173rd Airborne Veterans -
My Dad was a 32 year Lifer, ABN/CSM.
WWII, Korea, Vietnam.
173rd in Vietnam. (101st/82nd Veteran also.)
Any 173rd Veterans here? (Hamburger Hill.)
Mad RESPECT gentlemen.
Currently watching "We were Soldiers." Getting nostalgic.
WWII, Korea, Vietnam.
173rd in Vietnam. (101st/82nd Veteran also.)
Any 173rd Veterans here? (Hamburger Hill.)
Mad RESPECT gentlemen.
Currently watching "We were Soldiers." Getting nostalgic.
0
-
KenK/84Bravo wrote:My Dad was a 32 year Lifer, ABN/CSM.
WWII, Korea, Vietnam.
173rd in Vietnam. (101st/82nd Veteran also.)
Any 173rd Veterans here? (Hamburger Hill.)
Mad RESPECT gentlemen.
Currently watching "We were Soldiers." Getting nostalgic.
A good friend fought in that one.0 -
I have the utmost Respect, for all who served.
I read/saw a staggering statistic.
The Average WWII Infantry Soldier saw (on average,) 10 days of Combat in a year.
The Average Vietnam Infantry Soldier saw (on average,) 264 days of Combat in a year.
That is an extremely sobering statistic.
Mad RESPECT, to all who Served.0 -
I was a Tonto FAC at LZ English in the upper end of II Corps, supporting the 173rd for my first three months in country. Proud to have helped out but had no idea at the time how illustrious the unit was. They certainly were not afraid to get their noses bloody and I ran airstrikes during some nasty firefights.
(Oh, the memories that flood back!) Ken, we FACs flew at least one combat mission per day. Often two. You were only officially "off" the day after you took your anti-malaria pill because you spent that day in the shitter. I was there a bit less than 11 months and logged 300 combat missions, plus some non-combat ones.0 -
Rocky Raab wrote:I was a Tonto FAC at LZ English in the upper end of II Corps, supporting the 173rd for my first three months in country. Proud to have helped out but had no idea at the time how illustrious the unit was. They certainly were not afraid to get their noses bloody and I ran airstrikes during some nasty firefights.
(Oh, the memories that flood back!)
Again Sir,
Mad RESPECT.
You Sir, (having flown 300 missions, supporting our troops as a FAC,) are a Bad Ass.
That you may have been there, supporting my Dad's involvement, is sobering.0 -
The Beretta 8045 I have listed on the auction belonged to an Army pilot who was medivacing those guys in that movie out. He left the army and enlisted in the marines and flew marine one for three presidents. Man he has some stories. 0 -
Ken, I was at LZ English from March to May of '71. It's the period covered in my "fictional" book Baggy Zero Four. Some of that book is truly fictional, but most of the flights were accurately described. My real callsign there was Tonto Zero Four and LZ Emerald was really LZ English. We four FACs, our two superiors and a handful of maintenance guys were the only Air Force people there. It was interesting, to resort to British understatement. 0 -
Rocky Raab wrote:Ken, I was at LZ English from March to May of '71. It's the period covered in my "fictional" book Baggy Zero Four. Some of that book is truly fictional, but most of the flights were accurately described. My real callsign there was Tonto Zero Four and LZ Emerald was really LZ English. We four FACs, our two superiors and a handful of maintenance guys were the only Air Force people there. It was interesting, to resort to British understatement.
Thank you for your Service Sir.
Glad you made it back.
My Dad used to bring home Troopers to have a Bbq/Home cooked meal, relaxing down time etc. Prior to shipping out.
I remember several times, Dad coming to us and asking "Do you remember (insert name here.)? Well he will not be coming home."
As you well know, Vietnam ended in 75'. I enlisted in 79'.0 -
I secured their Drop Zone for their "Combat" jump in Iraq outside Kirkuk
They are not too bad a unit. They are the only Unit assigned to AFCOM so I also was around them as a contracted employee in Africa.0 -
Sam06 wrote:I secured their Drop Zone for their "Combat" jump in Iraq outside Kirkuk
They are not too bad a unit. They are the only Unit assigned to AFCOM so I also was around them as a contracted employee in Africa.
Hey Brother, you are told where you go, you go. (As you well know.)
Not their fault it was listed as a "Combat," jump.
Glad you were there to secure the landing zone, for them.0 -
You should have seen then when they landed. There were about 700 and I would bet 550 of them were officers and senior NCO's who had no combat role whatsoever.......
Then they landed all the fighters.
It was a dog and pony show so a bunch of pricks could get a combat jump star. Alot of them were not even assigned to the 173rd.
I got mine at Rio Hato
Oh well.
Once in the fight they did a good job in Kirkuk.0 -
Sam06 wrote:You should have seen then when they landed. There were about 700 and I would bet 550 of them were officers and senior NCO's who had no combat role whatsoever.......
Then they landed all the fighters.
It was a dog and pony show so a bunch of pricks could get a combat jump star. Alot of them were not even assigned to the 173rd.
I got mine at Rio Hato
Oh well.
Once in the fight they did a good job in Kirkuk.
Thanks Sir.
Sounds about what I saw transpire while I was in.
If they did not know what they were dropping in to, I can understand that. If they knew it was a Cream Puff drop, and chose to load it up with Senior NCO's and Officers, well that is some serious "Punch the Ticket," BS. (But) On the otherhand, if you were a Senior NCO without that badge, wouldn't you want to be a part of that jump? I would.
I do however, Respect and acknowledge your Service. Several of my best friends were/are 2nd of the 75th.0 -
Just playing devil's advocate here, but if you are in the unit and have the rating, you are required to make a jump or flight or whatever every so often to maintain your rating (and extra pay!) so it is not uncommon to see senior people doing "creampuff" missions. I've flown as co-pilot with several senior unit honchos on their monthly qualification flight. Some were still good, some not so much. A few just sat there and let me log the whole stick time, but they still got their "flight time" in. 0 -
Rocky Raab wrote:Just playing devil's advocate here, but if you are in the unit and have the rating, you are required to make a jump or flight or whatever every so often to maintain your rating (and extra pay!) so it is not uncommon to see senior people doing "creampuff" missions. I've flown as co-pilot with several senior unit honchos on their monthly qualification flight. Some were still good, some not so much. A few just sat there and let me log the whole stick time, but they still got their "flight time" in.
Anyone who has been in a while, has seen it, experienced it.
Senior NCO's/Officers get to "Punch the Ticket."0 -
Ricci Wright wrote:The Beretta 8045 I have listed on the auction belonged to an Army pilot who was medivacing those guys in that movie out. He left the army and enlisted in the marines and flew marine one for three presidents. Man he has some stories.
Trying to talk myself out of that one Ricci.
A very nice piece.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
15 comments