Prior Service
 

DA,
Sorry can't take credit for that, was in Korea at the time, had you said Cobra Gold 85,86,87,88,89,91,92,93 it might have been me. But now I'm intriqued!Are, or were, you a fellow "brother in arms". The fact that you were concerned about the TP is a comment only a GI would make :D

Well "Brother in Arms" might not be the term exactly. In a former life, I was one of those geeks with the loudspeakers and leaflets in the 4th PSYOP Group(Abn) out of Fort Bragg. They did let me play "soldier" every once in a while though. ;) Even gave me a real A-2 to play with :D

In '95 I was attached to an ODA from 1st Group for the UW component of the exercise. Which was a blast except the bastards stuck me with a bunch of spare radio gear, det-chord and C-4. That s**t is heavy :eek:

The night insertion off the tailgate of a 130H onto a postage stamp of a DZ is an experience I wouldn't trade for the world though. Of course it was a complete cluster you know what but all the more memorable for it. And it turns out it wasn't the jump master's fault we missed the DZ actually. :o The Thais got the word to steer towards the lights and made it in just fine but somehow that got translated into English as "follow the door bundle".

Did I mention the door bundle ended up in a khlong? (That's a big water filled irrigation ditch for all you non-Thai speakers). :) Well, all the Green Beanies and the poor little psyop guy missed the DZ too. :D

Much screaming, cussing and showing of white lights ensued and the G's had to bring up a pickup truck to haul the door bundle out. (I bet the riggers were not very pleased with the condition of their big beautiful T-10-C after that.) But to my everlasting credit the little psyop guy found his way, unassisted and without the benefit of a flashlight, safely to the R-V; chute properly S-rolled (though not necessarily twig, grass and clump of dirt free - did I mention I ended up in the bottom of the what seemed at the time like the deepest, darkest hole in the ground in all Central Thailand?), just behind the medic and well ahead of the rest of the team. :cool:

And as a gratuitous edged weapon tie in - I can state with pride that it was my very own surplus store, Marine issue KA-BAR that the medic used to dispatch the two celebratory end of exercise pigs. Mainly because after 18 days in the Khao Cha Mao it was about the only sharp thing we had left. ;)

Not a sword but here's a pic of Guro Richard and I taken locally here in Battle Creek MI about a year and a half ago.

Then here's a younger and a lot slimmer shot of me playing by myself with a dummy I made in the back yard. I had just got back from about a month and a half in Aspen Colorado with Guro Dan. 1980

Spunjer,
Would you like to do some travel training together sometime? You could come up for a weekend and visit and I could come down and train with you for a weekend.

moose

PSYOPS Geek
 

Funny how small the world is. If I remember correctly you were the one to answer my first posting reference a "talismanic golok". Who'd a thought we'd have covered the same trails in the same salt stained BDUs. We'll have to get together and tell jump stories some day. BTW I have some of your old unit (4th PSOPS) here working with me and they are doing great things in support of the Philippine military.

Now post some pics of you in your pickle suit with that fine looking maroon beret!

Well after much digging the only pic I could find of me in my beenie is this one of me with two of my squad leaders on graduation day from AIT. Kind of goofy I guess but the guy in the middle is 6'10" and weighed about 260. Excuse the tiny pic but it was scanned for an old website back in the days of 28.8bps.

Here's a better one...under silk over Sicily DZ at about 6 or 700 AGL. Guess who?

This is too fun.

Speaking of tree suits..."You can't see me. Really, you can't." :rolleyes:

Think this was taken in the Uwharrie just before we got to try out the Star Course.

Star Course
 

I knew you'd have an old HUAHH picture or two lying around, we all do. The star course, for the others, is a land navigation course that zigzags through the sandhills in North Carolina, flat with no terrain features and only a few dirt roads (which aren't always correct on the map) :mad: . You have 5 hours to find 5 points on the ground, you start in the late afternoon and continue into the evening (to insure you have to find some points in the dark). You'll cover anywhere from 22 to 30 kilometers during that time (depending on which lane you draw) more if you get lost. I only did it once and that was enough, ran the entire thing and finished with only 20 minutes to spare. It's a must pass event for us to get into SF. Can't garuantee I could do it again today.

Unfortunately I won't be able to get any up till I get back in July.

Thanks DA we all had fun with everyone saying "hey I remember that!"

You forgot to mention the marshes, the streams, the tangled undergrowth...Star is definitely the bigest bitch of a land nav problem you're ever likely to encounter. And us PSYOP guys (and gals) had the benefit of more or less unlimited time. :p Of course our First Sergeant kept telling us we had to try and do it in 5 hours but we got started a little before dusk and there were still a bunch of people on the course when they sent out the hummers at dawn. :rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure I did it in about 7 hours; I was in by around 2 or 3am but the only reason why I did any running that night was to get back to my nice comfy sleeping bag faster. :D

...we did a 15 mile road march when i went on basic at ft. jackson :D










sorry guys; you two are too hardcore for me :p

Hardcore?

Well I won't speak for Khun Deng (and he probably won't either but there's a reason they call 'em the "quiet professionals").

Naw, Rangers are hardcore, Seals are hardcore, Recon are hardcore...PSYOP?

Dude, they paid me to jump out of airplanes. I call that gravy :D

Hardcore
 

As the old saying goes "there's a fine line between hardcore and stupid!" I'm sure we've all crossed over that line many times in our lives and those of us that have survived :rolleyes: have the scars and some great stories to tell. (That includes surfers!) Just glad I haven't been nominated for a Darwin award yet :D

The problem for many of us is telling the difference. :o

Timmonium picture
 

Your hosts Avner & Artzi Yavrom, your humble servant and Eric Farrow.
http://www.jnanam.net/users/jp/timmonium.jpg

Excellent! Thanks, JP. I keep forgetting to bring my camera.

....Avner, get some sleep!

Meeting Adni in Singapore.
 

The opportunity for me to meet my friend in person at his office did finally come during a work trip to Singapore a few days ago.

It was such a wonderful experience; I was fortunate enough to see and handle a number of the Rangsang Rias Pusaka Bangsa II -- Keris Competition Winners as the timing was such that I just made it a couple of hours before he and his father were to drive to Johore Bahru and then to Kuala Lumpur to be away for a number of days and also those items only arrived at his shop that very day. Amongst the many other kerises etc that I was so priviledged to see and handle, there were an awesome unduk unduk and a "never seen before" 3-luk Naga Keris Panjang (Penyalang or the Executioner). Unfortunately both these items have prior owners and were at the shop to only be etched or restored. Whilst discussing about the functions of a fairly heavy Sundang, Adni also showed some lightning swordmanship moves and I could feel some air breezing pass me as he was making the moves. For a while I was a little worried that the blade may fly off the handle and pierce into me ;) . But of course it didn't. I never knew Adni was quite a swordsman and a Silat expert. Also a treat to the best ginger teh tarik (pull tea) of Singapore... Thanks again Adni.

Adni at his office
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...AdniOffice.jpg

With Adni
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ni-John1-6.jpg

With Adni's dad, Pak Hussein
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...PakHussien.jpg

Oh how I would love to walk into Adni's shop someday with a WAD of cash !! :D
You're a lucky man John .
Beautiful stuff and handsome gentlemen . :)

Radu, big congrats; that's one yummie fish; I certainly hope you threw a feast.
Conogre....Congratulations to you, too :cool: What's up, Indian? But don't neccessarily say that to an Indian who doesn't know you're an Indian, unless, maybe, your hands are properly dressed, as in the photos, and yer feelin' agile :D

So that's what Adni looks like. :cool:

I echo your sentiments Rick. Big ol wad of cash and a wheel barrow to carry everything out ;):D

Time For A New Picture
 

After 7 years Moderating here .. :eek: :D

...ah, Rick....i think that sword you've got there is just a piece of beach wood......but it might be Moro and late 19thC.....could we see some close-ups of the gangya area? ;)

Actually ........
 

David , it's a slat from a snow fence .
Let's just say I was "walking softly ........." :D

You certainly do carry a big stick... :D

Rats. Beat me to it. :p

I think we meshed perfectly there Andrew . :)

Uh-oh is that a sign of what shall happen if forumites get out of hand :eek: :D :p

What the heck is the other thing that you are holding? It looks like a frozen carp.

Son , you don't drive truck , do yuh ? .... :D

Them're mah truckin' gloves bwah , genyouwine doeskin ... :D :D

As for the stick ; I was a parochial school teacher in another life . ;) :D