KBCraig
NES Member
I never got to live fire one. A year before I arrived, they shot one at Graf, and the E5 on my crew designated the target with the GLLD.
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A military meme...
- Thread starter Andy in NH
- Start date
KBCraig
NES Member
Shortly after I arrived in Germany, my unit took delivery of the first five M981 FSTVs in USAREUR.
We went to Vilseck for the class, which included an instructor from Emerson.
Since I was fresh out of FAOBC, I was the only one in the room who had ever had hands on with one. After I raised my hand a couple of times to clarify some things, the instructor invited me up to teach the rest of the class. I did. LOL
I drove one of those for almost two years in the Guard, and IIRC that day with the Copperheads was the only time we used the GLLD on the hill for an actual mission. We liked our binos.
We [3-7 Cav] had the sector between 11ACR and 2ACR.
We used to tell people “We are here to make sure war doesn’t break out - between the 2nd ACR and the 11th.”
![[halfmast]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/040.gif "Half Mast [halfmast]")
Ben Cartwright SASS
NES Member
Ben Cartwright SASS
NES Member
Ben Cartwright SASS
NES Member
Was on the Independence, CV-62 (carrier for you army guys) and we would sit and watch the destroyers take deep dives!
My dad was part of the original crew of USS Wasp CV-18 until 1946. They were part of TF 38 when they weathered Typhoon Cobra (three destroyers - Spence, Hull, and Monaghan - sank).
In late August 1945 they endured another bad one. How bad? Consider the flight deck is over 75 feet above the waterline.
You mean "Speed bumps"
Ben Cartwright SASS
NES Member
That is why they developed hurricane bows! I was on the USS Wasp when it came to Boston around 1960 a friend of my Dads was in the crew!
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Rockrivr1
NES Member
Then there’s this little Gem of a day on the USS Midway. Scared the crap out of me!!!
Ben Cartwright SASS
NES Member
Yikes.
Reminds me of the first day I joined the Indy off of Naples, someone opened the seacocks and the ship took on a 10 degree list before they stopped it. Never did get to see the ship take green water, I wasn't on her when it did.
I did three deployments on Newport Class LSTs.
On one of them the captain announced over the 1MC, "We're headed into some really bad weather. LSTs don't do well with the wind and the waves from the port beam. I've got no choice but to hold this course."
A sailor followed the captain saying, "Haul over all hatch hoods and gun covers. The weather decks are secured to all hands due to high winds and heavy seas."
They sent some sailors to our spaces to make sure all out seabags, footlockers, embark boxes, etc. were tied down.
We still had to occasionally go out on deck and check the gripes of the vehicles to make sure that they didn't start to come loose - we'd gear up with the Kapok Life Jacket and a lifeline.
Not sure what degree of roll we experienced, but it was a wild ride!
On another deployment, I was on the USS Trenton (LPD-14) when it supported the Malta Summit in 1989 between Bush Gorbachev.
We did "gator squares" (a racetrack pattern) off Malta for a couple of days in heavy weather.
Every 45 minutes (day and night) the 1MC blared an announcement, "Stand by for high seas and heavy rolls as the ship comes about!"
Again, not sure what degree of roll we experienced, but it was a wild ride!
On another LST deployment in some bad weather, a bunch of ISO Containers and Quad Cons came loose in the Well Deck.
Our berthing space was right below the Well Deck and we could hear all the containers sliding around, back and forth, as the ship rolled.
What a racket!
They couldn't send anyone to the well deck during the storm and had to wait until it was over to assess the damage.
I wasn't involved in the clean up, but I'm sure that they had their hands full!
On one of them the captain announced over the 1MC, "We're headed into some really bad weather. LSTs don't do well with the wind and the waves from the port beam. I've got no choice but to hold this course."
A sailor followed the captain saying, "Haul over all hatch hoods and gun covers. The weather decks are secured to all hands due to high winds and heavy seas."
They sent some sailors to our spaces to make sure all out seabags, footlockers, embark boxes, etc. were tied down.
We still had to occasionally go out on deck and check the gripes of the vehicles to make sure that they didn't start to come loose - we'd gear up with the Kapok Life Jacket and a lifeline.
Not sure what degree of roll we experienced, but it was a wild ride!
On another deployment, I was on the USS Trenton (LPD-14) when it supported the Malta Summit in 1989 between Bush Gorbachev.
We did "gator squares" (a racetrack pattern) off Malta for a couple of days in heavy weather.
Every 45 minutes (day and night) the 1MC blared an announcement, "Stand by for high seas and heavy rolls as the ship comes about!"
Again, not sure what degree of roll we experienced, but it was a wild ride!
On another LST deployment in some bad weather, a bunch of ISO Containers and Quad Cons came loose in the Well Deck.
Our berthing space was right below the Well Deck and we could hear all the containers sliding around, back and forth, as the ship rolled.
What a racket!
They couldn't send anyone to the well deck during the storm and had to wait until it was over to assess the damage.
I wasn't involved in the clean up, but I'm sure that they had their hands full!
tuna
NES Member
This is a good one. I've been doing this for a while with my own fonetik alfabet. I'd like to add my own to this to further the cause:
F - effort
I - eyeglasses
k - kaopectate
l - element
n - enemy
r - arrest
s - essence
u - eucalyptus
KMM696
NES Member
So, there I was, day before an airshow started at Barnes. Our shop has prepped everything we need to, boss rolls through and tells us to disappear, before someone finds us something really stupid to do. Roaming around the flightline and taxiways looking at the planes that have already arrived, run across one of the vendors unloading some inflatable slides. They ask us for help, and since we had sighted our branch chief too close for comfort figured it'd be better to look busy. We pull 3 of them off their truck, and start unrolling the first one and they fire it up. As it inflates, we realize it's the Titanic. Complete with foam ice floes at the bottom.
Yes, for only $5 your children can enjoy a brisk slide down the deck of a sinking ocean liner, to a watery frozen grave in the Atlantic. Line up - no pushing, cash only.
