I joined in April of '86 and when into the Field Artillery (13C - Tacfire Operations Specialist). I went to Basic Training and AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at Ft. Sill, OK. From there, I went to Camp Essayons, Korea. I was assigned to 6/36 FA (Field Artillery), 2nd Infantry Division. At that time, it was an 8-inch howitzer/MLRS Battalion. I spent a year there and when you are there for 6 months, you can take "mid term leave." I did and came home and got married.
From Korea, I went to Ft. Hood, TX. I was assigned to 1/82 FA, 1st Cavalry Division. About 2 years later, I was sent to 1/20th FA still located on Ft. Hood. In early 1990, I got orders for Germany.
In August of 1990, I was on leave and as most of the world knows, is when Iraq invaded Kuwait. I was on Pins and Needles every time the phone rang. I just KNEW that I was being called off of leave and being sent to the Gulf.
Well, I finished up my leave and went to Germany. I was station at Hanau, Germany, assigned to 4/82 FA, 3rd Armor Division.
For the longest time we had a message on our black board in the CQ area that said, "As of (date) we are not going to Saudi Arabia". One day the message was erased! We now were going. We were notified (if I remember correctly) around Thanksgiving. I remember a friend of mine that had his wife and kids in Germany with him, invited me to Thanksgiving dinner with them (Jeff & Skeeter Lindeman). We sent an advanced team just before Christmas to the Gulf and I was deployed just after Christmas (the 27 or 28, I don't remember).
I spent several months over there, watched Desert Shield turn into Desert Storm. I was in the back of a truck with 2 other guys listening to the radio when I heard the infamous words "The liberation of Kuwait has begun." We're at war I thought. I kicked the other two awake and told them.
Of all my memories that I have, a couple stick out in my mind the most. First, after the war was over and the oil fires kept burning, the sky was black! Some of the guys were looking up at the sky and arguing that what they were looking at was the moon or the sun. Well, it's about 12 noon and they were looking practically straight up, so I told them (after I looked straight into it like them) that since it was noon, it HAD to be the sun. That is how dark the sky was, we were looking straight into the sun and it really looked no brighter than a moon.
The other thing I remember is holding out my arm for a while and then look at the ash (from the fires) that had fallen on my arm. Anyone that was over there in my area, remember "Wolf Burgers"????? :)
Well, I finially made it back to Germany and from Germany, I got of of the Army and went back to my wife in Texas. She didn't come with me because she was studing to be a Nurse and we thought it would be better if she completed her studies and get some experience on the job, this would have been 3 years and the end of my tour. It was tough, very tough, but we made it.
In closing this page, I just want to say
God, Country, Family
to visit my Highlights Page. Thank you.