Commemorative Airborne Limited Edition on GB

The only draftee in the platoon and I get picked for SF, and OCS. Well I was offered a job in the Signal Corps because I worked for the phone Co. I was in the 5th Inf Div in Colorado when the OCS dog and pony show happened. I sat next to an Inf Capt who had just come back from the Ia Drang battle made famous in "We were soldiers once and young" The movie doesn't mention that the next day the 2/7 was shot to pieces and essentially wiped out by a full NVA regiment. This Capt told me "Don't do this, if you do you are going to die, we've already lost 20% of our Inf platoon leaders and this thing is just getting started". I took his advice and spent my year running convoys up and down Hwy 1 or babysitting stuff as it shipped up to the dets in the highlands, Pleiku, An Khe etc. The fact that some other guy took my slot and probably got killed has bothered me for most of my adult life. I can't change my decision now, at the time it seemed like the right thing to do, but I regret it to this day.

Dave,

Things happen for a reason, who knows why. My wife of 42 years (who I came back home to) says we have life lessons to learn. I'm not religious. It was broken down during three tours in Viet Nam and then left me when my only child (daughter) died in 1985 at sixteen. They were my reasons for coming home safe.

After testing I was offered a prep school in Maryland then Annapolis. That would have made me a line officer on a ship and then I never would have seen combat. But I turned it down to get married and then they sent me straight to the war. I was enlisted Navy, got assigned to Assault Craft. So who knows what we were going to get, or the outcome down the line. Do I regret it, not no, but hell no.

Have we all done things were wish we could change, you bet. But did you intentionally try to hurt someone to get your way, no.

Something drives us to make decisions that change our lives. Good, bad, or indifferent, things happen. You made a decision that was best for you at the time, that's all that counts. You should have no feelings of guilt.

I try to lead an honest life. Not trying to cheat someone or hurt anyone. That way I have no regrets. It has done me well.

The choices we make are the lives we lead.

Jim

Thought I'd post a picture of my Uncle Lee the paratrooper. He's 2nd from the right. The one on the far right is my Dad, the two on the left are my other 2 uncles. The photo was taken on December 24, 1945, after they had all returned safely back home to Mobile, Alabama after the war. Dad was the youngest of the brothers and the last to pass away in September 2007 at the age of 86. Uncle Lee was 28 when he enlisted in May of 1943. I recall him telling me that his fellow paratroops referred to him as the "old man" and "gramps", in a good natured sort of way of course :)
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...jpg_0001-1.jpg
For information, Dad went to OCS and was in the Transportation Corps, assigned as a cargo officer on Liberty and Victory ships in convoys. Stayed in the reserves for 20 years after, retiring as a reserve Lt. Col. The oldest, Uncle Herbert, joined the Army before the war, was a nonflying staff officer with the 8th AF, stayed in and was a USAF staff officer at various SAC bases , retiring in 1965 at the rank of Colonel.
Far left is my Godfather Uncle John, served in a supply unit in the CBI theater. All I remember about his service is his saying that Karachi, India (now Pakistan) was the dirtiest city he'd ever seen. Sorry to ramble on, I'm very proud of them all.

Glad they all made it home.

First off, I'm new here, and glad I found the site.

I would love to meet more of "our greatest generation" but so many are leaving us daily, it makes me sad. But to those of you here who earned a CIB, you have my greatest respect. I had the honor to serve you from the air, many moons ago, and there is no finer soldier in the world than the American Infantryman.

I served in the 101st Abn Div ('69-'70) as an aviator, and spent 7 years as an Infantryman prior to that with ground tours in Korea (post war). Best I could muster during my Infantry days was an EIB, which in no way can compare with a CIB.

As for medals, more often than not the outstanding acts of heroism go either unnoticed or, sadly, un-noted. In the end though, we each know we did our job. CIBs are not earned for a single action, but rather for a period of time in combat action where most perform "above and beyond." My sincere thanks to all of you that served.

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I served in the 101st Abn Div ('69-'70) as an aviator

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Well, if your avatar shows what you flew during that time, I assure you those of us on the ground certainly appreciated the "assist" you provided us when we needed it. I trained as an 11 CP 10 (army talk for mortarman) and the only time I saw a mortar my entire tour was when I walked out of the wire, or returned. Then, in the typical logic practiced by the Army, I was assigned as an instructor in the 101st training troops in mortars. Thus fulfilling the old adage, those who know do, those who don't teach. I served with the 173rd in country, and earned my CIB there.

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Originally Posted by stickhauler

Well, if your avatar shows what you flew during that time, I assure you those of us on the ground certainly appreciated the "assist" you provided us when we needed it. I trained as an 11 CP 10 (army talk for mortarman) and the only time I saw a mortar my entire tour was when I walked out of the wire, or returned. Then, in the typical logic practiced by the Army, I was assigned as an instructor in the 101st training troops in mortars. Thus fulfilling the old adage, those who know do, those who don't teach. I served with the 173rd in country, and earned my CIB there.

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Funny, I served as a 11C (actually called a 112 when I started in '62) before I became an Army aviator in '69. Two tours with the 81mm in Korea (one straight-leg, one mechanized), and taught mortars both at Ft. Dix and Ft. Benning. I was on orders for the 173d, with jump school enroute, but a rather poor PLF ended my very short jumping career at Ft. Benning. Upon recuperation, I went to flight school and then Cobra school and then on the RVN.

Well , I earned the CIB in RVN and if you think \an MOS is a strange one to have when earning it, I was a 05B (cw radio operator) , yes it does happen

Vietnam 1962-63
1968-69

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Originally Posted by kr6ng

Well , I earned the CIB in RVN and if you think \an MOS is a strange one to have when earning it, I was a 05B (cw radio operator) , yes it does happen

Vietnam 1962-63
1968-69

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CW..a forgotten art form!
from AC5DG (Amateur Extra Class).

Oh no, I knew pretty well earning a CIB while deployed in a combat zone, with an infantry unit was kind of a given. It kind of surprised me that somehow I never did the job I was trained for in country. I'd left Benning after jump school for AIT at beautiful Fort Polk, while guys who were 11 B 10's stayed at Benning for infantry school. Matter of fact, one of the guys I knew from jump school that was trained as an 11B 10 was in one of the mortar squads when we got in country, while I beat the bush as an infantryman. Then when we came back, they decided since I had mortar school, I was "qualified" as a instructor for mortars. Hell, I'd forgot half what I learned, and had to hit the field manuals to brush up.