Posted on 2005-06-18 14:56:00
By: Dan Perkins, 14th ACR Dan Perkins Hi Gaiter, I was in How Battery from July 68 to Jan 70. I was a gunner on a M109SP 155 Howitzer. Never thought I would ever see the old place again. I was a draftee and the 2 years in the Army I thought would never go by, and now it's 40 years later, amazing. Been looking for some old buddies and actually found one, and now e-mail back and forth, still can't find my other best friend. Great seeing the pictures, the EM club, wash rack, the Sherman Tank. Remember the Alert's and the 5K club.. Thanks a lot for posting, Dan Perkins. It is good to hear from folks that lived thru the same thing at that time with everything else in the in the world. Beatles, Stones, Doors, psychedelic. If you weren't there no one knows what you are talking about!! Your right we may have crossed paths at the Mess Hall. I bet you were like me, when they hung the Liver & Onions sign out it was straight to the Snack Bar!! The German lady who did the laundry, the tailor who put on your stripes when you got promoted, or needed a Hawk Jacket. Am I glad I did it yes, just for the experience, and the friends I made. Would I want to do it again? Not on your Life!!! Shopping up here is not as good as walking out the main gate and seeing the Mox Nix man, or the hairy legs and arm pits of the girls over there. I remember going to Graf and to the EM club there in the back of a 5 ton and seeing the Go Go girls, boy were they Dogs, but after the second beer they weren't so bad. By the end of the night we wanted to marry them!!! I'm not exactly sure how to post, and haven't done it yet. Have touched base with Military.com and even called the guy I'm looking for home town. Hey but it's been 40 years, he maybe dead for all I know. Again I wish I had your foresight and took pictures, and leaned more German than I did, but you know what it was like. Every day was thinking about how to get out of the next Detail, or guard mount and guarding an Ammo Dump with the lights shining on 3 guy's in the middle of the woods with 5 rounds of Ammo a piece, Stupid!!! Thanks again for getting back to me so fast and really enjoy the site. Gotta tell you something spooky, I worked at Polaroid for 35 years before they went under and now work as a shipped receiver a lot closer to home, half the money, but just good to have a job now. Anyway this truck pulls in yesterday to off load to us. I was talking to the driver and I said something about my boss being out and I would be taking some Sham Time!! He says Sham Time you must have been in the military, I said yes, asked him where he did his time, Germany, where in Germany, Bad Hersfeld, and You Got to Be Shitting ME!!! He was there in the 80's and I told him about your site, Small world after all. Well gonna do some work now, but the boss is still out so there will be Sham Time today!!!! Soowee Moooee .. Dan Perkins. Wednesday 17th 2008 December