[deddygetty]

Lots of newbie forums to choose from, but FNG is a term I can relate with.

Between my dad and I we have over 40 years service in the Army.

My military career was pretty brief, just three years, but it had an everlasting effect on my life to say the least.

My dad, on the other hand, had to be kicked out of the Army after 37+ years spanning WW II, Korea, Vietnam, and a huge chunk of the Cold War. He was in the Army NG here in Washington from 1930-38 after attending Citizen's Military Training Camps in 1928 and 1929 at Camp Lewis, and taking JROTC training from 1928-1930 at Walla Walla High School, winning hundreds of shooting medals on school and unit rifle and pistol teams and winning a national rifle championship in 1936.

He was drafted in 1942 but couldn't pass the physical. At only 5 feet tall, he was four inches below the minimum height requirement. Because of all his prior training (he had achieved the rank of 1SGT in the NG) and his marksmanship skills (awarded the gold Distinguished Marksman's Badge, 1935; Army Pistol Team badges, 1936 & 1938; Army Rifle Team Badges, 1936 & 1938; principal shooter, Washington State Civilian Team, 1940; National Guard Rifle Champion (National Individual and National Team), 1935; Individual Rifle Champion (National Guard Division), Camp Perry National Matches, 1936; to name just a few) somebody turned their back and dad slipped in the door.

He ended up at the Cavalry Replacement Training Center at Ft Riley, Kansas, for a year training recruits before joining the 99th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mecz), 99th Infantry Division at Camp Maxey, Texas. He was a sergeant by then and made staff sergeant during the Battle of the Bulge while anchored on the northern shoulder. He received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant shortly before crossing the bridge at Remagen.

After the war dad remained in Europe for two more years, first as a platoon leader in the 83d Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mecz), 83d Inf Div; then as Displaced Persons Officer for Hq, 83d Inf Div; DPO for Hq, 42d Inf Div Artillery; and finally DPO for Hq, 4th Constabulary Regiment.

He came here to Ft Lewis in 1947, to the 717th Tank Bn, 2d Inf Div, where he won the Washington State Rifle Association Individual and Team Championships that year with the 2d Inf Div team. He was booted out of the Army in 1948 when the 717th was deactivated during the Army's trimming of excess officers/units after the war. Dad turned right around and rejoined as a master sergeant and was assigned to the newly formed 72d Tank Bn, 2d Inf Div, which was the former 717th.

The 2d ID was the first unit to arrive in Korea directly from the US when that war broke out, landing in Pusan when it was the last territory still held by UN forces. He was part of the breakout and march all the way to the Chinese border, and part of the massive retreat when the Chinese entered the war. The 2d ID suffered over 5000 casualties in the final five days of November 1950.

Dad got Warrant Officer shortly after returning from Korea in 1951, and I was born the day the Armistice was signed. We went to Germany where I spent my 1st birthday with the 2d Cav. I was to spend my 21st birthday with them also.

After leaving Germany we went to Ft Banks, Mass, where mom made dad get out of the Army in 1957 as a CWO-2. Dad bought a 1956 Plymouth Belvedere in NY and we drove back to Washington. As soon as we got back, he drove up to Seattle and enlisted in the Army again as a master sergeant.

As this is pretty long already, I have skipped dozens of assignments and deployments. He did more tours in Germany, another one to Korea in 1960, VN with the 4th Inf Div in 1966-67, Panama in 1968, Thailand in 1969. He was a sergeant major when they booted him in 1971.