Welshj Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I searched, I searched some more... and I could not find a thread like what I have in mind. So, moderators- if it's not frowned upon... I'd love to have a roll call! Mod edit. Name, rank, unit, deployment or years of service is not required. What we would like to see is what branch of service you were in. Keep in mind this is a world wide forum and details are up to you. I've had a few discussions with some military veterans on here already. And as the saying goes, once a marine, always a marine. It, like forging... stays in your blood once there. And as former or current military, we have a tendency to perfect our practice- so I'm curious how it led to blacksmithing. I'm just curious how many worldwide we are here? If you're willing, introduce yourself as such here? Just the basics... xxxx (name not required), rank, unit and years... anything else you're up to sharing. I'll start. SGT Joel Welsh, US Army 88M20 1995-2007 Last duty station was Ft hood TX, 4th Inf Div. I was stationed in germany, hawaii, and texas with three deployments. Hungary/bosnia, and two tours in iraq. Went to Ft knox Ky for basic. Picture is me in 2003 in iraq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I like the idea of this thread. Been blacksmithing for 30 + years. U.S.C.G. January 1964-1970 Vietnam Era Vet. EN3 (Engineman 3rd class) at discharge. Basic training Cape May NJ, coldest place in the states. Most of my time was state side in light houses (light station). Pretty posh duty except for the search & rescue work. I'm not too sure it's wise to put that much info (Name, rank & horsepower) on an open forum. Maybe I'm paranoid however my last career 29 years in law enforcement tends to do that to a person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Name, rank, unit, deployment or years of service is not required. What we would like to see is what branch of service you were in. Keep in mind this is a world wide forum and details are up to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 To add to the roll call: I was an Infantry Platoon Leader with 1st Plt, C Co, 1st Bn, 12th Cav, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in Viet Nam 1970-71. Part way through my tour the most of the 1st Cav went back to the US. I didnt have enough time in country to go with the unit and was sent up north to Da Nang with the 196th Infantry Brigade of the 23d Infantry Division (Americal). After my return to the states I joined the Wyoming Army National Guard and finally retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the early '90s. I tried to attach a photo of myself in Viet Nam, 1971 but the file may have been too large. If I can reduce it and IFI will accept it I will put it up in a subsequent post. "All gave some, some gave all." "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 6 hours ago, Glenn said: Name, rank, unit, deployment or years of service is not required. Totally agreeable Glenn. Posting in this thread at all is not even required. The ARMY term is OPSEC. Any of the information I posted is already out there online about me on a couple unit sites. That's my reason for posting it. The only reason I mentioned years is because I've had the honor to meet some wwii vets, I have friends who are gulf war and vietnam vets, family to Korean vets. The history interest me. Thank you Glenn for fixing that for me though as you're correct sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 George- "GARY OWENS!" Have several Cav friends from my ft hood days. I actually got to tour and hang out in 1st the cav horse stables on post with one... beautifully trained animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 When I joined the Coast Guard, my childhood best friend Thomas (Tommy) Carter joined the Marine Corps. He was a helicopter pilot and KIA in Vietnam 1967, forever remembered in the memorial wall. RIP brother I still miss you after all these years. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/8236/THOMAS-A-CARTER/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 6 hours ago, Welshj said: OPSEC Especially critical in this day & age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Dear Welshj, To be perfectly accurate "Garry Owen" is the motto, greeting, and marching song of the 7th Cavalry Regiment. We had the 1/7 and 3/7 in the 1st Cav. Div. when I was in Viet Nam. It is the song the band played as LTC George A. Custer and the 7th rode out of Ft. Abraham Lincoln in 1876 on their way to their appointment with history at the Little Big Horn. The Cavalry in general may have appropriated the phrase but it properly only belongs to the 7th Cav. Even though it was a Cavalry Division I wore the crossed rifles and the Combat Infantryman's Badge of the Infantry, not the crossed sabers of the Cav. and we had Companies and Battalions, not Troops and Squadrons. Odd mixing of the terminology and traditions of two different branches. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 That is pretty interesting. Thank you! It was the standard greeting of the day from most of the troops and officers I met on base in the 6 yrs I was there. I got the gist of the basic story behind it, and like most things in the army- generally fell in step with it. Lol. In my years in, I've come to find that many army officers were military history buffs. I learned much from many... the tradition continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 USN 85-89. Fun times in the North Atlantic. Shiver me xxxxxx timbers..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Was that a bad word? I try to keep within the decorum of the forum so to speak. http://sofk9memorial.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba682 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Spent close to 15 yrs cdn army alot of it in the infantry in a recce plt 2 tours middle east i was the best rank of all a sarcastic old cpl the rest of my time was spent as a mechanic.I spent 6 months on Ellsmere island about 450 miles from the true north pole .Worked with alot of american herc crews went to Thule greenland one time on a US herc for a steak at a place called the top of the world club the ride cost a couple of pair of cdn winter sunglasses... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted May 3, 2020 Author Share Posted May 3, 2020 4 hours ago, bubba682 said: sarcastic old cpl Worked with alot of american herc crews The one rank I never wanted... lol. All the responsibilities of an NCO, none of the respect or pay! I got to meet soldiers from several countries in my time in Germany, Hungary bosnia, and iraq. Mostly Hungarian, Polish, German, Italian and Japanese soldiers... Never had the honor to meet canadians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted May 3, 2020 Author Share Posted May 3, 2020 Another side effect of this forumn? I just found out someone I served with in Germany is a member here! Been catching up on memories via PM's. That's awesome.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 Wj: You got me to a tee re military history. The military history portion of my library runs 4-500 volumes. And that doesn't count books that might or might not classify as military history, e.g. books on medieval armor, it's manufacture and re-creation. You might might check to see if your old unit(s) has/have a website. My old Viet Nam company has a website that I visit fairly often. However, of the guys there were in VN before I was. That said, there is a coffee group here in Laramie that I was invited to join and one of the other participants was in my company, different platoon, when I was there. We were able to compare notes on some of the fire fights were both in. That is the first time I have encountered anyone who was that close to me in time and space. GNM "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Navy '67-'71. AQ. Two Westpac cruises. Loaded bombs first cruise and shop supervisor/flight deck troubleshooter my second. Spent 6 weeks in Danang and NKP, Thailand during the Laos invasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWS Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 A Certificate Issued to My Grandfather upon returning from The Great War....WW1...6th Field Ambulance...Pall Bearer...Job Description-Move in behind Military Ops to retrieve Body Parts....He could not speak of Unspeakable Horror...He Drank Beer and Whisky Chasers till the day he died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted May 6, 2020 Author Share Posted May 6, 2020 PWS- that's an awesome piece of family, and military history!! Thank you so much for sharing that. I can, and can't- at the same time... imagine the things he saw. My wife tells me that I'm not the same man I was before my iraq tours... that I'm more... hard and emotion-less than before. I can fully understand his vice after that time. Not all wounds are visible, and some never heal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 PWS: That's much nicer and more impressive than the form letter with Nixon's printed signature that I got when I got back from Viet Nam. I have great respect for all the ANZACs. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 PWS... Your Grandfather is a treasure for sure and a handsome fellow to boot. My Grandfather never talked about his WWI experience either, but he did talk about serving with Gen. Blackjack Pershing in the Mexico campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 USAR Spc.. 5, Engineers 52B20 65-71 Growing up my father was Air Force Reserves LT. Col. a Combat Glider Pilot, 3 combat drops in Europe WWII and all his friends were also former AF Pilots in Europe . Quite the group of fellows very fortunate to have known them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dewnmoutain Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 US Army 25Charlie, radio guy who was made into an IT guy. 2005-2009, 18th Airborne Corps HHQ deployed to iraq Feb 2008 to Apr 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaegers Forge and Foundry Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 My great grandpa served in world war 2 in Normandy France, he was shot in the side of the head and though to be dead he was then dragged to a pile of other dead body’s where they noticed that he was still moving so a medic scooped his “brain matter” back in his head and bandaged it shut he was flown to a hospital in Europe then flown to New England where he spent 2 years regaining his ability to walk, and talk and eventually was able to leave the hospital. In the end he could no longer move his left hand (he was left handed) and had a slight limp on one leg. He received a Purple Heart award Once I finish highschool I will go into ROTC and join the Navy to become a pilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom (dick renker) Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 USN 58-62 2 Carriers, 1 floating drydock and 1 tanker. up and down east coast, all over the med., north atlantic and carribian. vietnam era, got out just as things really started to heat up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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