Time in the Army

"Duty then is the most sublime word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more; you should never wish to do less." ~ Robert E. Lee

I joined the Army on the Delayed Entry program, reporting to Ft. Jackson SC in January, 1976.  I turned 23 while I was there.  Advanced Infantry Training was ay Ft. Polk LA, and I went immediately to Basic Jump at FT. Benning GA after that.

I reported to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry, 82nd Airborne that June.  I was assigned as a riflemen and Dragon gunner in 3rd Platoon and as the Company Commander's Driver.  Later I became the Unit Armorer.

After Primary Non-Commissioned Officer Course/Combat Arms and making Sergeant, I was recruited for the Scout Platoon.   While in the Scouts we deployed to the Island of Grenada to protect the American students there, and to reestablish control after the coup that killed the President of that country.   I stayed in the Scouts until I came out on the Sergeant First Class list and moved back to Charlie as 3rd Platoon Sergeant.

I was there for only a very short time, being levied for my first over seas tour to NATO in Izmir Turkey.  After a fifteen month unaccompanied tour there, I was returned to CONUS and the Scouts as the Scout Platoon Sergeant.  After Scouts I served as the S3 NCOIC for the Battalion until being selected as the U. S. Exchange NCO to the British Parachute Regiment.  I trained with 538 Platoon of the Depot, went to Brize Norton for Parachute School, and served Her Majesty ( I like saying that) as the 8 Platoon Sergeant, C Company, 1st Battalion of the Paras.

After England I elected to go back to Turkey, this time with the wife and kids for two years.  I was returned to the 2-505 to take over the 1SG job in Charlie Company, then took over as 1SG HHC 2-505, then as 1SG 3rd Brigade.  During this time, we deployed to New Mexico for JTF-6 to watch the border with Mexico and to Harvest Bear in Panama to stop the riots in the Cuban refugee camps.

When I was selected for Sergeant Major I attended Class 47 at the Academy in El Paso, after which I was assigned to Cadet Command and as SGM of Army ROTC at Virginia Military Institute.

After VMI, I was again assigned to Turkey and NATO.  Two weeks after my arrival we took over the leadership for KFOR-4 in Pristina Kosovo.  I served there as HQ SGM and J3 Ops SGM.  After Kosovo, I went back to Turkey to finish that tour.  I retired from there to work at VMI as the Corps and Post Sergeant Major, reporting for duty on 6 September 2001.

Time-Line