Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

DAHenkel · 23rd February 2005, 04:41 PM

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

23rd February 2005, 04:41 PM	#92
DAHenkel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 125	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 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 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. 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. 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. 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.