True Tales of Military, Law Enforcement, and Firefighters

[m88dad]

Where do I begin? I'm Chris. I'm an Army Mechanic. I capitalized "Mechanic" because Mechanics are awesome! As a child I loved sitting and listening to my Grandfather talk about his adventures in the Navy during the Korean War. A few years ago I would listen to my Father-In-Law tell me all the crazy stuff he did in Vietnam. Now I sit around with my kids and tell them all the crazy stuff I did in Iraq and Afghanistan and they stare at me with that same wonder in their eyes that I had when I was a kid.

While listening to, and retelling these stories I've learned two things.
1. People unaffiliated with the military, law enforcement, firefighting, or similar occupations, are enamored by these stories because they have little to no understanding of how we do it or why.
2. People who are affiliated with said occupations enjoy the fellowship and comfort that comes with sharing experiences with your fellow service men/women.

I'd like to share some of my experiences with you. I encourage you to share yours as well!

 

[m88dad]

This was my baby in OIF III. That's my M88A1 recovery vehicle and she's 56 tons of badass! I lost count of how many times we went out in this beast building up checkpoints, recovering broken tanks, or just going on patrol. Once we had to use it to recover a downed Apache. Built in 1964 and refit in 1996 she's got an air cooled 12 cyl turbo diesel governed down to 850 hp and capable of dead-lifting 25 tons and pulling over 90 tons with the main winch. Next to the P38 can opener and the woobie, this is the best piece of equipment the Army ever fielded!

So one day we're on a patrol a few miles northwest of Baghdad. A few M1A1's, some HMMWV's and my M88. I must have rolled over that spot four times that day, but I guess whoever pushed the button on that IED wanted to hit a tank. Well, he got his wish. Right in front of me four 155mm mortar rounds buried beneath the road detonated with one of my Company's M1's directly over it. But poo on you Mr. Insurgent! American tanks are built TOUGH! The hull buckled and cracked, the track broke apart, the wheels and skirts blew off, but the crew survived with minor injuries!

We dragged it back to the FOB and salvaged what we could from it and officially retired that tank from service. The crew eventually got another tank and continued to do what they do best.

Kick Ass!

 

[spar1790]

Thanks for your service. I serve as well in the USCG and currently am awaiting orders to Bahrain. From the bottom of my heart I appreciate what you do. Just FYI you would be what they call a MK "Machinery Technician" in my branch of service.

 

[jsquared]

Awesome thread!!

 

[m88dad]

Thanks for your service. I serve as well in the USCG and currently am awaiting orders to Bahrain. From the bottom of my heart I appreciate what you do. Just FYI you would be what they call a MK "Machinery Technician" in my branch of service.

Coast Guard? Thank you for what you do! I bet you got some good tales to tell!

 

[scandmx5]

Hopefully we can get some good WW2 stories in here from peoples' dad's, grandparents, etc...

 

[1coolhand]

A big thank you to all of you! My dad is a Vietnam veteran, my oldest uncle and brother worked for the Sheriffs dept and my other uncle is a battalion chief for the fire dept. I am very proud of all of them and all of you.
Thank-you for you service and stories, God bless.
1coolhand

 

[sovietak474u]

thanks for your service. Thats a crazy story. Nice pictures too!

 

[jwhited]

I don't really have any fantastic stories to tell, but I did a little more than nine years in the Army. I was an avionics technician (94R), and then a computer/network technician (25B). I was stationed in Hawaii and New York, and deployed to Afghanistan (Bagram Airfield, 2004) and Iraq (COB Speicher, '08/09). Now, I'm back home in Georgia, going to school on the GI Bill.

 

[Shovelhead]

You know the difference between a "sea story" and a "fairy tale"? A fairy tale begins with " Once upon a time" and a sea story begins with. 'This is no $hit".. I have a few sea stories from 10 years in the submarine service. Most unsuitable for mixed company....