FReeper Canteen ~ Share Your Favorite Military Stories ~ 06 August 2015

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The Whole Wide World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

The FReeper Canteen Presents....

~ Share Your Favorite Military Stories ~

Please remember that The Canteen is here to support
and entertain our troops and veterans and their families,
and is family friendly.

[ConorMacNessa]

I never saw anyone using weed when I was in the service - never when I was in 'Nam. Guess I led a sheltered life.

"Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre / mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."
"Thought must be the harder, heart be the keener / mind must be the greater, as our might lessens."

[Kathy in Alaska]

I am off for home...back after Mom time.

[luvie]

LOL! I have kitty pictures like that.
"You're never alone" they seem to say! :)

[Churchillspirit]

It was 1944 - I was 5 years old. With my parents at a fun fair.

I wanted to ride on the dodge'em cars and persuaded my father to let me sit in the driver's seat.

At a very severe bump I hit my head on the steering wheel and split my brow open.

My father was so mad (at himself) and would not let me out of the car.

When the ride ended, my frantic mother tried to lift me out of the car - a lot of blood at this point.

Next to her stood a soldier in uniform with his arm in a sling and a bandage on his head.

Look, said my mother to her crying child, this brave soldier is not crying.

I immediately quit bawling and acquired a respect for the military which exists to this day - 70 years later.

[Publius]

When I was the Drug Officer for my signal battalion, my Drug NCO was an E-5 who had been a successful weed dealer in Vietnam. He never got caught.

He was a good choice for Drug NCO because he knew all the tricks. Nobody pulled a fast one on him. I learned a lot about how people try to evade drug detection.

[Delta 21]

I broke that link.... damn electrons anyways.

New guy gets the treatment!

[ConorMacNessa]

To catch a thief . . .

"Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre / mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."
"Thought must be the harder, heart be the keener / mind must be the greater, as our might lessens."

[luvie]

I hear ya. I am married to an AF guy. He had stories, too, but only he could tell ‘em right and he won’t get on here. Shy, I think.

[SandRat]

[SandRat]

[Dustoff45]

I tell folks that in 1968 I went to VietNam and that my Mom went with me. Guys don’t get it, but Moms always get it.

In Jan. 1968, I left Travis AFB, a brand new W-1 Army Aviator. I reported to 498th Med. Co. where I became DustOff 45, thus my tagline. After 1571 sorties and 2099 patients, I ended my first tour, going back to Ft. Rucker to transition into Chinooks, the CH-47, and was back in ‘Nam April of ‘69 on my second tour.

At the end of that year, the army asked Warrant Officer rotary-wing aviators to extend their first tour by six months and they would forgive the remainder of their 36 month service commitment. The rumor was that they had grand-fathered in current WOs on their second tours.

I remember coming back from the field and asking the CO if the rumor was true and He said “Yes, it is true, what do you want to do?” I hesitated for just a moment and responded, “Sir, I want to go home” Suddenly, my time was done.

I finished at Ft. Lewis 24Dec69 and was walking from my home town to my folks house as the sun came up the next morning.

As soon as the entire house same to life about my sudden arrival, my Mom asked me one simple question, “Do You have to go back?” “No, Mom, I am done”

Over the next few weeks, Mom slowly began to open up about the many times she went into intense prayer for me. I know Father God had dispatched His angels many times as I know of many missions that could have ended terribly. Her dates matched my memory of horrific missions.

I did not orchestrate the timing of this early-out event, but a loving God gave my Mom a Christmas present she would never forget.

The fervant prayer of a righteous person avails much.

[blueunicorn6]

I don’t think the 6th CAV went to Vietnam.

[Publius]

You’re right, but one of the officers told us that they’d been there. Either he was mistaken, or I misheard him.

[ConorMacNessa]

This is one of my Military Stories from the time I served as a Ward Corpsman at USNH Quantico, VA.
I posted this on the "Together We Served" site - can't recall if I have posted it here before - if it's old to you, I apologize.

"2nd Lt. John Chase, USMC"

Brothers and Sisters, I have a story to tell about this Marine.

Late on a September evening in 1968, I was returning from home in Maryland to my duty station at USNH Quantico. I was driving southbound down I-95 in my 1970 VW Bug in Virginia approaching the Occoquan River when I apparently fell asleep at the wheel. I drove in this state for about a half-mile across what is now known as the Purple Heart Bridge and woke up immediately behind an 18 wheeler, which I rear-ended. I bounced off him and careened off to the left, crossing the median just south of the bridge. (There was no barrier in those days between the northbound and southbound lanes.)

I rolled across the northbound lanes until I reached the rightmost lane, where the front end of my car was flattened by a northbound 18 wheeler. He caught me with the rear wheels - if I had been there a split second earlier I would have been a goner. After bouncing off him, I came to rest near the right shoulder, still on the road. Flames began to rise from the ruptured gas tank. I struggled to get out of the car and was ultimately able to loosen the seat belt and open the door.

The impact of the second collision was so great that my pelvis was injured and I had to crawl away from the car. I made it only ten or twelve feet under my own power.

Suddenly, a platoon of Marines in utilities appeared on the scene. They were apparently returning from a night training exercise. They carried me 20 or 30 yards away from the burning car. Almost immediately the gas tank exploded, shooting flames high into the air. I was able to focus on the Marine who was taking charge and read his name tag - "Chase."

The ambulance came and took me to Quantico, where I was admitted through the ER to the surgical ward on which I normally served as Senior Corpsman. I saw the CO of the Hospital, Capt. Stalter, the next day. He asked me, and I was able to inform him, of the identity of the officer who led my rescue. I assume he received a well earned letter in his jacket at the least. He visited me during my hospitalization and we had a nice conversation.

I have never seen or heard of Lt. Chase in the many years that have intervened. He and his Marines very possibly saved my life. Had I lain in the spot where they found me, I probably would have burned to death. Everything in the car that was not steel was vaporized.



This event was my first experience of the Brotherhood that binds us together. Happy to say, it was not the last.

Semper Fi!

Doc

"Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre / mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."
"Thought must be the harder, heart be the keener / mind must be the greater, as our might lessens."

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[ConorMacNessa]

Doc John Lesko served with me at USNH Quantico in 1968-69 and went on to serve with the 3rd MARDIV in the northern area of I Corps, where some serious stuff happened. He was wounded in action and survived the War. We remained in contact until his recent passing. We shared many a drink and song at the Globe & Laurel in Quantico where we were among Major Spooner's earliest customers, and returned there when we got back from 'Nam. When we called each other on the phone, we would usually greet each other with song - "Santy Anno", "Haul Away Joe" or some other Clancy Brothers song.

Doc John was a good man, a competent Corpsman, and a great Patriot.

I miss him dearly.

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS AND OUR BELOVED NATION!



TATTOO
(Click)

Must retire for the evening –

The Bugler, his grim visage replete with an evil sneer,
already mounts the parapet.

Soldiers of the Greatest Generation
Stand The Watch Tonight!





Standing With Them, My Friend
And Brother-in-Arms:



HM/2 John P. Lesko, USN (PH)
3rd MARDIV, RVN, 1969

TAPS
U.S. Marine Band
(Click)

"Do poor Tom some charity, whom the foul fiend vexes!"
(King Lear, Act III, Scene iv)



All Gave Some – Some Gave All!!!
(Click)

Good night, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America!

Godspeed our Troops around the Globe – especially those in harm’s way – by virtue of their service and sacrifice we continue to live in Freedom!

[PROCON]

Hi Kathy, great Canteen, I chuckled reading these stories.

OK, here we go..

Fort Gordon, Georgia, Thanksgiving Day Weekend, 1969.

I was in my Avionics School training there and this was going to be a long weekend for us trainees who didn't travel home for that long weekend.

About 25 of us were stuck in the barracks that weekend.

Well, 5 of us guys decided that this one guy, who never hardly showered, was going to hear from us, because he just stunk up the whole barracks.

So, we snuck down the hallway to his room, which he shared with 3 other unfortunate souls, rushed in, he was on his back, reading in his bunk in his underwear, and promptly grabbed him by his 2 arms and 2 legs and told him:

"Hey you stink and you're getting a GI shower, NOW!"

Well, as you can imagine, he wasn't too receptive to our sudden incursion.

I was manning the left leg, he still on his back, when suddenly he reared up with his face and forcibly bit ME on the stomach!

WTF? OUCH!!

I instinctively lashed out and hit him hard with a fist to dislodge him, which worked and then we proceeded to man-carry him to the shower.

As we approached the door he screamed out;

"OK guys, I'll start taking showers, please let me go!"

We promptly dropped him to the floor, glared at him and said:

"You better!", and walked out.

OUCH, that bite he gave me still hurt, so much that I went to sickcall the next day and told the Doc the story.

He treated it, laughed and wrote down on his chart: Man bite, treated and returned to duty.

[PROCON]

That is one of the most incredible war time stories I have ever read.

Thanks for sharing!

[PROCON]

Oh, hi Luvvy :-)

[PROCON]

Oh, hi Luvvy :-)