I currently serve in the United States Army and have been stationed at Fort Hood Texas for five years. Just got my 5 earlier in the year.

Muns
 

Hi! Some of you know me from other boards (aka Muns)
I Spent 26 years US Army (all active duty). Enlisted in 1980 as a airborne tanker. Spent 3 yrs in and then got out and went to college, then when the VEAP money ran out I re-enlisted in 1985 and stayed in until I retired as a 1SG in 2008. I have served on many types of US tanks and I am a Master Gunner on the M1 series from M1A1 through the M1A2SEP (fourth MG trained on the SEP). That just means I know a bit more than the usual tanker.
Oh yeah before most of you start, that is Distinguished Armor Technician to the rest of you (you grunts types that think like is the only way to go). Only us tread heads can call one another a Dumb A$$ Tanker. The CDAT 'moniker' is just a old term that tread heads use to identify those that were Jedis and those that were not. Use of that term just dates those that use that it.

So how was being an Airborne Tanker? We had one guy from my OSUT go to the 82nd. I loved being a tanker and still get to live a bit of it by listing to my brother tell stories about his platoon.

It was an experience to say the least. I had a hard ass Platoon Sergeant (who later became a CSM many years later) who would not let me go to Sat fun jumps, and wore my ass out the first three months I was there. I thought my only saving grace was that I could remember everything he and my tank commander taught me. Back then we were taught early on that we may not have the Sheridan as a Heavy drop could be called off for any reason. Also preventative maintenance was drilled into us as we were our only lifeline, if you track went down, you were basically useless to the TF commander. Things were also pretty crazy back then too. I did not know how good the unit was unit was until I returned to the Army later on.
Any particular questions?

I am a former Marine and proud of it. 9-91 to 5-98. Served in Somalia for a few months. A couple of months in Kuwait (post Desert Storm). Sometimes I miss it, then I remind myself of all the dirt and grime, deployments, early morning PT every day, bad chow, inspections, drill....

Enough that it stuck with me, but not enough that I've kept up my PT!

With that many years in a "rolling coffin" should we call you "Retread" or "Missing Link?" Thank god there are people crazy enough to do what you did for a living. In all seriousness, Thanks for your service. I guess I would be called your "poor cousin." Started my career as a 13 BRAVO (Artillery Crewman) on the M109 SP. Then I joined the 10th Mountain and switched to the Towed 198 Gun/Howitzer. Had myself a go at Air Assault School and Special Weapons training before making Ammo Team Chief (E5) during Restore Hope. Did 8 years in all. Then I got REALLY STUPID and decided to carry a gun for a living on the streets of my home town. They did tell me; "If you really want to be loved; become a fireman...."

Ancestor again - forgot I already voted. I'm currently serving as an AGR-occasional tour. Was MDAY for most of my career but sometime around 2009 I started spending more and more time on ADOS. Did my OCONUS tour, got back, hated the civilian world and threw my name in for resident CGSC, got it, quit my civilian job, and am now full time. Who knows what's going to happen after this - I'm starting to understand the politics of the NG and I'm not sure about life after this tour.

I only did about half my time in tanks the other half was as EOD. Now I am out and a Police Officer.

How many have gone on to Law enforcement?
 

Trained as Airborne Radio Operator.
Then to Arty OCS Fort Sill. Wanted Benning and Inf.
Then did my time as an FO with the Inf.
Then Training Officer in what was then called "quick kill" a point and shoot system with shoulder weapon, we used a m-14 stocked bb gun :rolleyes: and worked trainees down to alkaseltzer (sic) as targets.
Then law enforcement , Oakland PD then Western Colorado.
Patrol, SWAT, narcotic then strike force with CBI.
Shot and killed a perp on a SWAT call and PTSD took me out.
Hmmm lots more since but a whole 'nother track.

I have heard that term Training Officer a few time what is it? do you go to OCS?

I am old enough soldier to remember when there were chocolate chip cakes in some MREs.

Meanwhile in Australian ration packs we had Biscuits, Jam Filled, Pre-crushed.

but do you remember the small white spoons? or dehydrated pork patty?

Oh man, I remember them! :D
The jam was the only thing stopping them from instantly falling apart when you opened the packet :p

Ah back in the days when the Aussie ratpacks had tubes of sweetened condensed milk and tubes of jam in them, and that chunky breakfast cereal block... (actually I really liked them, 'specially when you lathered them in the condensed milk...memories...).
I've still got a few FREDs in a box somewhere.

Loved the cereal biscuits too. Could break your teeth on them if you weren't careful.
Worst thing was that god awful pineapple gel they replaced the tinned fruit with. Diabetes in a can.

Going from memory, weren't we supposed to soak the cereal block in a little water first to soften it?
I liked them as a biscuit and could never be arsed "preparing" them, although some of the other guys did dip 'em into their tea.

As for the pineapple gel, I don't think I encountered it. I left in 1994 and being in a regional ARes unit at the time, some of our newer ratpacks dated from the early- to mid-1980s. I don't recall ever seeing a ratpack dated after 1987 except for some of the freeze-dried ones we got via SAS whenever they used our depot for their car commander's and demo courses (we were right out in rural WA so they had plenty of space and very few spectators!)

It didn't last long. Was issued around 94-95 I think and I got it two, maybe three times before the backlash forced it's removal and the fruit reinstated. Larger tin than the fruit, but it was basically pineapple jam (jelly for you yanks). Only knew one person who liked it, even better than the chocolate if you can believe it!
And then there was the abomination known as ham and egg, steak and egg, anything with egg really. Even starving dogs would turn their noses up to that muck!

On another note, I'm seriously considering re-listing in the reserves and going for a commission.

Hey if you're still young enough for it, go for it! Can't hurt to give it a bash. :)

47 is young right?

Hell yeah! I plan on living to 120 so that I can claim 60 as middle-aged so by my plan, at 47 you've still got over a decade before you're at the "middle" :D

But on a serious note, like a few other Western nations in the last decade or so, the Aussie military increased the upper age limit for entry (particularly if you have desirable skills). I can't remember what the upper age limit is but I do remember being suprised by it because I think they jumped it up by quite a bit compared to what it had been in the 80s-90s.

Yes, I remember officer entry topped out at 25 unless you had relevant and required qualifications, and enlistment was 35.
It's some ridiculous age now, up in the 50's I think.
Quick look at their website and:

Yeah I think I had a gander at the same website. It's a shit of a site to navigate, fifty pages latter and I finally found some confirmation of the age range... okay, slight exaggeration, it was only fifteen pages...

But, example, max age for Intelligence Analyst is 56 and 58 for Air Surveillance Operator, 55 for drop-shorts & bucketheads.
And 60 for officers :eek:
So yeah :cool: the upper limit has been increased quite a bit.
Go for it Leg!

10 years ago I definitely was interested in going back into the reserves. I'm the same age as Leg. I doubt I would have passed the physical requirements though. 10 years ago I was still extremely fit, but I've had a bunch of motorcycle injuries over the years and some of the injuries are permanent. And then a huge hit 5 years ago (a woman ran a red light and hit me side-on at 60kph) and now I'm a shadow of the man I once was.

Yeah, I'm certainly not in my prime, but I know many people in worse shape than me who got in. One of my best mates was accepted back in 91 with only one lung!
...and then he got pneumonia while on exercise...
...which wasn't diagnosed (let alone treated) for three months...

Oh yes, and the Chicken a la King that was great heated and an abomination cold.

And they changed the crackers. To the new fragmentation crackers. You couldn't get the damn things out of the foil without them breaking into pieces!

It sounds like ration packs are the same the world over. It doesn't seem to matter what menu they might have, there always seems to be one quite good food item, one really deplorable food item and biscuits/crackers of some sort that are always broken.
The ration pack appears to be a universal experience! :D

Famously there was a one-armed ASLAV gunner in 2 Cav back in the '90s.

Well, I'm pretty much old and fat now...
There was one time in the Army when I was doing my second IBC and I had what started out as a cold. Then it turned into walking pneumonia and I kept going, despite the fact I had to sleep in the weight room because I coughing so often and hard I kept everyone awake. Then I started coughing up blood, and one of my fellow soldiers ratted me out and I ended up in the hospital for 5 days with viral bronchitis. "I fought the Drill Sergeant, and the Drill Sergeant won..."