .50 cal off the stern sponson for the pure fun of it. I even took a turn once because our jarheads loved corpsmen.
Nothing spectacular or heroic but it made strong memories that will never fade. That and the smell of JP-5 jet fuel! 8)
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Jimster
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by Jimster »

Image
Image
I wasn’t crawling through barbed wire or tossing grenades but wounded from Greneda were flown onboard and I did plenty of suturing and starting IVs. Kind of cool for a 19 year old!


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Rattlesnake road
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by Rattlesnake road »

Some nice pictures, I lost loads of mine when the cellar in Germany flooded, I was away on exercise prior to a move of garrisons and most of our home stuff was packed the rain was really heavy. Being flooded was one thing but the insurance not paying out was another kick. Everything that had been under water had to be thrown away due to rising drain water.
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EAO
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by EAO »

I wasn’t crawling through barbed wire or tossing grenades but wounded from Greneda were flown onboard and I did plenty of suturing and starting IVs. Kind of cool for a 19 year old!

Jim,

Who in the hell is that young guy?! :haha: Surely can't be you, that fellow has hair! :wave: Just kidding; hell when I was 19, I was useless and spent most of my time ingesting some questionable substances! :/

Seriously though, utmost respect to anyone who has served anywhere, anytime!

Regards,
Eric.
"You can always tell a German, you just can't tell him much." Anonymous.

German cars, German girls, German beer, German firearms, German Shepherds, German motorcycles... Not necessarily in that order though!

UP THE IRONS!
sassgrunt
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Re: Veterans stories

Post by sassgrunt »

Jimster, I was in the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Midway CVA-41 from 1972 to 1974, (some people called it the USS Field Day, because it was the Admiral's flagship and everything had to look clean all the time). I just had to laugh about live-firing off the fantail. You're right that the only sailors we let join us were corpsmen or those from the ship's Weapons Division. Since we ran the brig as well as general security, we didn't have much friendly contact with anyone else. We never had a .50; only M-60's and M-14's. We also had M-79's, and although we expended a lot of blooper ammo, we were always frustrated because the rounds would not explode on hitting the water...only if you hit a trash bag....which we never were able to....
Although we had a couple of F-4 Phantoms unable to land and have to splash down near the ship, I do remember an A-6 Intruder that had been damaged by a SAM and was coming in with a lot of damage. They rigged the net in case it missed the cable, but it was able to catch it. There was a hole in the outer half of the right wing, (that area that is outboard of the wing hinge), that measured about 2' by 6'! I was absolutely amazed that it could make it back, and it gave me a new respect for that aircraft.
We also had several of the deck handlers like to "drag race" with their towing tractors, and once one of them couldn't make the turn at the end of the deck, and they lost it over the side. When the Midway passed through Pearl Harbor on the way back to the States in 1991, I contacted the MarDet and was able to take my kids on an escorted tour of the ship. Talking with the Marine who escorted us and comparing notes, it turns out that THEY had lost a deck tractor in exactly the same way during his deployment! I guess that personnel may change, but stupidity just goes on and on. -Mike
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