LMAO, I was reading this and I was :doh: oh man I have to moderate and do all that crap now... lol
My pulse jumped a few beats till I got to the end.. lol
My opinion of the 101st. (not 82nd, but it is still the best Airborne Division in the world. (ok, ok.. no parachutes, but real long ropes)
When I got to the 101st, I was a little disappointed. First of all, I expected this friggin high speed low drag hot mo fo division, that I dreamed about since I was a kid. So I get there in Feb 93.. roll in the front gate and see the division headquarters..... a two story white painted wood building that was smaller than my grandmother's house.. I think WTF???
That was the first opinion.
Then I get to my unit HHC 2/327 Inf aid Station.
more modern three story brick quad barracks building that our aid station occupied the bottom floor (most of it anyway)
nothing special...
The field time rocked.. especially since we did not have to drive three hours to get to the back 40 like we did at Ft Lewis goiing to Yakima. The gear was mostly first line and we usually got shit that trickled down to other divisions after us...
nothing special...
So then my grandfather died, I had to travel to Maine for the funeral day before Christmas eve 2003. Did not back nothing but a small carry bag, and wore my class A's. Got to the connecting flight, in PA or NY somewhere... I never had to buy a drink. Got to Maine.. kids lookin at me with my few ribbons, EFMB and AA wings... And that little patch with the Eagle on my shoulder...
That was something special... made me proud to be in my division.
The typical days were sick call motor pool details, etc But I truly enjoyed my time. Spent 12 years in, wish I could have stayed longer.. but the 65' freefall and the broken foot, hip, rib and four shattered vertebrae did not assist career progression..
Did a short time of RSE (Ranger Support Element) for 2/75 in 1990, and them are some crazy mother fuckers, I tell you what...
Archery practice in the hallway of the barracks.. and jumping off the third floor ledge into the trees... nut jobs.. all of em.. But I am OH so friggin glad that they are US troops, and fight for those things I hold dear...
That is my :2c:
its all I got..