SGM Richmond Nail

[bvvanes]

RIP SGM Nail: I can only say that there are some men destined to be giants and some destined to follow them. SGM was a giant. After reading some of the stories posted about him I want to add my own. While going thru MacKall I did the slide for life over a creek. I climbed up a tree to reach the slide, standing on that platform was SGM Nail. He told me 'son you better let go of that thing before the middle of the creek or it'll knock your ass off the slide. I did as I was told, the guy following me didn't and it knocked him for a fricken double gainer before he hit the water. Once in a class he was giving, he said if we didn't pay attention, our mama's would find our sorry dead asses on some mountain with a green beret stuck in our back pocket. I spent a whole career in SF, half as an enlisted, half as an officer. Sometimes I had found myself in dire straights esp overseas and his admonishments would play over and over in my head. Infrequently I would be at MacKall and once as an O, we both were entering a building simultaneously, he looked at me and said "you look like a fu....en officer. He didn't realize it but I was laughing inside. He was a hoot but a serious hoot. There are very few men that are legends, SGM Nail took point on that team.