Service Members - Roll call

Any SMF members who are active military or vets, please post in this thread.

I'd really like to provide additional benefits, or at least recognition to forum members who are currently serving or have served.

Please include:

Military branch, occupational specialty, any deployments you'd like to list, and anything else you'd like to include.

If you're NOT past or present military, please DO NOT post in this thread.

Any members who want to be recognized as such, will get a 'veteran' badge under their username, and additional undecided benefits on the forum.

Bottom line is, without these folks, this forum may very well not exist.

To all who put themselves in harms way, to ensure us and our families remain safe, THANKS.

US Army 8/67 - 8/70; 8/71 - 5/80, MOS 63B (Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic)

Viet Nam Jan - Dec '68 - 261st Transportation - 5ton driver
Ft Carson, CO & Camp McCoy, WI Jan '69 - Aug '70; Ft Hood, TX Aug '71 - Apr '72
Korea May '72 - Jun '73
Homestead AFB, Fla Jul '73 - Dec '74
Germany Jan '75 - Apr '77
Ft Polk, La May '77 - Nov '78
Sent home to Iowa after a knee operation and forgot about for over six months. I contacted them and was told to wait for orders. None arrived and contacted them again. Assigned to the Recruiting station in Des Moines Ia about Sept '79
Des Mones, Ia recruiting station (clerk, not a recruiter) Oct '79 to May '80
Got out in May '80 as an E6. Told myself there HAD to be a better way to make a living.

I was drafted in Mar.69 (when Viet Nam was in all the papers) and did basic at Ft.Knox Ky. On the trip down to the Indy.induction center on the bus there was a young man laughing all the way down while we were sweating bullets. He had doctors paperwork that considered him "legally" blind. That means that he had about 20% vision. Then we got to the induction center they ran him thru the tests then set him down in front of a typewriter and said "can you read this" and of course he said yes. They drafted him right there and made him a clerk, so we knew we were all screwed. Did my basic at Ft. Knox Ky. and my AIT training in Ft.Gordon Ga. with an MOS of an MP. When we were getting our orders on the last day of AIT the first couple of platoons all went to 'Nam, when it got to us they picked 1 or 2 for 'Nam and the rest of us went to Thailand.
They had filled their quota. Just luck of the draw.

From Aug.'69 to Feb.71 spent this time being an MP in the city of Bangkok Thailand. We stayed in a Govt.owned hotel, had the lil motorpool out back. We basically did every thing that police do today. We had break-ins, thefts, traffic accidents, bar fights, you name it we did it. One big priority was keeping the guys out of trouble that were there on R&R from Nam. And being that Thailand was under a King rule back then we could not carry a weapon unless it was a special occasion. I remember that when my time was almost up they offered a lot of money to "re-up" but being that I had not seen home in almost 2 years I turned my back on them and headed home as an Spec.4. Moving around the San Fran airport we ran into a lot of "demonstrators" that we had not heard about that spit on us and threw crap on us (called us babykillers) and we had orders not to touch. I get to Chicago airport in a blinding snowstorm, all the small flights are shut down. The only clothes I own at that point is "tropical weight" with no heavy coat and it was blowing a blizzard outside. I caught the last bus out of Chicago for South Bend Ind. and sat at the bus station waiting for a pickup. Still felt good to be home,,,
Did 4 years inactive reserve after I got home with a 2 week stint (party) up in Ft McCoy Wis.

Originally Posted by JohnC4X4

I was in the Navy as a Nuclear Electrician early 80's for 8 years
EM1(SS)

Served on 637 and La class subs
Plank owner of the 716 Salt Lake City
Did a couple round the world cruises, including Barbeque top side going thru the Panama canal

I was in the US ARMY from Feb. 1976 until November of 1985 and then served 4 years in the Reserves and 12 years in the Maine National Guard, I have been stationed in Germany twice , Ft Lewis , Ft Sill , Ft Gordon and Ft Benning
I work at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery Maine and was involved with decommissioning the Salt Lake City and remember the old 37 class subs ....God Bless America

INARNG 09/04-03/12
38th Mp Company
38th ID Cyclone Division
Iraq-2008
Katrina-2005
Medically retired as E5

Wish I could've stayed longer......

I am currently active duty Air Force, I joined right out of high school in 91 and will be retiring on 1 January 2013. July 91 basic training then tech school for automotive maintenance. Jan 92-Dec 93 Spangdahlem Germany, 18 years old and in a counrtry with no drinking age. Jan 94-Nov 96 Luke AFB Arizona. Nov 96-Nov 99 RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom. Nov 99-Jul 04 McGuire AFB NJ. Jul 04-Jul 05 Kunsan AB South Korea. Jul 05-Current McGuire AFB NJ.
Between the two times that I have been at McGuire I have deployed to the sand box six times. Dec 00-Mar 01 Al Jabber, Kuwait. Jul-Oct 02 PSAB Saudi Arabia. Mar-Jun 03 Al Udied Qatar. May-Sept 06 Baghdad Iraq. Jan-Sep 08 Taji Iraq. Jan-Sep 10 Convoys From Kuwait into and out of various bases in Iraq.
My first deployment I was the down town parts guy, so I got to go into Kuwait City on almost a daily basis buying parts for the shop, also had the same job on the Qatar deployment. By far the best deployment was the convoys, that time I actually felt that I was doing something, the rest of them I was just fixing a$$ haulers so people didnt have to walk to the chow hall.
To the Viet Nam VETS, I take my hat off to you.

E1 us army 63bravo light wheel mechanic, served 1 year medical discharge no deployments.
Geared to maintain

Might be off topic but would like to give a special thanks to those wounded, missing or killed in action. God bless em all and god bless America

U.S. Coast Guard Aug. 1965 to Aug. 1969
16 week Engineman School
U.S.C.G. Cutter Mariposa , 180 Ft. Buoy Tender ( Engineroom /Boom Operator ) also 45 Ft. River Buoy Boat ( Engineer ) ( E-3 / E-4 )
U.S. Coast Guard Group New London ( E-4 )
95 Ft Cutter Cape Fairweather
Boat Crew on 30 Ft. and 40 Ft. small boats assisting Fishers Island Sta. with Search and Rescue. also Emergency aid's to navigation repairs YEAR-ROUND like climbing the 35 ft. steel skeleton tower on Bartlett's Reef to change the bulbs in a Blizzard .
U.S. Coast Guard Station Fishers Island ( E-4 & E-5 ) , This was when the station was manned year-round and We covered most of the Search and Rescue Duties on L.I. Sound in 30 Ft. and 40 Ft. Patrol Boats ( I was mostly on C.G. 40516 )
Plum Island Light Station Li. Ny. ( E-5 ) Served as Officer in Charge , I was also in charge the Orient Point Light , and had to take a small boat out and check it 3 times a week .( and also check for Blues and Lobsters LOL )
Discharged Aug. 21 1969 ( would of made E-6 as of Sept. 1 st. , but I wasn't too thrilled about being sent to the French Frigate Shoals Loran Station for
TWO YEARS . if I had Shipped Over as I had just got married )
The Exciting thing for Me right now , My Wife and Daughter gave Me a membership to the East End Seaport Museum in Greenport , Li. for My Birthday and last Fall We took the Ferry over and they got to see the Light and I got to see the Lens again set up inside the museum .
The Museum has Invited Us on there yearly cruise for members only to visit and tour Plum Island and the Plum Island Light Station on Aug. 6 ( Almost 43 yrs. since I left the Island )
Bob