2:55 | Carlene Knoll-Arambula recalls a valuable teamwork lesson learned during Navy bootcamp. Provided by Bob Stevens, the Veterans' Forum.
The tension between East and West in Cold War Berlin was a very palpable thing. Gary Howard served as an MP there and he had a constant worry that things could blow up quickly.
There were two parallel conflicts in Central America while Hank Cramer was serving with Special Forces in the area. The Sandanistas were fighting the Contras in Nicaragua and Manuel Noriega was running Panama like Al Capone.
LTG Wesley was deployed to Germany at the tail end of the Cold War where he was able to serve with the 1st Armored Division. He would have to sit out Desert Storm, but the experience gained during this time would be very valuable in the future.
Walt Richardson was in the last all black training flight in the Air Force. His aim was to serve his three year obligation and then return to college, but he saw a musical revue put on by members of the fabled Tuskegee Airmen. They were holding open auditions and he went to showcase his fine singing voice.
What is one sign of a Special Forces success? The lack of a war. If war does break out, they are likely already there. Hank Cramer's father was a member of the very first Special Forces unit and their motto was Everywhere Yet Nowhere.
Max Della Pia was at a retirement ceremony for a friend when someone asked, why does the General talk about you like a favorite son? He then heard the tale of a complicated air drop training mission which was plagued by problems but was still successful.
Ken Preston describes how a well functioning armored cavalry unit operates in the field. There are a lot of moving pieces and it requires a platoon leader and a platoon sergeant with skills. After his part in Desert Storm was over, a drawdown began in the Army which stymied his promotion. No big deal. He now had experience.
Hank Cramer had grown up with only a memory of his father. He wanted to be in Special Forces like him but the Army put him in the Signal Corps. He did manage to get to Airborne School and he kept applying for Special Forces, always hoping. Finally, he got the call. It was the First Special Forces Group, the same unit as his father.
John Le Moyne never had a bad assignment. That's the way he looked at it, anyway, and it had a lot to do with the excellent leaders he encountered throughout his career. They helped him crack the code on how to win the trust of soldiers.
After the Challenger tragedy, NASA mission specialist Bob Stewart returned to the Army where they made him a general. He worked at the Strategic Defense Command, a legacy of Ronald Reagan's SDI program. At some point the Army wanted him in Washington DC, at which point he promoted himself to ski bum.
Five years was all the Signal Corps would let Hank Cramer stay in Special Forces and he was in the field nearly the entire time. There was no war, but countries everywhere were asking for help. All over Southeast Asia and then on to Central America where no one got along.
The class before his and the class after his were all sent to Korea but George Carrigan's entire class of radar maintenance technicians were sent to Germany. He found it to be much like America in some ways but it was also the front line in the Cold War.
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.
The Austrians were very happy to see the American GI's, including Bob Nash, who was there as part of an MP battalion. He traded his cigarettes for some very nice souvenirs that he sent home. After his tour, he joined the reserve but quit over a pay dispute. Turned out he was just in time to miss something big.
Fighter pilot Rick Hilton was scrambled and sent aloft from his base in New Mexico for possible strikes in Cuba during the missile crisis. He was amazed when he contacted the FAA for flight clearance. No low priority this time.
The war damage had been cleaned up on the free side of the Berlin Wall but the other side looked pretty bad, according to radar technician George Carrigan. His unit operated and maintained the ground control radar and control towers at the air base in Erding. He recalls when a secret U2 reconnaissance plane made an emergency landing.
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/)
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.
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.
While stationed in Cold War Germany, George Carrigan met a German girl and they planned to get married. When he talked to the chaplain, he was asked if he realized he was consorting with the enemy. This did not deter him.
His ship was preparing for a NATO cruise, but Navy cutbacks led to the discharge of all personnel who were drafted. That meant that, after 21 months in the Navy, Stan Seaman was returning home. That was fine with him since he had a great job at Grumman, where he went on to a long career.
With over 550 combat missions, fighter and test pilot Bob Titus had the experience to take on several important jobs after his Vietnam experience. His last assignment was inspector general at NORAD in Colorado. When he was slated to go to Florida and then the Pentagon, he retired rather than leave the skiing.
Platoon leader Brooks Tucker was in the Saudi Arabian desert, waiting to see what Saddam Hussein would do. The Marines were training in mock ups of Iraqi defenses, mostly at night to avoid the scorching heat. The men were getting impatient just as the air war started. It wouldn't be long, now.
LC Johnson pays tribute to colleagues who helped make his career so very successful, starting with his supervisor from his tour in Vietnam, Jim Peterson.
Clarence Dodd had to get a security clearance while he was working in the headquarters at Fort Polk. A buddy of his told him the Army was looking for volunteers to witness an atomic test up in Nevada. They both thought that was pretty cool and got on the list. As he crouched in the trench waiting for the blast, he began to have second thoughts.
Angela Beltz is proud that all water purification and distribution during Desert Storm was handled by National Guard and Reserve units. When she got to her forward base, the first order of business was to secure the perimeter with concertina wire. She was on that detail and a chance encounter would change her life. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the National Veterans Memorial & Museum- https://nationalvmm.org/)
For Walt Richardson, it was all about the core values of America. As one of the first black airmen to integrate the Air Force, he calls on his unique perspective to explain why America is so much greater than other nations that are so much older.
The skills he learned as an MP in the Army helped Gary Howard thrive in his new career of law enforcement. He started as an entry level officer and rose to head the department as Sheriff.
