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f50lrrp · 10-28-2007, 22:40

Hello All,

My name is Mike and I served a total of seven years, seven months and 16 days on active duty in the U. S. Army and almost a year in the Army Reserve.

I joined the Army in 1964 with a guarantee of going to Europe. I did Basic Training at Fort Ord, AIT (Infantry) at Fort Polk, LA and Basic Parachute School at Fort Benning. Instead of orders to Europe as I had been guaranteed, I received orders to the 173rd Airborne Bde. I got as far as Okinawa when some admin officer decided that the Army would be breaching their contract with me if I didn't go to Europe.

I was held at a Repo Depot on the Rock for several weeks until I interviewed with Colonel John Phillips who took me on as his driver and off to RVN we went. The Colonel and I drove out of Saigon each day doing sight surveys for locations that the regular divisions would use for base camps later on.

After six months of TDY, I was promoted to Corporal and received orders to the 24th Infantry Division in Augsburg, Germany.

My Battalion SGM, Ishmael Rangel, decided that if I was going to keep my corporal stripes, I would have to graduate from an NCO Academy. A week later, I reported to the 24th Infantry Division NCO Academy. Probably because I was the only student in the school wearing a CIB, I graduated as Honor Graduate. General Andrew Goodpasteur, CINCEUR, attended the ceremony and meritoriously promoted me to E-5.

I later met a SGM from the 10th SFGA who convinced me to take a short discharge for an assignment to SF. I ended up at Flint Kaserne in Bad Toelz for less than a month when I received orders to return to Vietnam.

My plane was diverted from Cam Rahn Bay to Ton Sohn Nuht and I ended up with orders to B 1/27th Infantry (Wolfhounds), 25th Infantry Division. I spent five months with the 'Hounds, was promoted to Staff Sergeant.

An opportunity to be a charter member of Company F, 50th Infantry (LRRP) presented itself and I became a team leader (1-0) of team Cobra 1-5. I attended Recondo School and upon my return to the Lurps, they were asking for volunteers to augment the Special Forces' 3rd Mobile Strike Force (B-36).

Another SSG (John Chaney) and I moved to Long Hai and were TL's (1-0s) for the next 6 months. Upon return to Cu Chi and the 25th Division, I learned that the old LRRP company was now Company F, 75th Infantry (Ranger).

So now I had an SF Combat patch on my right sleeve and a Ranger Patch on my left shoulder. Oddly, I had never been to Fort Bragg and I had never attended Ranger School.

In 1969, I had the opportunity, to finally be assigned to Fort Bragg, but only to attend the MATA Senior NCO Course on my way to a MACV assignment as an advisor to the Biet Dong Quan (BDQ).

In 1971, I was assigned as an operations (11F4SVS MOS) NCO for the DCSOPS, Contingency Operations Branch of HQ TASCOMEUR. This was the only enlisted jump slot in the HQ and I was named as a member of the Special Operations Task Force, Europe (SOTFE).

I discharged in 1972 and became a police officer in Central California. I retired 22 years later as a Police Chief.

Thank you for letting me join your board.

10-28-2007, 22:40	#991
f50lrrp BANNED USER Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Monterey California Posts: 392	Old Soldier Reporting Hello All, My name is Mike and I served a total of seven years, seven months and 16 days on active duty in the U. S. Army and almost a year in the Army Reserve. I joined the Army in 1964 with a guarantee of going to Europe. I did Basic Training at Fort Ord, AIT (Infantry) at Fort Polk, LA and Basic Parachute School at Fort Benning. Instead of orders to Europe as I had been guaranteed, I received orders to the 173rd Airborne Bde. I got as far as Okinawa when some admin officer decided that the Army would be breaching their contract with me if I didn't go to Europe. I was held at a Repo Depot on the Rock for several weeks until I interviewed with Colonel John Phillips who took me on as his driver and off to RVN we went. The Colonel and I drove out of Saigon each day doing sight surveys for locations that the regular divisions would use for base camps later on. After six months of TDY, I was promoted to Corporal and received orders to the 24th Infantry Division in Augsburg, Germany. My Battalion SGM, Ishmael Rangel, decided that if I was going to keep my corporal stripes, I would have to graduate from an NCO Academy. A week later, I reported to the 24th Infantry Division NCO Academy. Probably because I was the only student in the school wearing a CIB, I graduated as Honor Graduate. General Andrew Goodpasteur, CINCEUR, attended the ceremony and meritoriously promoted me to E-5. I later met a SGM from the 10th SFGA who convinced me to take a short discharge for an assignment to SF. I ended up at Flint Kaserne in Bad Toelz for less than a month when I received orders to return to Vietnam. My plane was diverted from Cam Rahn Bay to Ton Sohn Nuht and I ended up with orders to B 1/27th Infantry (Wolfhounds), 25th Infantry Division. I spent five months with the 'Hounds, was promoted to Staff Sergeant. An opportunity to be a charter member of Company F, 50th Infantry (LRRP) presented itself and I became a team leader (1-0) of team Cobra 1-5. I attended Recondo School and upon my return to the Lurps, they were asking for volunteers to augment the Special Forces' 3rd Mobile Strike Force (B-36). Another SSG (John Chaney) and I moved to Long Hai and were TL's (1-0s) for the next 6 months. Upon return to Cu Chi and the 25th Division, I learned that the old LRRP company was now Company F, 75th Infantry (Ranger). So now I had an SF Combat patch on my right sleeve and a Ranger Patch on my left shoulder. Oddly, I had never been to Fort Bragg and I had never attended Ranger School. In 1969, I had the opportunity, to finally be assigned to Fort Bragg, but only to attend the MATA Senior NCO Course on my way to a MACV assignment as an advisor to the Biet Dong Quan (BDQ). In 1971, I was assigned as an operations (11F4SVS MOS) NCO for the DCSOPS, Contingency Operations Branch of HQ TASCOMEUR. This was the only enlisted jump slot in the HQ and I was named as a member of the Special Operations Task Force, Europe (SOTFE). I discharged in 1972 and became a police officer in Central California. I retired 22 years later as a Police Chief. Thank you for letting me join your board.
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