EVEN MORE ARMY STUFF- FORT MAC

Army Deuce and a Half

The 589th had radar, radio, wire, and avionics teams and we all had vehicles in the motor pool.  As I said earlier, when we were at Ft Mac we did very little that was useful.  We had classes, marched, and did PM on our vehicles and test equipment.  We were in the motor pool doing PM on a very cold and windy morning.  I was in our shop van and was fairly comfortable and some of the guys were in the back of their trucks to get out of the weather.  We had a power unit in each team and some were running the unit for maintenance.

     

Shop Van

  The power units were basically a jeep engine connected to an alternator to make 110/220 volts for electrical power.  It was warm in the power unit trailer and ,one by one, guys got in and sat along the side of the engine to warm up.  The problem was that nobody had put down the support leg in the back.  All was well as long as the weight was all in the front.

PE-95 Power Unit

Somebody stuck their head inside the canvas flap of the trailer and said that the CO was coming!  Everyone headed to the back at the same time to get out and look busy when the trailer tipped back, dumped them all out in a pile, and dropped back down with a thud.  The CO was standing right there over them and knew just what had happened.  One guy, while lying flat on his back on the pavement, saluted and said "Good Morning Sir".  The CO said "carry on" and turned to the first sergeant, smiled, and said that we needed some safety classes.  The first sergeant got everybody back to "work".  As far as I know that was all that happened about it.

A few of us were standing around before a formation one day and a guy came up to talk to one of our sergeants.  He said that he had orders to go to Greenland and he had heard that the sarge had served there and asked him how the duty was.  The sarge told him "You're going to love it.  There are women behind every tree".  The guy smiled, turned, and walked away and the sarge quietly said "There aren't any trees". 

Not Us.  Just shows the Gideon.

As I have already said, we did a lot of retirement parades for the brass.  Fort McPherson was 3rd Army headquarters and there were always plenty of Colonels and Generals retiring.  I was chosen as the Gideon Bearer for the company.  That is that little flag on a pole with a spear point on the end that has the name of the company on it in case we forget our name while we are marching around.  I did get to march right at the front.  Well, you are marching in the right front of the company and the CO is suppose to be one pace to the left and three paces ahead.  

Ukrainian army.  Uh, not our outfit but I decided to leave it in.

One day we had a parade for some brass and as you go by the reviewing stand the CO gives the "Eyes right" command and the CO salutes for the company.  I raised the flag up on the "eyes" and dropped it straight out front on the "right" command like I was supposed to do.  I felt a couple of good bumps on the Gideon and looked out of the corner of my eye to see the CO was getting jabbed in the rump by the sharp point of my flagpole.  Oh well, I guess I'll never make E-5.

The CO was a good guy and knew it was his fault and he was in the wrong place.  I still made E-5 in less than 2 years in the army with a waver for time in grade.  My buddy, Weyman, spent 4 years in the navy and came out as an E-3. 

  (All pictures from the internet.)

The people who cast the votes don't decide an election, the people who count the votes do.
Joseph Stalin  
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