2:55 | Carlene Knoll-Arambula recalls a valuable teamwork lesson learned during Navy bootcamp. Provided by Bob Stevens, the Veterans' Forum.
What do the Big Four training standards enable the Ranger force to do? There are two primary missions, according to Retired Command Sergeant Major Michael Hall. The first is forced entry into a denied country to establish an airhead for follow-on forces and the second is the special operations combined forces raid.
He had been a glider pilot in the war and he was a bona fide power pilot who could fly many smaller planes. George Theis then became a flight engineer in a B-52 unit. He was in the cockpit readying for a flight when the pilot asked if he'd like to try a take-off.
Thermal imaging had been around for a while and Geoff Farrell was very familiar with it. GPS, however, was new and expensive, and no one was familiar with it. Both were integral to the swift victory in Desert Storm. Before his deployment he declined a dose of an experimental drug that was supposed to protect against chemical weapons and he wonders if that drug contributed to Gulf War Syndrome.
After his last tour in Korea, Jim Bolan was assigned to Special Forces. No volunteering needed. Everything was highly classified and they began training with no real system in place. Different units were then combined to form the 1st Special Forces Group, based on Okinawa.
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.
After the Japanese surrendered, Gilbert Howland was transferred to an MP unit for a while, then discharged. He reenlisted after a year and left for a tour in Italy, guarding Trieste against Yugoslav incursion. (This interview made possible with the support of DAVID W. MARQUEZ.)
He loved the Army and he loved America, but over a twenty year career, Joseph Hudson experienced a lot of odd slights and disappointments that could only be explained by racism. Still, he holds his love for country true.
When Freddy McFarren assumed command of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, he told his staff the entire brigade would never be deployed. It turns out that he was wrong, thanks to a Middle East despot named Saddam Hussein.
George Theis could fly a lot of different planes but he did have favorites. He got to fly jet aircraft as well, before he retired, a long way from the glider he piloted into Germany.
His family was not very religious, but they followed all the Jewish traditions and holy days. Bob Ratonyi had barely survived the Holocaust and then he was faced with more oppression of religion when Hungary became a Communist satellite of the USSR.
When the cease fire was declared, American units had not yet reached Baghdad. In his command track, Geoff Farrell had the graphics on his screen to guide him right in, but it was decided we would not go. Looking back to that critical moment, he reflects on the decision.
It was lessons learned in Vietnam that John LeMoyne tried to pass on as an instructor in Ranger school. The candidates would soon have the awesome burden of being responsible for the lives of others.
After his Vietnam tours, Jake Jacobson served in Thailand and the Philippines, among other places, with different Special Forces teams. After almost thirty years of service, he retired, but was soon in Saudi Arabia training Bedouins. He didn't care for that job. (Caution: coarse language.)
Roland Guidry was in charge of testing and research for Air Force special operations but the Vietnam era was ending. That meant there was little for him to do so he focused on improving equipment for pilots of the newer and faster jet fighters.
After retiring from the Air Force, Allyn Johnson acquired several college degrees thanks to the GI Bill. He tried running his own business but it wasn't long before he and his wife really retired.
Wounded three times as a PFC in Vietnam, John Bates came back to the Corps as an officer. He briefly talks about his time in Desert Storm, and remembers the chaos of the week following the attacks on 9/11.
After a shore duty stint as an instructor, Bob McClaren was sent to serve on the USS Flying Fish. During a drill simulating a shutdown of the nuclear reactor, a scram, he suffered an embarrassing fall right at the feet of the commander. Master Chief! You OK? Should I stop the drill?
Rick Goddard discusses the challenges we faced during the Cold War against the Soviet Union. At any moment, they might need to mobilize six planes with nuclear weapons.
It was in Khafji, a Saudi town on the Kuwait border, where Iraq made it's strongest attempt to enter Saudi territory. Brooks Tucker's Marine unit was in the desert nearby, backing up the Saudi National Guard. He was in a deep foxhole when aircraft screamed by low overhead and then there was an explosion. Iraqi planes here?
Freddy McFarren was interviewed by the media when he was in Vietnam and again during Operation Desert Storm. It didn't go well either time.
During Operation Just Cause, John LeMoyne was assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as a liaison officer to other agencies. In this capacity, he was able to observe some high level command operations that were very impressive. It was only a short while after this brief conflict that Saddam Hussein began to make noise in the Middle East.
C-130 pilot Roland Guidry had flown top secret missions in Vietnam and that was good preparation for his new assignment as commander of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. They flew the special ops version of the C-130, the Combat Talon. He was just settling in at the job when startling news came from Iran.
Senior Electrician Bob McClaren received some test equipment that was all wrong. It was incompatible with what was installed on the ship. He was making rounds with his skipper and a visiting admiral when the admiral asked him how do you like that electrical stuff I sent you?
At first, John Andres didn't want to talk about his experience in Vietnam. But a friend who was also a vet talked him into going to see the Moving Wall and a parade in 1986. That began his years of involvement with veterans and their causes. (Caution: strong language)
If you are a woman veteran, reach out, find a network of women who have been there. That's the advice of Angela Beltz, a veteran of Desert Storm. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the National Veterans Memorial & Museum- https://nationalvmm.org/)
After two Vietnam tours, Tom Pemberton had an assignment at the Army Infantry Training Center at Fort Polk. The career transportation officer no longer had to worry about rocket attacks, he had to worry about dozens of buses and the occasional crazy recruit.
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.
The army had to plan for operations that were short of total war, stability and security operations. Lawson Magruder worked with a team writing new light infantry doctrine, which was the type of force that would be tasked with these missions. Ironically, he was soon at the 10th Mountain Division, which was destined for Somalia.
The Army reinvented itself after Vietnam. The NCO corps was professionalized with new schools and many other lessons learned were applied. Bob Clark rose through the ranks during this time in some key roles.
The 18th Field Artillery Brigade supported a lot of units during Operation Desert Storm, including the French Foreign Legion. Should the war have continued on into Baghdad? Going home was OK with Freddy McFarren. He had already been in the desert for eight months.
