What Did You Work On While In The Military?

[robert k]

Yes Allen, I was a 45B. I mostly enjoyed the small arms myself. I was offered two bumps in rank if I would transfer to armor, I just couldn't do it. They even had me ride in the TC position for a day and I was starting to like it but then the tank left the road at a sharp angle into some trees and being unfamilliar could not find the OH CRAP release that would lower me into the tank fast enough. I duck really good so I survived but it was exciting :).

[AllenInWV]

I am still addicted to putting ARs together. :)

Tanks were fun, but you really have to be a "people person". LOL Three of you crammed in that turret. Well, actually the loader and TC have it pretty good, they have hatches It's the gunner that kinda gets shafted. Sure, it's fun when you're doing gunnery, but it sucks sitting in a defense. Hours of just sitting there, engine off, listening to thermal sights whir. Nothing to do. One time we were training against the Tennessee ARNG at Ft. Stewart. I was still pretty new. Had no clue how the MILES gear was hooked into the FCS. I was piddling around, trying to stay awake. Started playing with switches. I reached up and twisted the "Master Blaster" (the manual "trigger"...you twist it like a detonator).

>BOOM!!!!!< Hoffman device goes off, everyone in the tank is like "WTF?!?!?!?!" Suddenly the PL and CO are on the radio wanting to know who is shooting. LOL

 

It can also suck being the gunner if the TC has gas. :D

Edited November 21, 2013 by AllenInWV

[saltydog]

Spent almost my whole time in the Coast Guard as a Quarter Master on a Polar Ice Breaker. It was an amazing experiance. Traveled to the North Pole and the South Pole saw some awesome sites and went to dozens of countries.

 

[Jake]

Spent almost my whole time in the Coast Guard as a Quarter Master on a Polar Ice Breaker. It was an amazing experiance. Traveled to the North Pole and the South Pole saw some awesome sites and went to dozens of countries.

 

Hey frozen Salty Dog (no wonder you like the tropics),

 

That's a hard life keeping the lanes open.  I would assume you have to be on your toes navigating through moving

and dangerous gigantic ice cubes.  While I was qualifying to become a conning officer on board a missile cruiser,

a QM3 taught me how to use the mo (maneuvering) board.  That QM3 certainly knew his chit and very quick cutting

our position with pinpoint accuracy.  Learning celestial navigation using an old sextant was like learning complicated

calculus.  At least my first cut had the ship in the correct ocean....he, he. The skipper was not please.....he's got no

sense of humor.

 

Thank for you service shipmate!  Respectfully -- Jake

Edited December 4, 2013 by Jake
spil chek

[nigelmac]

 

 

I was in tanks, Centurions then Leopards in the Aussie army for 22 yrs, no active service.

Hello ThommoPerth,I'm trying to get my teenage high school son to get into the Marines or an Army unit dealing withthe Abrams tank. Being a tank or maintenance crew, how was your time in the Aussie Army?His second choice is to go into any technical field that he could use once he gets out. I figuredanything to do with high tech equipment, fixed wing or rotary aircraft maintenance should be histicket of getting a good job on the outside. Any other ideas?By the way, to my fellow vets of all flags, I wish to salute each and every one of you guys for ajob well done. At least we did not come home in a body bag. Most importantly, on behalf of myfellow vets, may all the fallen warriors rest in peace.

 

I had a good time in the Aussie Army.I recommend these days to young people to do something that will give them employment when they leave the services. Because there is not much call for tank crewmen and grunts in civvy street.

 

I Served 5 years in the French foreign legion 1 REC on AMX10's followed by 2 years in French Guyana as an EMT happy days but not a lot of good on your civvy Cv after :hystery:

Edited February 23, 2014 by nigelmac

[Thomas]

I were a sniper, so people better not mess with me  :1 (72):

 

Well. The truth in obligatoric military service I worked with radar checking all flights, the civilian too,

but it's a litle bit true, because I aimed best in the pluton in the shoting tests we had. (I only missed the whole target once during the  year.) So I plan to tell the local Filipins, where I settle, I have been a sniper  :mocking:

[FortuneFavorsTheBold]

On 2/18/2012 at 4:58 PM, Okieboy said:

DRINKING BEER , CHASING WOMAN AND MI RIFLE

Behind enemy lines on the Cambodia/Vietnam border with a bunch of crazy mercenaries... Worked on staying alive. Germany... Worked on tactical nuclear weapons. Orders came directly from the President of the US. Worked on dealing with arrogant Pentagon Generals.

[chris49]

16 hours ago, FortuneFavorsTheBold said:

Behind enemy lines on the Cambodia/Vietnam border with a bunch of crazy mercenaries... Worked on staying alive. Germany... Worked on tactical nuclear weapons. Orders came directly from the President of the US. Worked on dealing with arrogant Pentagon Generals.

I am an Aussie. My Dad was on the "Bay City Project" where we built 3 naval guided missile destroyers for the Aussie Navy, 1958-68. Controversially the major mission for these 3 destroyers was serving under the US Flag, with an Aussie crew in Vietnam.

I became a US Citizen in 1975. I joined the USAF as a Nurse Officer in 1975. I was assigned at Andrews AFB and Lakenheath England, RAF Lakenheath. We still have a FB group for some of us who worked there in the hospital. We were there during the Iranian Hostage Crisis and we went on high alert several times. We housed F111's as part of deterrence to Russian air domination over Europe. There was a lot of tension but nothing much happened. I served 7 years and moved on to Saudi Arabia in 1982.

My collegue at Lakenheath was Airman Joe XXXXXXXXX. His Dad was Major XXXXXXXXX, a USAF pilot killed over Cambodia about 10 years earlier. Joe didn't talk about it then, because I think he did not know the story behind his Dad's death. Much later, about 15 years ago  The story of illegal bombings over Cambodia and Laos,came out, first under President Johnson and then later, illegally and secretly by President Nixon and Kissinger over Laos 1969-70. Declassified by President Clinton in 2000 and that's when the story came out.

Is that what you were involved in FortuneFavorsTheBold?

Edited July 4, 2016 by chris49

[Onemore52]

I was in the Royal Australian Navy for 15 years as a communications operator, reading morse code from ships at sea and from other places, nudge nudge, wink wink say no more. Life was great but my liver was about to give up so I got out and went working on oil rigs, life is great at sea, especially on the rigs where there was no grog, it sure is different being sober for four weeks straight.

Cheers, it is 4 p.m. and time for a coldie.

 

[MikeSwede]

Oh, a thread that would be so much better told in real life over a drink and bbq

I served in what once (!) was called the Swedish Army. Not much of it left right now, perhaps they reboot, but who knows.

No active service, my objectives were guerilla warfare tactics, see and tell of movements in the most obscure places, together with sharp shooter status.

Sweden in the 80's relied on a few scenarios, out of which this was one; enemy took control of land and we went into hiding, making the landing and staying on our soil a dire experience to occupying forces.

I never went on to any UN missions as a slight defect was detected in my spine which ruled our further jumps and similar.

Reason I joined at all was love for the wildlife and working in mili is really the only way to work in the nature.

Got my grades, left and joined the boy scouts instead hehe. Yep, seriously, I did.