A bottle of Talisker's (Motor Pool)

lksteve · 02-25-2005, 09:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Moroney

That was one of the uses for LTs on A-Teams when we had them as XOs. That, and of course: turbulence tester, generator carrier and cranker, SADM carrier, ahkio puller. All in the interest of cross-training of course.

i could add a few...typer of training schedules, inventorier of all stuff, driver of 2 1/2 trucks ( i was flattered to hear that a couple of team sergeants wanted me as their XO until the intel sergeant told me they knew i had a license for trucks and busses)...

as far as being shark repellant, i was glad i was on a mountain team...

**Pete** · 02-25-2005, 09:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by lksteve

until the intel sergeant told me they knew i had a license for trucks and busses

Major Jenson, our company commander, had a 45 Pax license. The company was delayed a bit at an AFB in TX. Of course the company went to the NCO Club and had a bit too much to drink, OK almost everybody was drunk.

When the company went out to get on the bus the APs had a car behnd it and two Apes standing beside the doors looking at everybody getting on. The major, who had not been drinking said that he would drive and got behind the wheel. The Apes ran for their car and waited. The bus had gone less than a block when they hit the lights and the one Ape walks up with a big smile on his face. He started to say something about driving without a license when the Major pulled his out

and handed it to him.

Pete

lksteve · 02-25-2005, 10:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

Major Jenson, our company commander, had a 45 Pax license.

i am told blood would have been shed if i had possessed an 80 pax license...alas...

**Pete** · 02-25-2005, 11:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by lksteve

i am told blood would have been shed if i had possessed an 80 pax license...alas...

The SGM told me, when I was first assigned to the company, that everybody had a license and sent me off to get mine. Took me about 2 weeks and I had my license. If it had wheels and was on Ft Bragg I had it stamped. All the way up to 5 ton Tractor/Trailer.

It was only after us FNGs had turned in the paper work that we learned all three of the company SGsM had lied to us. All of the old hands on the teams had a good laugh and informed us we would spend a lot of time up at the TMP.

Pete

lksteve · 02-25-2005, 11:50

[QUOTE=Pete] If it had wheels and was on Ft Bragg I had it stamped. All the way up to 5 ton Tractor/Trailer.QUOTE]

but did you have a Gamma Goat license?

i was licensed for everything up to a 10-ton dump truck and trailer...i just never got myself qualified for an 80 pax...i don't think they had them at Devens and the 307th Engineers had enough stuff to drive without an 80 pax as well...

the SGM, S3 and the S1 got involved in some jurisdictional issues regarding duty rosters...a couple of times i had SDO, DZSO and some driving detail all come up at the same time...

life as a two-looie on an A detachment can be hilarious...

**Pete** · 02-25-2005, 12:49

GG and "the mule". Got them when I was seconded to the 82nd to give them some cold weather training.

Both critters died a quick death in the active army. I think the mule was dead before the ink dried on my license. The Goat wiggled and flopped on the DZ for a few years with a broke axle before somebody came along and put it out of it's misery with a bullet through the radiator.

Pete

lksteve · 02-25-2005, 12:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

Both critters died a quick death in the active army.

disagree...when i showed up in the 307th in 1972, we had gamma goats and mules...when i took command of a company in Alaska in 1987, we had just got rid of the gamma goats and the mortar platoon still had mules...the gamma goats were an accident waiting to happen, especially if someone decided to 'swim' one, but the mules were pretty useful, as long as one understood there limitations (which is to say they were dangerous as i have never met an airborne 11B/11C/12B that believed in limitations...)

**Pete** · 02-25-2005, 13:35

I remember in the mid-70s there were thousands (it seemed like) of the critters in the motor pools fronting Gruber Road down in the Division Area. You'd have 4/5 mules and a conex, 4/5 mules and a conex on and on down the road. Same with the Goats. If you were in the field and riding with the enlisted you were in the back of a goat. Also they had tons of jeeps.

It was like one day in the early 80s and poof, they were all gone. It was now the age of the Hummer.

Now days it's getting harder and harder to see a 2 1/2 ton. Ft Bragg has all the slick 4x4s running around.

Pete

**Jack Moroney (RIP)** · 02-25-2005, 14:53

Never had a license for a mule but have held them for 2 1/2 ton, 1/4 ton, M-113, M-114, M-60 (tank not the MG), and a variety of non-standard stuff.

Jack Moroney

lksteve · 02-25-2005, 15:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

I remember in the mid-70s there were thousands (it seemed like) of the critters in the motor pools fronting Gruber Road down in the Division Area. You'd have 4/5 mules and a conex, 4/5 mules and a conex on and on down the road. Same with the Goats.

in the 70s, the motor pools that fronted Gruber Road belonged to 1/17 CAV, 4/68 AR and 307 EN...we (the 307th) used to borrow parts from our treaded brethren...each squad had a mule and a gamma goat...we also had one 2 1/2 ton dump truck per platoon and two in the company HQ...618th LE had a buncha mules too...

i seem to recall the mortar platoons in 4/68 and 1/17 had mules as well...at some point, the mortars, the gun jeeps and the Sheridans went from 1/17 to 4/68...

of course, 4/68 had the 114s as well...

we used to drag race mules in the motor pool during lunch...

**Pete** · 02-25-2005, 15:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Moroney

and a variety of non-standard stuff.

Who can forget the old days and the IG inspections. The company would have all the equipment laid out for the IG and the inspector would ask somebody to fire up one of those dinky little portable generators. Right after the guy got it started the IG would ask "Can I see your license, please.?"

Never had that one on the license but a lot of the commo guys did.

Pete

lksteve · 02-25-2005, 15:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

Who can forget the old days and the IG inspections.

i try to...i went through two IGs in twenty-one months of company command...i'm sure some conventional yahoo scheduled them to see if he could catch my unorthodox ass doing something stoopid...

my most vivid IG memory is in the 82nd, right after jump school...showing up at REPL, dumping the duffle bags and doing the high jumper on the bus driver hat...there was honestly, a dumpster nearly full of low quarters and service caps...after all the fun and as the hubris was wearing off, one of the NCOs told us we'd better fish that stuff out and take it with us, we'd only need it for IGs and such, but we would need it...and about two months after arriving in the unit, we had and IG...the low quarters were spit shined, but service cap was somewhat the worse for wear...

**Jack Moroney (RIP)** · 02-25-2005, 15:22

I found a way to beat the frigging IG motor pool and mess hall inspections when I was at Campbell. I went down to the personnel correctional facility that had more bad guys than space and made a deal with the commander. I asked for cooks and mechanics that wanted a second chance and wanted to work with the idea that if they screwed up on me we would lock them up and throw away the key. We got thru the motor pool inspection with no gigs and the mess hall came in second in the Army for that annual award for best mess. Of course no one knew we had a double basic load of cooks and mechanics, but hell when you are dealing with satan reincarnate in the guise of IG inspectors anything that works.

Jack Moroney

lksteve · 02-25-2005, 15:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Moroney

Of course no one knew we had a double basic load of cooks and mechanics, but hell when you are dealing with satan reincarnate in the guise of IG inspectors anything that works.

which brings us back to sharks...

in Alaska, we had just changed from H to J series TO&Es...the combat support company went away, but the brigade was getting ready to stand up another line battalion...as the HHC commander, i had two #1 commons...one is fun enough for an IG, but a company with two? somewhere there one of Satan's spawn is still fondling himself over that one...i also had the stuff for the brigade motor pool, i actually had, as commander the brigade messhall and TMC...and i still survived my first IG in command, with my extensive background as an airborne infantry and SF officer...(dumb luck overcomes science again)

for some reason, in spite of me, the company was awarded 'Best Mess' in the division for 1987, as well as 'Best Maintenance'...at the end of the year, the Brigade S4 made sure the mess hall and motor pool belonged to him and the Brigade HHC commander...

the battalion commander put up a fight to keep them (anything to look good, i guess), but i was glad to be rid of them...

the guy that preceded me in command kept a candy thermometer in his shirt pocket...i was never that guy...

**Roguish Lawyer** · 02-25-2005, 17:02

If you guys want the title of this split thread to be changed, send me a PM and I'll change it to just about anything you want.