2:55 | Carlene Knoll-Arambula recalls a valuable teamwork lesson learned during Navy bootcamp. Provided by Bob Stevens, the Veterans' Forum.
Roland Guidry didn't just fly any old C-130, he was flying a C-130D, outfitted with skis. The vast network of radar sites in the Distant Early Warning system needed supplies and servicing. Some of the Arctic sites were so distant and isolated, there were no runways for a wheeled landing. It was during this time that he first went to Vietnam on temporary duty supporting the construction of a new base.
When a humanitarian disaster began to unfold in Somalia, Presidents Bush and Clinton committed US troops to stop the fighting among the warlords and enable aid to be delivered. Olin Rossman of the 10th Mountain Division was not originally slated to go, but his platoon was tapped at the last minute. (Caution: strong language)
The 514th Ambulance Company got orders for Desert Storm. Medic and driver Paul Berry was ready to go. His experience there would be very different from his experiences in his Army career after he returned.
Shawn Patrick found the same thing in Somalia that he would find later in Afghanistan and Iraq. You could not tell who the enemy was. It could be anybody. When he got home and went on leave, he was recalled almost immediately to deploy to Haiti. After that brief affair, he heard about the Recon Marines and was determined to get in.
He nearly left the Air Force Academy to go to law school but an instructor talked him out of it. Max Della Pia graduated and became a C-130 pilot but he left the service after five years and became an attorney. He was practicing his new profession when the Gulf War broke out and he felt the call back to service.
Vietnam was winding down when Gary Howard enlisted. He remembers watching the news every night because he had cousins there. At the recruiter's office, they told him he could pick his duty station if he did well on tests. I don't care where, came the response. Well, are you married and do you like beer?
Enrique Munoz first saw action in Somalia. He did raids, escorted grain supplies and provided communications for air support. He understands how the Black Hawk Down incident could have occurred because he drove the streets of Mogadishu.
The first stop was Electrician's Mate school. Bob McClaren had been selected through testing to train for the nuclear propulsion systems that power submarines. After a thorough grounding in the technology, the last stop was sub school to learn about everything outside the engine room.
Angela Beltz had her senior year in high school after taking basic training, which gave her a completely new perspective on things. Her National Guard unit was a water detachment, specializing in distribution in conflict areas. Many of the members of the North Dakota unit had grown up together. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the National Veterans Memorial & Museum- https://nationalvmm.org/)
Dianne Butts aced the PT test while she was in advanced courses for administration at Fort Benjamin Harrison. More personal milestones would come soon, the birth of a daughter and the founding of a public service sorority.
When Dionne Archibald went to the Military Sea Lift Command, she was lucky to get a brand new ship. The job was fueling and supplying ships at sea and it was during this time that she got to make a contribution to the Desert Storm operation.
Fort Bragg was one of her favorite posts. What did Regena Herndon learn there? Endurance and taking initiative and how to deal with high ranking people. After her retirement, she worked with juvenile offenders and got a lot of satisfaction when lives were turned around.
Charlie Hooper recalls life aboard ship, the scare of rough seas, the dynamic of enlisted and officer relations and the challenge of playing basketball on an old liberty ship.
While participating in the atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, Don Lacy had to change to new clothes frequently because they became so radioactive. The second test was underwater, which contaminated the sea for miles around. His job was to inspect radio equipment on the target ships, so he was fortunate to have no lasting effects on his health.
He was a newly minted rifle platoon leader in the Marine infantry. Brooks Tucker had no experience outside of training, so he worked hard to fit in and get respect in the historic unit, which counted Tarawa and Beirut in it's backstory.
Whether to stay in the service or move on is a question that is well known to service members. For LC Johnson, it was an easy choice. It was a down economy, he had limited options at the time because of his race, and, most importantly, his mother said it was a good idea.
Bob Jenkins could feel the pressure mounting as he descended the staircase. With every floor things seemed more dire, but by the time he made it to the ground floor, he saw the jet engine lying on the ground and what really happened became clear. Now, he needed to evacuate. (Part 3 of 4)
The first job for squad leader Olin Rossman was patrolling a road that linked his unit's base with the Mogadishu airport. Then his platoon began to rotate through that task, serving as a quick reaction force, and also providing convoy security. Some more up-to-date night optical devices would have helped a lot. (Caution: strong language.)
When he got to the pool part of the Recon tryout, Shawn Patrick was the only prospect left. He refused to give in, stayed in the water and kept fighting and was rewarded with a slot at Amphibious Reconnaissance School. It was tough but he made it through and joined the Recon Marines.
It was a surprise when her National Guard unit was activated for Desert Storm. It gave Angela Beltz a new appreciation of the hands on training the water distribution detachment had received in the mountains of California. As she readied for deployment, she had to make a choice regarding her long hair. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the National Veterans Memorial & Museum- https://nationalvmm.org/)
Two officers gave him trouble in the Navy and one of them nearly killed him with incompetent medical care. He relates those stories and describes his successful career path once he left the service.
Working as a Marine staff officer at Quantico, Curtis James was in attendance at some pretty high level meetings. During one of these, he was the lunch guest of the most powerful man in the world.
Tom Grissom was an accidental finance officer. Assigned to that function in Australia, he returned to the States after the war and continued in that capacity, rising to the highest levels of the Finance Corps.
At the Army port in Inchon, it was a 24 hour workday, with loading or offloading going around the clock until completed. Tom Pemberton started out as a stevedore officer, supervising the work on board. He later switched to the on shore job, coordinating the outflow of men and materials.
It wasn't glamorous at Fort Leonard Wood, but Joseph Hudson was there doing his best, working in supply. He re-enlisted a second time while he was there, going to a cavalry unit at Fort Meade, where he learned about that unique vehicle, the Duck.
People skills and networking allowed LC Johnson to rise in the Air Force and they also enabled him to succeed in the field of education after he retired. From guidance counselor to superintendent, it was a mirror of his military career.
After successfully completing aircraft mechanic school, Walt Richardson joined the crew on a commanding general's B-17 in Okinawa. As the only black crew member, he had to earn respect and he did. He was also part of the honor guard when the first freely elected leaders in Japan were inaugurated.
The rumor was that the Iraqi's Soviet made tanks were superior to ours. Geoff Farrell had this on his mind while rolling across the desert to engage them. Just as they got near, a sandstorm came up. Then the Iraqi artillery began to fall. Then the first Iraqi tank was destroyed, shattering the myth.
As an Air Force pilot, Allyn Johnson flew the big transports like C-97's and C-124's. After flying the long Pacific routes, he was transferred to the Special Air Missions unit which provided air transportation for VIP's and executives.
Olin Rossman was mad. Some of his platoon were pinned down at a Mogadishu intersection but his squad was being held back in reserve. He couldn't go and help. Mogadishu was a vast maze of roads and alleyways, every building a potential sniper nest, every alley an RPG threat. (Caution: strong language)
