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Phase 3, for me, started on 1 NOV 1986.
My first favorite memory was my hooch-mate who was VERY EYE-talian. Looked just like Mario . . . only in BDU's. we called him Papa. We were snugged in our bags watching our breath by the light of a very bright moon when he hands me his earphones and Walkman. I listened to my first opera that night.
Second favorite memory was all of us sweating blood on the last mission because one of us students had to get a "go" on it to Tab. It was great to be part of that effort, because we all did it for our 'brother'.
Then there was the "Civil Affairs" project after ENDEX. We got trucked way farther out into the middle of nowhere to a little farm. we got to roof a pole barn. I found out what a pole barn was. I learned that when nailing corrugated metal you drive the nail through the top ridge, not the valley, or it leaks. I learned that it is really, really hard to drive a nail through the ridge of corrugated metal. I confirmed what I had already suspected -- pain is an exponential factor when unsuccessfully trying to hit a nail balanced on the ridge of corrugated metal. But, a sense of humor can survive even a black and blue thumb . . . now what is really funny is when the guy sitting next to you drops his hammer and it slides off the roof . . . . and then he tips over and follows it to the ground because he fell asleep in mid-swing.
(We finished just before Thanksgiving) After we finished the roof these people's extended family and neighbors showed up, pushed picnic tables together and laid out a Thanksgiving feast for us with everything. It was delicious. To this day, that sort of stands out as my standard for the "can it get better then this?" test.
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