Re: Memorial Day 2015
The Cuban Missile Crisis brings to mind my own experience during those days; I was in Signal Corp and we were "guests on post" at White Sands Missile Range, NM. As such, only the Ordinance troops had to pull guard duty out on the range protecting jack rabbit holes. Each man was issued 3 clips for their M-1 Carbines (total 45 rounds). When us poor slobs were walking over to the theater or the NCO Snack Bar and Pub it sounded like a war was going on out on the range as every man out there shot at any jack rabbit they saw and until they used up their ammo. Now back in those days you had to account for every round you fired while on post. Well, Troop Command decided it was a bit much to expect accounting for all the rounds so they just cut them back to one clip.
I served in Thailand with a F-106 jockey who was flying a desk. When he was on CQ duty with me we had to carry sidearms to pick up TS message traffic. I wore Army issued 45 with a button down holster and pistol belt. He had an Air Force issued 38 revolver which he chose to wear in a low slung holster like a cowboy. Our Colonel used to chew him out but good saying; "what the heck you think you are a Buckaroo?". He always dressed kind of sloppy, but we lost him over NVA territory during his next tour in theater in an F-105.
Stu Fox
The Cuban Missile Crisis brings to mind my own experience during those days; I was in Signal Corp and we were "guests on post" at White Sands Missile Range, NM. As such, only the Ordinance troops had to pull guard duty out on the range protecting jack rabbit holes. Each man was issued 3 clips for their M-1 Carbines (total 45 rounds). When us poor slobs were walking over to the theater or the NCO Snack Bar and Pub it sounded like a war was going on out on the range as every man out there shot at any jack rabbit they saw and until they used up their ammo. Now back in those days you had to account for every round you fired while on post. Well, Troop Command decided it was a bit much to expect accounting for all the rounds so they just cut them back to one clip.
I served in Thailand with a F-106 jockey who was flying a desk. When he was on CQ duty with me we had to carry sidearms to pick up TS message traffic. I wore Army issued 45 with a button down holster and pistol belt. He had an Air Force issued 38 revolver which he chose to wear in a low slung holster like a cowboy. Our Colonel used to chew him out but good saying; "what the heck you think you are a Buckaroo?". He always dressed kind of sloppy, but we lost him over NVA territory during his next tour in theater in an F-105.
Stu Fox
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