Oct 25, 1983...Grenada

[Devildoc]

I read this today. Certainly not inclusive or thorough, it is a good read. hard to believe it was that long ago.

October 25, 1983: Grenada and Operation Urgent Fury - The History Reader

 

[compforce]

oh wow, I thought you were talking about the fallout from the Battle of Hastings :)

 

[Centermass]

1093?

yeah, that was a LONG TIME ago

 

[Devildoc]

Yeah, I know.....unfortunately I saw the error after I hit 'post reply'....

Everyone is a fucking comedian....:)

 

[Gunz]

In September, 1093, Magnus Barefoot was crowned King of Norway. Just a little Fun Fact.

 

[DA SWO]

I read this today. Certainly not inclusive or thorough, it is a good read. hard to believe it was that long ago.

October 25, 1983: Grenada and Operation Urgent Fury - The History Reader

I deployed because the Aviation Commander ripped the Dep G2 a new asshole.

 

[DA SWO]

Pope 130 next to the Division TOC.

 

[DA SWO]

Navy C-9's took the POW's back to Cuba.

 

[DA SWO]

VOLANT SOLO on the ramp. Learned later that they were given bad freqs and had to coordinate for the actual freqs (EC-130 ABCCC also came in but I was out of film)

 

[Gunz]

Urgent Fury and Just Cause were, to me, our military's resurrection from the Vietnam stigma, culminating with the amazing victory in the Gulf War. In '83 I was in with the 156th Sqdn, 145th Airlift Wing, C-130s, with the NCANG and we wanted so much to be a part of the Grenada thing...but never got to deploy.

Here is an interesting official AF history of Urgent Fury with a complete list of squadrons, wings involved.

http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-120823-013.pdf

 

[Gunz]

As supplement to the OP.

 

[Devildoc]

Urgent Fury and Just Cause were, to me, our military's resurrection from the Vietnam stigma, culminating with the amazing victory in the Gulf War.

That's an interesting point. In retrospect, it seems like Urgent Fury and Just Cause were experiments with SOF augmented by non-SOF forces; or at least, with every service clamoring for a piece of the pie, the proverbial horse designed by committee with a camel as a result.

The Wiki page has a nice order of battle and units as well:

Invasion of Grenada - Wikipedia

 

[Gunz]

Agree...fine tuning the arrangement after the debacle in Iran, each subsequent op bringing it a little closer to the result we've seen since '01. Lots of fuck-ups during Grenada, less in Panama, fewer still in the Gulf War. But heroism and sacrifice in all. You gotta break a few eggs to make the omelet and thankfully all three operations saw fairly light casualties. But big jumps up the learning curve.