Military Stories

[American123]

Grandpa was the radioman on a PBY in the S. pacific during WWII, one of the stories I am aware of:

After Guam had been taken, there was still some Japanese trying to survive there, hiding out. Eating whatever they could find.

The American guys set up on an airfield, playing a game of baseball. Grandpa was the catcher. MP's were off on the side watching/standing guard.

Japanese soldier runs out of the jungle into the outfield, throws several large rocks and a grenade that turned out to be a dud. As Grandpa described, 'the MP's dispatched him'

 

[Lazyfaire]

My father was in the Navy as an exec officer(LT JG) on a supply transport in the Pacific theater during WW2. His brother-in-law had been at the USNA and was pulled out to go to war. ((an aside story-- my father, from Illinois, was taking his navigation course up on Lake Champlain (NY). Being tested he had to plot his position. Proud he had finished he was told that he was 3 miles inland!))

My Dad's ship pulls into one of the huge gulfs (holds thousands of ships) scattered around the ocean. Sees cooks in a dingy, with an officer standing up, throwing hand grenades into the water and scooping up fish. The officer was his BIL (who was on a senior staff). My dad, happy to see him hails him. My uncle asks what he carrying and says they'll have a drink later.

My Dad's ship pulls up to its berth to prepare to unload when a launch filled with several SPs pulls alongside and comes on board. The ship's load out was liquor for the Officer's Club. The Sps put locks on the door and stood guard until it could be taken away....per order of someone on the senior staff! His BIL ! Always said that he never forgave him for that one!

p.s. The USNA awarded my uncle his graduation diploma back in the 80's.

 

[Bigbaddude]

Only fighting I saw saw was in 1988 while in the U.S.C.G stationed on 65' tender in Alaska.
It was a cold dark night at sea raining sideways and the 6 of us where soaked. We all came in off the deck ready to eat. We could smell the food cooking the whole time out on deck. Then the sh!t hit the fan the cook threw done only four steaks. All I remember was yelling & scream forks flying and to this day it's all I can do to eat 4 steaks.

 

[Sfc Jack]

1990 something, woke up to a recall around 0300 our longrange surveillance company was flown out to assist protecting AREA 5#... ( ya that place) full battle rattle extra ammo and security briefs from hell..
We had perimeter security and a couple of outter grouped wherhoused complexes.
So my buddy was out with two squads securing one of the warehouses complexes, and after the second day (110 degrees heat) started to notice a horrible deathly smell. He called it in voiced his concern, they told him to continue on and disregard...
On the 4th day smell had gotten even worse, one of the teams noticed a orange gooey substance leaking out of the warehouses doors.. my buddy immediately had his guys don promasks and evac to a hill upwind 200 meters away and called for a hazmat team and evac...
Higher directed him to take their mask off and resume security of the area, he refused till higher after a couple hours sent a maintenance team to the area.
My buddy went in with the "civilian" team ( with his mask on and his team 200 meters away) to the scene of the orange goo.
The civilians laughing and making fun of my buddy open the doors to revile that the refrigerated warehouses that we were guarding were full of pallets of government cheese that had melted......
Sometimes was up with the electric grids and had lost power for a couple of weeks...
Good times, well worth our time and use of assets.....

 

[clearconscience]

These are photos my Dad has in one of his photo albums from his time in "Korea" never said North or South. And has never given a story on them.

He did work for the CIA though.

Lots of unanswered questions

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Right..sorry for the late reply...Memorial Day is a tough time for me at times and getting a good , family friendly Army story this time of year is kinda tough...
Be that as it may...

There I was...
In a LRRP unit at Ft, Hunter Liggett...
We were on a FTX and breaking in a new Lieutenant ....we had been out for about a week and during the course of the exercise our food trains had been contaminated ( for the purpose of the exercise )
We have eaten just about all of our MRES....
So now we were tired , cold and hungry....and somewhat grumpy...

Our new Lieutenant goes off to the CP for a briefing...
And I being the hunter that I am ...and also no stranger to breakfast , lunch and dinner , suggest to my team that they dig a pit and start a fire in it....I'll be back in a bit...

Off I go in search of the one of the many flocks of semi-feral sheep that roam the countryside...
Now on every FTX I would carry a day-glo orange 20 round magazine with about 10-15 live rounds in it...And yes I knew that live rounds and a FTX were verboten....

I find a flock of sheep...stalk one and get a good shot...clean him up and take him back to my team.
Soon the fine smell of roast mutton is in the air....
Also our Palmolive green brand new Lieutenant soon returns...with the bad news that we still have no chow..this news is quickly followed by his finely tuned sense of smell , with the questions of :
"What is that fire...what is that smell...?"
"Sheep , sir" I reply...
"Sheep..?!!" "Did you shoot a sheep...?" asks our fearless , yet befuddled leader...
"Yes Sir" sez I...
"You have live rounds...you shot a sheep"...there was a flurry of questions...almost like being in a snow shower of questions...if questions were dollars...I could have retired right then and there...

As I try and keep up and answer the fearsome firestorm of questions , I hear that I am now up for a Article 15....sounds like our hero
( me ) is in trouble at last....

By now the sheep is done and my team has been eating this most welcome guest to out platoon , since payday with a three day weekend pass...

I tired to explain to our Lt. that we are the Scout Platoon , we actually do operate behind enemy lines , that eating off the land may occur in combat... yes I know we can't have live ammo on a FTX , that yes I shot live ammo at a sheep...etc...all to no avail as I said... Article 15 with my name all over it....

By this time our noble ,yet wrathful Lieutenant has actually taken a bite or two of sheep that someone handed him....as he chews and eats...and then chews me out some more...
I ask : "Hows the sheep sir..?
"Damn good" , he replies...
"So about that Article 15 Sir"..I ask...
"Oh , F off " he tells me....
That was a fun day...
Andy

 

[Baseacegoku]

Right..sorry for the late reply...Memorial Day is a tough time for me at times and getting a good , family friendly Army story this time of year is kinda tough...
Be that as it may...

There I was...
In a LRRP unit at Ft, Hunter Liggett...
We were on a FTX and breaking in a new Lieutenant ....we had been out for about a week and during the course of the exercise our food trains had been contaminated ( for the purpose of the exercise )
We have eaten just about all of our MRES....
So now we were tired , cold and hungry....and somewhat grumpy...

Our new Lieutenant goes off to the CP for a briefing...
And I being the hunter that I am ...and also no stranger to breakfast , lunch and dinner , suggest to my team that they dig a pit and start a fire in it....I'll be back in a bit...

Off I go in search of the one of the many flocks of semi-feral sheep that roam the countryside...
Now on every FTX I would carry a day-glo orange 20 round magazine with about 10-15 live round in it...And yes I knew that live rounds and a FTX were verboten....

I find a flock of sheep...stalk one and get a good shot...clean him up and take him back to my team.
Soon the fine smell of roast mutton is in the air....
Also our Palmolive green brand new Lieutenant soon returns...with the bad news that we still have no chow..this news is quickly followed by his finely tuned sense of smell , with the question of :
"What is that fire...what is that smell...?"
"Sheep , sir" I reply...
"Sheep..?!!" "Did you shoot a sheep...?" asks our fearless , yet befuddled leader...
"Yes Sir" sez I...
"You have live rounds...you shot a sheep"...there was a flurry of questions...almost like being in a snow shower of questions...if questions were dollars...i could have retired right then and there...

As I try and keep up and answer the fearsome firestorm of questions , I hear that I am now up for a Article 15....sounds like our hero ( me ) is in trouble at last....

By now the sheep is done and my team has been eating the most welcome guest to out platoon , since payday with a three day weekend pass...

I tired to explain to our Lt. that we are the Scout Platoon , we actually do operate behind enemy lines , that eating off the land may occur in combat... yes I know we can't have live ammo on a FTX , that yes I shot live ammo at a sheep...etc...all to no avail as I said Article 15 with my name all over it....

By this time our noble ,yet wrathful Lieutenant has actually taken a bite or two of sheep that someone handed him....as he chews and eats...and then chews me out some more...
I ask : "Hows the sheep sir..?
"Damn good" , he replies...
"So about that Article 15 Sir"..I ask...
"Oh , F off " he tells me....
That was a fun day...
Andy

I wanna buy you a drink and just listen to your stories.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I wanna buy you a drink and just listen to your stories.

Thanks...We will have to do that for sure , one day soon...
Andy

 

[Baseacegoku]

Thanks...We will have to do that for sure , one day soon...
Andy

Well my wife and I have been wanting to see Seattle.....

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

Right..sorry for the late reply...Memorial Day is a tough time for me at times and getting a good , family friendly Army story this time of year is kinda tough...
Be that as it may...

There I was...
In a LRRP unit at Ft, Hunter Liggett...
We were on a FTX and breaking in a new Lieutenant ....we had been out for about a week and during the course of the exercise our food trains had been contaminated ( for the purpose of the exercise )
We have eaten just about all of our MRES....
So now we were tired , cold and hungry....and somewhat grumpy...

Our new Lieutenant goes off to the CP for a briefing...
And I being the hunter that I am ...and also no stranger to breakfast , lunch and dinner , suggest to my team that they dig a pit and start a fire in it....I'll be back in a bit...

Off I go in search of the one of the many flocks of semi-feral sheep that roam the countryside...
Now on every FTX I would carry a day-glo orange 20 round magazine with about 10-15 live rounds in it...And yes I knew that live rounds and a FTX were verboten....

I find a flock of sheep...stalk one and get a good shot...clean him up and take him back to my team.
Soon the fine smell of roast mutton is in the air....
Also our Palmolive green brand new Lieutenant soon returns...with the bad news that we still have no chow..this news is quickly followed by his finely tuned sense of smell , with the question of :
"What is that fire...what is that smell...?"
"Sheep , sir" I reply...
"Sheep..?!!" "Did you shoot a sheep...?" asks our fearless , yet befuddled leader...
"Yes Sir" sez I...
"You have live rounds...you shot a sheep"...there was a flurry of questions...almost like being in a snow shower of questions...if questions were dollars...I could have retired right then and there...

As I try and keep up and answer the fearsome firestorm of questions , I hear that I am now up for a Article 15....sounds like our hero ( me ) is in trouble at last....

By now the sheep is done and my team has been eating this most welcome guest to out platoon , since payday with a three day weekend pass...

I tired to explain to our Lt. that we are the Scout Platoon , we actually do operate behind enemy lines , that eating off the land may occur in combat... yes I know we can't have live ammo on a FTX , that yes I shot live ammo at a sheep...etc...all to no avail as I said Article 15 with my name all over it....

By this time our noble ,yet wrathful Lieutenant has actually taken a bite or two of sheep that someone handed him....as he chews and eats...and then chews me out some more...
I ask : "Hows the sheep sir..?
"Damn good" , he replies...
"So about that Article 15 Sir"..I ask...
"Oh , F off " he tells me....
That was a fun day...
Andy

LOL...Well played, Mr. Andy, well played.

 

[OutwardHound]

I was in basic training, Fort Dix NJ, March 1973. At some point I was on KP, and was cut loose for an hour or so. I was hightailing back to the company area and I cut across what I took for a field, sandy sparse soil, weedy vegetation. Then I hear 'Hey troop get off the grass!". I thought can't be talking to me because this sure as heck isn't grass so I kept going. Again louder, "troop get off the grass!". Then I look around and sure enough someone shouting at me from a neighboring building. I stand there stupidly, point at myself like 'who me'?... "Yea you numbnuts, get the f*** off the grass!!"Well, I learned a valuable lesson that day. At least at Fort Dix NJ, anything between two sidewalks was considered grass.

 

[Baseacegoku]

I got another one of my father's stories for you boys



I had just returned from Viet Nam where I'd accumulated about 1000 hours in the UH-34D. The H-34 is made out of magnesium, so the worst emergency you can have is a fire in flight. They make flares out of magnesium! The manual said wear chutes over 3000' above ground, because you couldn't get it to the ground before it would burn up.

I was transitioning into the Kaman UH-2B Seasprite, the Search and Rescue helicopter at MCAS Cherry Point, NC. The Seasprite was a much more modern helo than the H-34. Big enunciator light array atop the instrument panel, retractable gear, turbine engine, made of aluminum and fiberglass, etc. We normally flew it with a non-pilot enlisted crewman observer in the left seat and the crew chief in the cabin. I had just completed my dual check ride and was about to launch on my first "Pilot In Command" solo. The last question the check pilot asked me before he exited the aircraft was, "What do you do if this lights?" pointing to the fire warning light. I replied, "Emergency fuel cut-off and initiate autorotation." He said, "Right!"

Not right!

I launched on my first solo in the Seasprite. I decided to leave the field confines, heading southeast over farmland. Accelerating, at 100%, I closed the doors and raised the retractable gear. As I reached about 300' altitude, the suddenly GIGANTIC FIRE WARNING LIGHT glowed in my face.

So Joe Cool, one of the USMC's finest rotorheads, hit the emergency fuel cut-off switch, lowered the collective to enter autorotation, slowed to autorotation speed, turned west into the wind, picked out a plowed field in which to land, opened the cabin door, and called Cherry Point tower on the radio to tell them where I was and my intentions.

As I reached about 100', I noticed a power line across my intended landing field. Quickly, I turned right 90 degrees, choosing another plowed field. The ground came up pretty fast. Instead of the NATOPS autorotation procedure for the H-2, which called for a full stop in the air, then settle to the ground, I instinctively reverted to my H-34 Viet Nam combat landing experience and did a roll on landing, dragging the tail wheel on the ground until forward motion stopped, then letting the nose down. I quickly applied rotor brake, while the Crew Chief leapt from the aircraft with fire extinguisher in hand.

When I unbuckled to exit the aircraft, I noticed I didn't have far to go to touch the ground. Joe Cool had neglected one important detail. The gear was still retracted in the wells!

I was VERY lucky. The combination of soft ground, a soft autorotation landing and the external fuel tanks on each side of the fuselage saved my butt. I didn't even break off the antennae on the bottom of the fuselage. The aircraft was stable enough, that applying the rotor brake did no harm. My radio call to the tower was never heard. Apparently I pushed the wrong side of the rocker switch on the cyclic stick. There was no fire, just a short circuit in the switch, for which the aircraft was known. Which is why the first response to a fire warning light in this helo is, Lean out to see if the engine is on fire!

 

[Soyanarchisto]

I do remember one from a friend of mine who served in the Air Force and was stationed at Ramstein around 1987. He was assigned to POL (Petroleum, Oils, and Liquids); as he would say, "an airplane gas station attendant". He said one night there was an emergency situation in which an SR71 needed to make an emergency landing. As he was the crew on duty, he was instructed to take the fuel tanker to a particular hangar where he would the turn the tanker over to a senior officer to drive into the hangar to fuel it after it arrived. He was to wait outside until finished and then return the tanker. He was also instructed, in true military brilliance and form, that when the SR71 landed and taxied to the hangar, he needed to "close his eyes" so he couldn't see anything or it. I asked him if he did and as if I didn't already know, his answer was "F*** No! I wanted to see it!" He also said it was quite something watching it take off.

I was at Hanau during the same time frame and actually went to an air show at Ramstein. There was an SR71 parked on the tarmac and we got to watch it fly over and land. This was either '87 or '88.

 

[9x19]

It was early 67 in 'nam and we are getting ready to go on a convoy. I am driving the CO's jeep, he had just rotated in from the states that week and I had never met him. As he is climbing in he asks if my weapons are loaded, I carried an M14, M79 and my 357 magnum. I replied that they of course they were and he informed informed me that I couldn't drive with a loaded weapon.
"WHAT!!! WE ARE NOT DEER HUNTING IN OREGON."
This attracted the attention of the other officers and 1st Sgt who came over to see what was going on. They took him aside and explained the facts of life,

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

It was early 67 in 'nam and we are getting ready to go on a convoy. I am driving the CO's jeep, he had just rotated in from the states that week and I had never met him. As he is climbing in he asks if my weapons are loaded, I carried an M14, M79 and my 357 magnum. I replied that they of course they were and he informed informed me that I couldn't drive with a loaded weapon.
"WHAT!!! WE ARE NOT DEER HUNTING IN OREGON."
This attracted the attention of the other officers and 1st Sgt who came over to see what was going on. They took him aside and explained the facts of life,

Unbelievable! "Please keep all weapons unloaded for the entirety of the war."

 

[RVNvet]

I went to Nam on the troop ship Hugh J. Gaffey in September of '65. About a week into the trip, I made PFC. To celebrate, i threw a little party in our bay, which included cigars and a poker game. During the party, three Merchant Marines came into our bay, and one brought to our attention that smoking below decks and gambling were against ship's rules. Since it was my party and I was feeling quite full of myself, I informed him that we only took orders from our officers, not civilians. He smiled and they continued on without another word. About an hour later, I was summoned to the battalion commander's cabin. There he shouted to me that the man to whom I had mouthed off was the ship's captain, and not only did I have to do whatever he said, even the colonel did. I spent the rest of the trip on permanent kp, including through a major typhoon.

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

I went to Nam on the troop ship Hugh J. Gaffey in September of '65. About a week into the trip, I made PFC. To celebrate, i threw a little party in our bay, which included cigars and a poker game. During the party, three Merchant Marines came into our bay, and one brought to our attention that smoking below decks and gambling were against ship's rules. Since it was my party and I was feeling quite full of myself, I informed him that we only took orders from our officers, not civilians. He smiled and they continued on without another word. About an hour later, I was summoned to the battalion commander's cabin. There he shouted to me that the man to whom I had mouthed off was the ship's captain, and not only did I have to do whatever he said, even the colonel did. I spent the rest of the trip on permanent kp, including through a major typhoon.

Ouch! I hope the party was worth it.

 

[Sfc Jack]

2004 iraq.
Came off a two mission that was extended to 6.
Came in late, Sent the guys to midnight chow but we had to brief the CG. So, after the brief we had to beat feet a half mile to the chow hall before it closed. Of course it was all locked up, we headed out back to see if we could even get a mre (we hadn't eaten in a day and a half).
We couldn't find anyone, but an open connex in a row of 20 something. I shined my red light in and was dumbstruck at what i was seeing, it was pallets of beer Budweiser cans millions of them.
I hurried up and snagged up two cases and told the others to load up and lets go. The Cpt. Started his speech about violating GO1 (general order 1 US soldiers couldnt drink in country but all the other continents could...) buy the time the Cpt got done with his speech the 1Sgt and the Lt had already cracked one open and chugged it. We all loaded up a couple of cases and ran the half mile to the vehicles.
The Company was racked out amd we went off to to the side and started slamming beers, after about the 3rd warm probably skunked beer i was like i should be drunk right now... everyone else noticed the same thing except the Cpt.
I looked at the can pulled out the white lite and noticed it didn't have an alcohol content, i looked at the unopened case and found on the shipping lable in small lettering "non-alcoholic ".... f-ed again..

 

[CarlMc]

I'm a former Cold War Marine Air Winger, electronic countermeasures intermediate level maintenance, enlisted. I fixed the black boxes. I normally worked off the flightline in the white electronics vans. One day I got sent to the flightline to repair a connector on the fuel indicator of an EA-6B. If you're out on the flightline or in the hanger of the squadron in the morning, you took part in the FOD walk, regardless of anything else you had going on. EA-6B's had a crew of 4, the pilot, navigator, and two electronic warfare officers, and they were always their own little clique, rarely more than six feet apart from each other, and the only reason you'd see four Marine aviators together so closely was if they were EA-6B crew. Two too many to be gay. So we're out on the FOD walk, and one of the crew looks down in a pad eye (hole in the ground with a loop they tied airplanes down with) and keeps walking. I looked down as I passed and pulled out a piece of wood. He looks back and says "Sorry" with a bubblegum eating grin. "That's okay," I said, with an even bigger grin, "I'm not the one that's gonna die."

Silence around for about half a second because some low ranking enlisted man essentially told off an officer. Then gut rolling laughter commenced and I'm sure he earned a new nickname.

 

[Mike_M57]

First of all let me say Thank You ALL for your Service, and for sharing your stories!

I have no stories of my own to tell, as I did not serve.

My dad was in Okinawa (SF 3/c, 7th N.C.B. SeaBees) and my uncle was in Germany during WWII.

They are no longer around to tell their stories. Dad never really talked about his time in the war, either from not wanting to remember those times or just nothing to tell, I don't know for sure. I never really saw my uncle very often and he died before I reached my teens. All I have to share is some memorabilia that I've been going through the past few weeks. I finally found a box I was looking for and thought I'd post a couple of pictures.

This is a letter that dad received after returning home. While it is addressed to him, I believe it speaks to ALL the men who served during that time no matter the branch of service...



My uncle, on the other hand, definitely could have told some tales, but I think this speaks volumes on its own...



God Bless our fighting men and women, Past, Present and Future.