Army cooks

[D W]

Originally Posted by MF5270

Had my p38 for 45 years. It disappeared from my key ring this summer. I had noticed the hole had egged alittle, I guess it just broke.

Besides the sentimental value, I still used it. I miss it.

Any ideas where to get another?

There must be millions of them out there. Ebay, Amazon , etc. Mine still hangs on the chain with my original "dog tags". It's been there for nearly 50 years. Over time it has turned coal black.

[17 Oaks]

I am not sure how I got back with this, but I have my issue messkit dtd '67 and it has 2 P 38's I carried with me.

So there I was standing on the tarmac around 1700 or so waiting on the Braniff Airline to land to take me home.

I have on: Boots, socks, pants, nothing else! An E-7 turns to me and asked where is my gear? Sgt this is ALL I have, 12 mo outside the wire. Shirt, we don't wear shirts just flak jackets, hat, steel pot Sgt.

But stuffed in my pants pocket was that mess kit, my knife, and that was about it. The duffle bag of stuff left back at the unit was long gone by the REMF's that lived there.

The Sgt felt sorry for me and dug in his duffle and gave me a shirt to put on, so I went back a E 7 LOL. I found that shirt hanging in the back of my closet a couple of months ago.

We fly into SEATAC Nov '68 on a sleeting night around 2300 IIRC. Its a 24x7 operation and we head to a BIG room full of mostly women who are going to fit us for a set of Class A's. NCOIC booms to strip down to your shorts, remove boots and socks and don't worry these women want even know.

I take off shirt, boots, socks. Shortly the NCOIC notices me and yells for me to get the pants off...I YELL CAN'T I don't have underwear, have not worn in any in year. The room screams with laughter, some soldier digs into his duffel and gives me pair to put on.

Few hours later I was fitted and out of the Army.

[D W]

Originally Posted by 17 Oaks

I have on: Boots, socks, pants, nothing else! An E-7 turns to me and asked where is my gear? Sgt this is ALL I have, 12 mo outside the wire. Shirt, we don't wear shirts just flak jackets, hat, steel pot Sgt.

I can identify with that! The policy I Corps had was jungle fatigues and soft cap if you were going into Da Nang, Khaki's or TW's if going to Saigon.

[17 Oaks]

Originally Posted by D W

I can identify with that! The policy I Corps had was jungle fatigues and soft cap if you were going into Da Nang, Khaki's or TW's if going to Saigon.

I came off the DMZ with the 1st Cav, Nov '68 and the kid was going home.

The REST of the story: Of course I had to out process and I needed orders and I got in about 1130 on Wednesday (I know some of you are wondering how I remember its Wednesday...keep reading) of our course Personnel was closed for lunch or so I thought. I wander over to a mess hall they did not want to let me in as you could not bring in your M 16, I had no meal card and flak jacket and steep pot on. With luck the Sgt Maj was coming out as I was trying to argue my case to get some food. He looked at me and said "son' ( I had no rank on) who you with and where are you at. 1st Cav, D Co 1/12th Inf, DMZ...YOU LOOK IT as he turned to the Mess Sgt, Let the damn soldier get something to eat!...Sgt Maj he won't give up his M 16...I don't blame him and now go in there son and get some chow. I did.

I eat and go back and sit in front of the locked door at Pers and watch the Volleyball games in the quadrant about 6 or 8 nets and everyone playing volleyball.

After what seemed like a long time and no one is opening the door, a soldier walks by and I ask what time is it? 1350! Well what time does Pers open back up? They don't work on Wednesday afternoon, its VOLLEYBALL time.

To say that was the WRONG thing to say would the understatement of the year. I come out of the bush humping the boonies for a year and they have the afternoon off and I cannot go home till tomorrow..REALLY!

I walk to center of the volleyball games and I fire from the hip exploding the volleyball in mid air!!! I scream who the &)(&)(* is working in Pers I need order to go home! By now folks are getting up off the ground and I got some Major screaming at me and I tell him why when and where and tell him if another volleyball goes up it is gonna get blown to bits like the other one. Next thing I know some guy is opening the Pers door and shaking so hard he must be typing 100 words a min and he hammers out orders. I turn in (with GREAT reluctance, flak jacket, steel pot and my M 16, catch a ride over to the airfield and then down to Cam Rah Bay.



Small world: Several years later my Senior year in college and come home for Thanksgiving and to meet my sisters husband to be. Ran a bit late and they are all sitting at the table, I sit down and get intro'd to Tom. We are eating and my sister says to him, my brother was also in Vietnam, he looks at me, faces starts to wash out and he blurts out: Your the guy who shoot the volleyball out of the air...YEA. He was the one who typed my orders to go home.

[B47]

After hearing some of these horror stories about Army life,I'm so very glad I joined the U.S.A.F. We were never issued P-38's and we would probably have injured ourselves trying to use them if we were. We ate in very nice Dining Halls and military cooks opened the food cans. Nor were we issued flak jackets and some of those other things you Army guys were.

Of course this was in 1960-1964 and the U.S.A.F.was only interested in keeping bombers,tankers, and missiles operational ready in the Cold War. I remember reading that the then Strategic Air Command (SAC) commander, General Curtis E. LeMay send some SAC cooks to a cooking school to insure his Airmen were well fed.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by B47

After hearing some of these horror stories about Army life,I'm so very glad I joined the U.S.A.F. We were never issued P-38's and we would probably have injured ourselves trying to use them if we were. We ate in very nice Dining Halls and military cooks opened the food cans. Nor were we issued flak jackets and some of those other things you Army guys were.

Of course this was in 1960-1964 and the U.S.A.F.was only interested in keeping bombers,tankers, and missiles operational ready in the Cold War. I remember reading that the then Strategic Air Command (SAC) commander, General Curtis E. LeMay send some SAC cooks to a cooking school to insure his Airmen were well fed.

Some APs did and PJs certainly did.... some ate Crats older than they were as well.

[B47]

Back in my time frame,there were no PJ's. There were 2 different security guards also. One was the Air Police (AP) which wore the AF Class A uniform and white gloves and white covers and pistols. They manned the Base entrance gates and covered the base proper. The other ones were the security guards that manned the entrances to the flight line,the bomber and tankers alert areas. They wore fatigues and had rifles and were on duty 24/7. Those of us that were selected to go to technical training schools after basic training were often threatened to be transferred to that duty if we flunked out of training school.

So you are probably right,but remember my experience was from 1960-1964 and many things have changed since then.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by 17 Oaks

I came off the DMZ with the 1st Cav, Nov '68 and the kid was going home.

The REST of the story: Of course I had to out process and I needed orders and I got in about 1130 on Wednesday (I know some of you are wondering how I remember its Wednesday...keep reading) of our course Personnel was closed for lunch or so I thought. I wander over to a mess hall they did not want to let me in as you could not bring in your M 16, I had no meal card and flak jacket and steep pot on. With luck the Sgt Maj was coming out as I was trying to argue my case to get some food. He looked at me and said "son' ( I had no rank on) who you with and where are you at. 1st Cav, D Co 1/12th Inf, DMZ...YOU LOOK IT as he turned to the Mess Sgt, Let the damn soldier get something to eat!...Sgt Maj he won't give up his M 16...I don't blame him and now go in there son and get some chow. I did.

I eat and go back and sit in front of the locked door at Pers and watch the Volleyball games in the quadrant about 6 or 8 nets and everyone playing volleyball.

After what seemed like a long time and no one is opening the door, a soldier walks by and I ask what time is it? 1350! Well what time does Pers open back up? They don't work on Wednesday afternoon, its VOLLEYBALL time.

To say that was the WRONG thing to say would the understatement of the year. I come out of the bush humping the boonies for a year and they have the afternoon off and I cannot go home till tomorrow..REALLY!

I walk to center of the volleyball games and I fire from the hip exploding the volleyball in mid air!!! I scream who the &)(&)(* is working in Pers I need order to go home! By now folks are getting up off the ground and I got some Major screaming at me and I tell him why when and where and tell him if another volleyball goes up it is gonna get blown to bits like the other one. Next thing I know some guy is opening the Pers door and shaking so hard he must be typing 100 words a min and he hammers out orders. I turn in (with GREAT reluctance, flak jacket, steel pot and my M 16, catch a ride over to the airfield and then down to Cam Rah Bay.



Small world: Several years later my Senior year in college and come home for Thanksgiving and to meet my sisters husband to be. Ran a bit late and they are all sitting at the table, I sit down and get intro'd to Tom. We are eating and my sister says to him, my brother was also in Vietnam, he looks at me, faces starts to wash out and he blurts out: Your the guy who shoot the volleyball out of the air...YEA. He was the one who typed my orders to go home.

GREAT story, now that's the place I remember...

[D W]

Originally Posted by B47

After hearing some of these horror stories about Army life,I'm so very glad I joined the U.S.A.F. We were never issued P-38's and we would probably have injured ourselves trying to use them if we were. We ate in very nice Dining Halls and military cooks opened the food cans. Nor were we issued flak jackets and some of those other things you Army guys were.

Of course this was in 1960-1964 and the U.S.A.F.was only interested in keeping bombers,tankers, and missiles operational ready in the Cold War. I remember reading that the then Strategic Air Command (SAC) commander, General Curtis E. LeMay send some SAC cooks to a cooking school to insure his Airmen were well fed.

P38's weren't issued. They were packaged in the bottom of the C-Ration cases. While there were 12 boxes in a case there were normally only 5-6 P38's in the case. So, when you got your hands on one you kept it.

[D W]

Originally Posted by 17 Oaks

I eat and go back and sit in front of the locked door at Pers and watch the Volleyball games in the quadrant about 6 or 8 nets and everyone playing volleyball.

After what seemed like a long time and no one is opening the door, a soldier walks by and I ask what time is it? 1350! Well what time does Pers open back up? They don't work on Wednesday afternoon, its VOLLEYBALL time.

Yup, we used to refer to these guys as "clerks & jerks".

[17 Oaks]

Originally Posted by D W

Yup, we used to refer to these guys as "clerks & jerks".

And the 'Sick, lame and lazy'

[D W]

Not to derail this thread, but has anyone ever gone back over there since they left? I was thinking about it, but don't know as if I could take the long plane road over there and back.


Just wonderin'.

[Witch Doctor]

No here, but been watching TV, I can't believe the difference now in DA NANG, and Saigon. Big high rises and traffic lights, a ton of us cars. Who would have thought, but like my wife tells me it's been 50 years Glenn.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by D W

Not to derail this thread, but has anyone ever gone back over there since they left? I was thinking about it, but don't know as if I could take the long plane road over there and back.


Just wonderin'.

Spent nearly 2 years there and no desire to go back. No desire to buy anything made there either. There are new generations of leaches that still carry my DNA from the blood they sucked out of me, that's all they will see of me.

[Witch Doctor]

I'm also going to be seeing Sargent BREEZE, maybe I can talk him into cooking a little liver and also some SOS for me, he's a pretty good cook believe it or not, I guess that's why he cooked at the officer mess.

[B47]

Originally Posted by D W

P38's weren't issued. They were packaged in the bottom of the C-Ration cases. While there were 12 boxes in a case there were normally only 5-6 P38's in the case. So, when you got your hands on one you kept it.

Well I guess that just shows that we weren't familiar with P38's. I have heard of C-Rations,but never ate any.

[17 Oaks]

Originally Posted by D W

Not to derail this thread, but has anyone ever gone back over there since they left? I was thinking about it, but don't know as if I could take the long plane road over there and back.


Just wonderin'.

Not sure when you went over, but it was 42 hrs FLYING time when I flew over, but today they have JETS.

I would like to go back and may do it in my travels..I still have have 330,334k miles in my AA account from my days in the Million Mile Club so I don't lose them. Got 2 left on the bucket list, Aus and Vietnam.

Other than a few days spent at Cam Rah Bay and some military installations I never saw anything but LZ's and rice paddies, not sure what it looks like other than green and wet...

[D W]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

No here, but been watching TV, I can't believe the difference now in DA NANG, and Saigon. Big high rises and traffic lights, a ton of us cars. Who would have thought, but like my wife tells me it's been 50 years Glenn.

There's a young GI that lives down the street who is Vietnamese by decent. His last name is "NGUYEN", go figure, right? Anyway, his grandfather was ARVN and he took the whole family over there to show them their roots. The young kid told me mostly everything is modern, but out in the villages nothing has changed. Papa San is still in charge, and fish heads and rice is still the main dish. He told me he doesn't ever want to go back there again.

[Witch Doctor]

NGUYEN. Now that's common. Use to eat a ton of c-rations when in the field or guard duty you can get pretty creative sharing with your buddies, all in a big pot. But still I kinda like the food that the cooks whipped up in the mess tent. They did the best they could with what was dealt to them. By the way "HAPPY VERTERNS DAY" to all and thank you for your Service, I was Army but really the Air Force had it made, and best food hands down.

[radman]

I still have my P-38. The best Army cooks I ever knew were in a NJNG company that I was the CO. They were all chiefs at the Atlantic City Casinos. They could make any GI issued food taste like a Banquet. They also made the best coffee I ever tasted out in the field.