Posted on 2005-06-18 14:56:00
By: Joe Walker 11th ACR Joe Walker 12/14/08 former GI 3rd Sq 11th ACR Bad Hersfed = K Troop in 1981 & 1982. Gaither, you were there for 30 months and I for 16 months. What is it about that place (Bad Hersfeld) that has always stuck to us? For me I think it was the very hard work we did, we had a real mission and the teamwork 'we had' together. My first day I arrived at McPheeters was afternoon. What I saw as I walked through the main gate was guys walking around in full MOP gear. I had never even put on the shoes much less the full gear. Then I saw another guy blind folded assembling a weapon, an M60 I think. They were all doing what we had trained for in the states but on a totally different level than I had ever seen. I was intimidated at first. I grew up within 48 hours of being there. The next morning at 4 am we had an alert. I didn't have any TA50 issued yet, we went to the motor pool and loaded all the weapons. The guys who had been there for any length of time were saying that as soon as the Colonel got there we would stand down. Then the colonel gets there, opens the back gate of the motor pool and we start leaving but headed in the opposite direction of the border at which time I was told we were heading back to the ammo dump. We did but when we got there the NCO's started cutting off the locks to the doors and yelled at everyone to load gull ammo. Now they have got me going, my adrenaline was through the roof, I was thinking "oh man, I just got here, I was with mom less than 48 hours ago and now I may never see her again. Then it was time for war in my mind. All the other guys were thinking the same way I was as were were loading. Finally the Captain pulled up and told us to get into formation and then we knew it was not real. Captain Bolton was wanting to go to war. He was crazy. He put a soldier next to me in tears during the inspection because he had a spot of rust on his magazine. I can guarantee you my magazine never had rust on it. I had a blast while I was there, never slept much because I was downtown with the girls. LOL I spent my time at OP Romeo in the tower as the radio operator and forward observer at the GDR Fence line. LOL
Tony Pugh ...I WAS THERE WHEN THAT 1981 ALERT WENT OFF!... I too was just getting to Bad Hersfield, scared the living daylights out of me. I was in I-troop. LT. Col. Cherry told all the commanders that we were heading off to war and that there was no time for anyone to contact loved ones. Finally Cpt. Shoenfield told us that it was just an drill. When we returned to the motor pool, we used those high pressured hoses to wash off our newely painted camo colored tanks, and swept that dirty motor pool. Do you remember the Miles system?