10/31/2023 0 Comments Laundry appliances on fort lewisPleiku to Ane Khe to long Than and the Delta to camp BearCat and 1969 to 71 A228TH AVN BATALLION 1st CAV Crew Chief Chinooks B11 I think we were called the rats or something like that.įrom Ft Lewis to GA to Virginia to helicopter training then 2 tours in Vietnam. Welcome to Ft Lewis, at that time meningitis was rampid and we couldn't go any where. I distinctly remember are welcome as we got of the bus from the train depot every expletive you can imagine came out of the DS mouth. the rest as we ran thru the streets and hills. God only knows where they ended up but they had AIT of 11Bravo. During the final pt test we drug them to the end and they finally made it. This was their second try to get thru basic. We had a couple guys who should have never been in the military could barely tie their boots. Who thought he was going to run us into the ground the first day but when 7 of us stayed with him stride for stride he got miffed. I was in B11 July of 68, young pup for Sgt. WE could never walk on the platoon center floor, bunks were arranged around the perimeter, and he would sometimes come in at night after we'd showered, and pour dirt out of a gunny sack on the floor, empty the butt-can water on it, and make us crawl through it making oink sounds like a pig, then on to the upstairs and same thing, with the upstairs guys low crawling downstairs, passing each other on the stairs! But you know, he was really a decent guy (20 years later!) Lewis, and he was going for two in a row when we arrived. He won an award the training cycle before mine, outstanding drill instructor at Ft. Everybody hated the guy, he drove us like cattle, but in looking back, all he was doing was preparing us to go to Vietnam and survive. Little did I ever think I would see that man again after basic training. We remembered each other from basic training and had a good time reminiscing about some of the things that went on. He took a commission in the army after his drill sergeant stint and as an officer, went on to work in Finance and retire from the army. He was a rep for the Veterans of Foreign War. I had occasion to rn into him at a conference in Southern Utah in the 90's. Jonny Baugh was a combat veteran, Silver Star in Vietnam. Most of the guys went 11-B infantry to Vietnam and I was fortunate to go to Germany after training at Ft. I was in A-2-1 and the drill sergeant was John (Johnny)īaugh. Unfortunately for the attackers, one of our defenders butt-stroked his rifle into the head of one of our Officers who was charging us, and knocked him out. Suddenly, in the dark, we were attacked by elements of the trainers who charged our positions. One latter training march, we went about 20 miles and then set up guard perimeters and lay down in fighting positions we dug in the mud, which slowly filled with water, while vainly trying to keep warm. We were pushed to extremes of physical tolerance and had to carry our weaker "trainees" on forced marches for many miles in cold and rain. The inspection of our bunks was so rigid that most of us made up our bunks to specification, and then slept on top of that in our full gear so we would not mess it up when we got up in the morning. Punishment by group was the order of the day, if anyone screwed up, we all got punished. We had to get up and go stand in formation before dawn forever it seemed, and then PT and running took up the rest of the day. The weather was cold and rainy with no let up. I was in B-5-1 (if I remember correctly) and we were in 2 story barracks with double bunk arrangement, with a shower and bathroom on the first floor. Moore for my was sent to Fort Lewis Washington for Basic Training in early 1968, and it was miserable. I was always starving, too, but I gained ten pounds in the 2 months I was there. Felt so good, we begged the sergeant to go back in. When we ran around in the tear gas shack singing Happy Birthday, it was the first time our sinuses had cleared. Lewis and stayed sick the whole two months of basic. Lewis because every morning it was either raining or freezing. His assistant DS was a short guy who always looked like he was about to tell a joke. I made him laugh once when I asked him how to stop my socks from falling down and bunching up at the toe. He was an Airborne Ranger, black belt in Karate, and looked like a black Arnold Schwarzenegger. That guy followed me to Vietnam and then to Germany!ĭrill Sgt. As soon as we transferred to the newer, 3-story buildings for BT, the IG inspection came there and it was cleaning time again. We were there longer because of the IG inspection. We stayed in these barracks for two weeks during "Induction".
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