Vietnam OR Military TRUE STORIES (Serious Or Funny)

reply to post by SideWynder

Yeah but it only seems that kind of luck befalls those who were never actually hurt during service to our count. My friend who is a former marine snipe whose military record is outstanding with to many kills to list that are certified and to many woman and children that have no names was injured in a country were we never were(heavy sarcasm here) His spotter was killed by a mortar round and he has a piece of shrapnel in his hip that cannot be removed for fear of causing more damage and he gets a whopping 45 dollars a month for his pain and suffering so the Hero's who are actually injured just get crapped on some more. sorry for the rant but i am in a mood about the way our government treats our men and woman who serve.

In 1990, I was promoted to Leading Petty Officer of the Navigation Division onboard the USS Emory S. Land (AS-39), a sub-tender stationed out of Norfolk, VA. I had 6 subordinates, all E-3 or below. Every day it was the resposibility of the Duty Quartermaster to wind and compare the ship's chronometers and submit a report to the Officer of the Deck, who would in turn submit it along with the other reports from other Departments to the Old Man by noon. Since I always had at least one of them on duty on any one day (we were in 4 section duty stations) it was their responsibility to do this. It takes 3 days for a chronometer to unwind completely.

I would spot check the chronometers and the log book about once a week to make sure it was up to date. One day I went to check them and lo and behold, all three are stopped. I checked the log and it was up to date. This means that for at least three days they had been gundecking the log. I wound and reset them, made a note in the log, and went to inform the Chief.

Our ship's Navigator was an old salty CWO4 who had been in the Navy for 28 years and had started out as a QMSN and worked his way up. I told the Chief what had happened and he told me that he was not going to be the one to tell the 'Gator, that was my job! I was scared to death!!!

I went back to the bridge, told all 6 of them to muster immediately on the port bridge wing, as I did not want the entire 04 level to hear me go off!! Once out there, I put them all at attention, which was not my normal style ever! We were a rather informal group and all called each other by our first names. I began a tirade to end all tirades! The look on their faces when I told them that the punishment for this in time of war was death by firing squad was truly priceless. Luckily for them, it was peacetime and we were not deployed.

After about 5 minutes of reading them the riot act, and informing them that they all would be there until I said so (It was Friday afternoon and close to liberty call), I grabbed up the chronometer logbook and with a knot the size of Kansas in my gut, headed up to the Navigator's Stateroom.

I knocked on the door, received permission to enter, and explained to the Navigator what had happened. His face remained calm throughout my explanation. When I was done, he asked me if I chewed them out, and I told him the highlights of the bridgewing meeting. He then asked me what I planned on doing to punish them and I told him I planned on working them like dogs for the whole weekend from reveille to taps. He then asked me if I had reset the chronometers, to which I replied "Yes Sir!". He signed the log to confirm the reset, said "Good job" and sent me on my way. I was on the verge of vomiting the entire time, so finally my stomach began to settle.

I went back down to the Chief's office and got him up to speed, and he just couldn't believe that the Nav had not lost it on me! He told me the reason he didn't talk to him about it was that he thought he would go ballistic! Well, I kept them there all weekend and worked them to exhaustion! Needless to say, it never happened again!

[edit on 19-10-2008 by JaxonRoberts]

reply to post by JaxonRoberts


In 1970 I was stationed at Fort Ord going through Advanced Infantry Training. Somehow near the end of training, Wall and me got a weekend pass and went to San Francisco. A serious drinking binge and I woke up in a small gray room in a bunk. Lost, I asked the only other guy in there where I was. Still trying to clear the cobwebs, he indicated some bay.

"But where am I? How did I get here?"

"We found you passed out on the dock, and we hauled you aboard."

"Aboard where?"

"The USS (and I can't remember which carrier it was) XXX"

"Hell, I'm not supposed to be here! What day is it?

"Monday"

It took quite a while to find my way off the ship as you didn't leave from the top, and I ran down the gangplank with an officer yelling at me asking where I was going.

"I'm in the Army and don't belong here."

I was AWOL, and dreaded getting back. The First Shirt asked me, "Where's Wall?"

"I don't have a clue."

"Where have you been?"

I told him the whole story. He nodded a few times, asking for small clarifications, and I asked him how much trouble I was in.

"Soldier, I've been in this man's Army for 22 years. Anyone that can come up with a bull**it story like that - hell, I'm not going to mess with him. Get on back to your barracks."

Wall showed up about an hour and a half later. He woke up behind a large grocery store in a large pile of boxes. He said he sifted through them for a while looking for me.

Those were the days!

reply to post by Dave Rabbit


Thanks for this thread. I was in Vietnam in 71-72. There are so many stories to be told about that war.....if it can be called that. This mess in Iraq will end the same way.........a lot of brothers and sisters losing their lives so folks like the neo-cons can make fortunes. To be sarcastic of course........maybe we could have won the Vietnam war if "W" and his sidekick Cheney had served there...I mean they think their &%$# don't stink. What a sorry pair of people.bilderb

reply to post by chimpy38


I know how you feel, seen the same situation with a few friends of mine..

The Army told me that if I decided to file for dissability I would have qualified for 200.00 dollars a month... hell back then that's what I spent on beer.... LOL, but compared to your friend, that sounds like a windfall now...

Best wishes to you and your friend..