Location
Copperas Cove, TX
Copperas Cove, TX
Birthday: December 22
You need to be a member of Dragoon Base to add comments!
Comments are closed.
Location
Copperas Cove, TX
Birthday:
December 22
What unit(s) did you serve in with the 2d Cavalry?
L trp 3rd Sqdn 2 Acr M Co 3rd Sqdn 2d ACR
Where were you stationed?
AMBERG GERMANY
What MOS or job description did you have?
11E tank crewmember
What was your rank/title?
Sgt tank commander and gunner
What years were you assigned to the 2nd Cavalry?
From Sept 1977 to Sept 1980
Tell us a little about your cav days.
Assigned to L trp as a tank commander on the M551 Sheridan then was transferred to M co a year later as a gunner, on a M60a3 tank was on the reserve crew for the Canadian Cup in 1979, then was move to the Hq,s section and was a tank Commander on M65, and was in charge of the AVLB section for the Sqdrn
Tell us a little about you now.
I retired from the service in 1993 from Ft hood tx where I was a test officer with TEXCOM. I AM ALSO Retired from the City of Killen Tx goverment, as a Trk driver/equipment operator for the street department,, due to medical problems. I am currently just taking it easy from cancer surgery last year.
Name a few buddies you served with that you would like to find.
SSG Nelson my tank commander SFC Tabor 2d Plt sgt SFC HICKS 3RD PLT Sgt
Comments
SGT Bolicki, how are you.
hay bill chuck wandall here was with you in amberg rember sam pitts he past away about 10 12 years ago I was L troop with sfc bell sorry to here about your cancer surgery I fighting copd ,enforziema myself
Hey William who else was on the AVLB with you?
I do not have a FB account but my wife does she is on the Amberg page under Linda Ryan I check in there once in a while I will check out those other pages Stay well William good hearing from you Check out the Reunion there is a link here at Dragoon base.
Hey William,
I remember Captain Rowell very well, I showed up to the Pond in May of 1978 originally assigned to I TRP but was cut orders to M co. because I had a M60 crewman MOS and the line troops still were using the M551 at the time, and I was not trained for that tank, Captain Rowell was the CO at that time, He did not care for me that much, I got into a bit of trouble now and again played hard but also soldiered hard, then he was replaced by Captain Trahan whom I had a better relationship with you might say. Captain Rowell probably would have given me my third article 15, but I think the only thing that saved my A$$ was that we where selected to represent the United States Army for The Canadian cup 1979 so we trained hard for that event, Franklin Odister known as OD and myself where the only two enlisted Gunners on the team all the rest where E 5's or above. If you remember we had to compete amongst ourselves to make the team I believe we had 17 tanks in the company but if I remember correctly we had to get down to 11 teams that went to the event, So I earned my position as a gunner by being a good one, oh yea the Article 15 we had that week long break between practice and the actual competition ,well we came back to Amberg for that break and myself and three others who wont be mentioned LOL, took my car I bought for 50 bucks from a guy who rotated home And remember the policy then was you had to be a E 5 or above to have a POV unless you were married and I was not, so you see where this is going, I was driving downtown and this German guy decided to have his accident with me, we tried buying our way out of it several ways money, booze, cigarettes but he wanted to call the Polizei so the other guys left and I waited for the cops to show up and when they do I give them my California drivers licence its the only one I had, that and my army one for tanks and jeeps. So they arrest the German for the warrant that he forgot about and they take me and drop me off at the front gate, I got restricted to the barracks threatened with another article 15. So we go back to Bergen Hohne the following week for the gunnery we do our thing finish fourth come back to Amberg, Captain Rowell rotated out as well as TOP I think, and I never heard anymore about it from the Army. Captain Trahan came in sent me to the E 5 board twice, made E 5 and then I rotated to Fort Lewis and 2/77 armor finished out my time with Two article 15's and three ARCOM"S. Once I made it back stateside that's when I realized how special The Cavalry had been, and would not trade that time for anything else.
Hey William, Shannon Ryan here, I was the Gunner on Sgt. Mc Kenzie's tank 1st Plt, for the Cup. Do you remember Robert King ? he was from Alice Texas I have been trying to find him for awhile with no luck. Try and make the reunion this year it is a good time Tommy Covar showed up last year. and there are a few guys I talk with now and again Benson, Michmershuizen, Antelope, Chris Krausse passed away not long ago and recently talked with Alan Ritter. Enjoy the Base and Check out my photos I have one in black and white that has some people in it that you might remember,
Killeen, Texas? I was conceived there in 1952 when my dad was post motor officer at Ft. Hood.
A good friend of mine, Shannon Ryan, was in M Company the same time you were. He was also part of the Canadian Cup shoot in '79.