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Okla-homey
2/4/2006, 12:12 PM
I love that movie.

Airborne!

How far?

All The Way Sir!

kinda makes we want to put my knees in the breeze again.

SoonerProphet
2/4/2006, 02:29 PM
It is a good one, have it on dvd and saw with my pops when I was a young lad. Sean Connery and Anthony Hopkins were great Red Devils. Poor bastards caught some **** during Market Garden.

LoyalFan
2/4/2006, 08:46 PM
Okla-homey,

A recollection...

Me (at Ft. Riley, on the Autovon to Armor Branch Management, 1969): "Hey, why do I have orders to Jump AND Ranger training enroute to Vietnam?"
Some wit at ABM: "ALL Regular Army Combat Arms officers must attend both."
Me: "But I haven't taken my RA commission yet. Besides, I'm a horse soldier, not a grunt AND my degree is in Music."
Some WAABM: "We think you will take an RA. Besides, Armor officers can serve in any other arm. It only matters that you have a degree, not what your major was."
Me: "Can you airdrop an M60A1 or M48A3?"
SWAABM: "No."
Me: "Well, can't I just proceed to Vietnam and start having fun?"
SWAABM: "No."
Me: "#*$&^!"
SWAABM: "I've heard that before, enjoy your schools."...CLICK!

Someday I'll run across that smirking SOB and beat him senseless.
Still, the Jump Wings and Ranger flash looked pretty OK on the Class A's.

LF

Okla-homey
2/4/2006, 09:27 PM
Okla-homey,

A recollection...

Me (at Ft. Riley, on the Autovon to Armor Branch Management, 1969): "Hey, why do I have orders to Jump AND Ranger training enroute to Vietnam?"
Some wit at ABM: "ALL Regular Army Combat Arms officers must attend both."
Me: "But I haven't taken my RA commission yet. Besides, I'm a horse soldier, not a grunt AND my degree is in Music."
Some WAABM: "We think you will take an RA. Besides, Armor officers can serve in any other arm. It only matters that you have a degree, not what your major was."
Me: "Can you airdrop an M60A1 or M48A3?"
SWAABM: "No."
Me: "Well, can't I just proceed to Vietnam and start having fun?"
SWAABM: "No."
Me: "#*$&^!"
SWAABM: "I've heard that before, enjoy your schools."...CLICK!

Someday I'll run across that smirking SOB and beat him senseless.
Still, the Jump Wings and Ranger flash looked pretty OK on the Class A's.

LF

damn skippy. You are a bona fide stud. I never trusted a leg officer. Kinda suspect IMHO to be an ossifer in the Big Green Machine but be skeered of jumping. That said, I'm mortified of heights and thus tower week was the worst part for me. :eek: Steeping out of the airplane wasn't as scary because it somehow felt safer than that flippin' 40' tower in a raggedy old training harness.

That Ranger tab further set you apart as a man among men.

BTW, back in the day they still had Sheridans in the 82d. You could have been an airborne tanker right?

JohnnyMack
2/4/2006, 09:43 PM
Recently read All The Way To Berlin. The telling of the crossing of the Waal is pretty intense.

LoyalFan
2/5/2006, 01:29 AM
BTW, back in the day they still had Sheridans in the 82d. You could have been an airborne tanker right?

Yes, I guess so. Thanks for the kind words.

At Riley, we assisted another battalion in the first troop tests of the M551 Sheridan. Whatta bad joke! The Shillelagh Missile thingy was weird and the combustible case 152mm round was problematic too. Also, any enemy with a P-18 (big brother of the p-38) C-Rat opener could open one up with ease.
If one hit a mine, fuggitabout.

At Riley, and in Chermany, I loved having the newest versions of the M60A1 (105mm). I was one proud, though MUCH too young, company commander when we first rolled those bad boys off the flat cars at Riley. They still had the "new tank" smell, LOL!

When the units in 'Nam had to trade their M48A3's (90mm) for those Sheridans there was nearly a mutiny. I was grateful I got to keep my 48's while I was there.

Fan, Loyal
Armor
"Drive the saber to the hilt for Garryowen!"

Okla-homey
2/5/2006, 07:26 AM
It would be nice if the 82d and the 101st had some kind of light armored vehicle which was air-droppable or sling-loadable under a CH-47. By light armored vehicle I mean something 4WD, with a TOW mount and which could survive a front or side RPG impact and average size EID. It would also need enough armor in the floor to give the crew inside a chance against an AT mine.

Right now, as you probably know, the only thing those guys have on their MTOE are canvas door hummers and trucks. The up-armored versions are too heavy to sling or drop.

LoyalFan
2/5/2006, 07:52 AM
Homey,

Do a quick search for the Buford Armored Gun System (M8), named for Gen. John Buford, US Cavalry, a hero at Gettysburg.
This would have been a boost for the Airborne, in terms of firepower. Regrettably, it was cancelled.

Fan, L.