Sorry, We're not from around here
This is my good buddy, John Berger, AKA Jell-O Man, and yes, that is a grenade in his hand. You might wonder what kind of vehicle that is he is hanging out of. Well, that is what we referred to as our "stealth bus." It is 1 of the 2 orange and white double decker buses that our unit used to transport enemy prisoners of war (EPW's). The X patterns that you see on the windows are made of tape and intended to help control the shattering glass when struck by bullets and other projectiles.
This
is another one of my good friends, David Pressley, AKA Elvis. Click
on David's picture to see a part of this page which is dedicated to him
and all other Army Bandsmen. David and I went through our
Advanced Individual Training (AIT) together, and we are from about the
same place. We had never met until we joined the army, but we share many
mutual acquaintances. David entered the Army after I did and had heard
that I would be at the AIT when he arrived. Funny thing is, he was
able to pick me out (bearing in mind that we had never met) without seeing
my name tag. He claims that he knew it had to be me by the unmistakeable
drawl.
David went to
the 101st Airborne Division and got out about the same time that I did.
We both made our ways back to our respective homes and still stay in touch
and even hang out together sometimes. This is a home-made sign that they
put together while in the desert, notice the "Screaming Eagle" (AKA
Puking buzzard). The 101st is an "Air Assault Division." Those
of us in the Airborne referred to Air Assault in different ways such as "Air
Insult", "Leg on a rope" (leg is a non-airborne troop),
and also made reference to them being "too lazy to walk and too chicken
to jump." It was all in good fun though, and we meant it in the nicest
way possible.
Ah, the luxurious
accomodations. All joking aside, these showers were a luxury even though
they don't look like much. God bless the Army Engineers. While running
out of water, freezing in the cool night breezes, and many other ailments
were commonly experienced while using these showers, few things in this
world feel better than a shower on a cool night with water warmed by the
sun. I think that I would have given my kingdom for a shower in one
of these during the ground invasion. I believe I went without a shower
for the last 12 weeks of my stay in South West Asia. I was taking a shower
in one of these the night that several Service Members were killed in a
skud attack on King Fahd Airforce Base. We were only a few miles away and
had a very clear view of the exploding missles. Ever jump out of the shower
to grab the phone? Try running out of the shower to go get your mask and
chemical suit on, grab your gear and get ready to go.
This look familiar?
Well, it's a pepsi with arabic writing. The saudi's sent us some of these,
and as nice a gesture as it was, they were usually quite hot. I cut this
out of a can and mailed it home. Their cans still open with the old fasioned
tab and made a pop when you opened them like someone firing off a gun.
It's a wonder that no-one was ever fired upon for opening one of these.
This is a C-5 Galaxy Cargo Plane. Many of these were used to ship men & materials to the gulf. I believe that these are the largest aircraft in the world, though I could be mistaken. As you can see from this one, shown at an air show, walking through this plane is a lot like walking through the mall. The earth literally shakes when these things take off and land.
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