My military service

Sept - Nov 1964 -- Basic Training at Lackland AFB, San Antionio TX
Nov 1964 - March 1965 -- Tech School training at Chanute AFB, IL (aircraft electrician)
March 1965 - March 1967 4453d Combat Crew Training Wing's Field Maintenance Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson AZ (aircraft electrican on the F-4C fighter)
[It was while I was stationed there that I got saved at Metropolitan BC in Tucson, April 1966!]
March 1967 - April 1969 -- 26th Tactical Reconnaisance Wing/38th Tactical Recon Squadron, Ramstein Air Base (West) Germany. Aircraft electrician on the RF-4C

Released from Active Duty, April 15, 1969
[At least I had ONE good April 15th!]

Joined the Tennessee Air National Guard's 118th Airlift Wing at the Nashville TN airport, August, 1988.

Spent most of 1989 in Tech School training at Keesler AFB, Biloxi MS for being an Avionics Guidance and Control systems repair technician.

Retired from the TN ANG in January, 2005.

 

As I recall, Zweibrucken was a Canadian Forces Base (under NATO I assume). It was the place to go if you wanted to buy Japanese electronics (stereos, cameras, etc) cheaper due to Canada having better tariff regs w/ Japan than the US.

Eventually (and this was after I left) Zweibrucken became a US military base.

Yes, I was a member of Bible Baptist of Landstuhl while I was there. Actually it was orginally a mission off of Eifel Bible Baptist Church which was located near an AFB about 50-70 mi N of Landstuhl and was called Landstuhl Baptist Mission. (NOTE: Neither group was affiliated w/ the BBF-Springfield MO.)

When I started attending, the mission had just moved to Landstuhl from Ramstein and was using an educational building that was rented from the Protestant (Lutheran) church in Landstuhl. Most of the congregation was assigned to the Army hospital there in Landstuhl.

Eventually it became an autonomous local church. Also it moved to a better location near the main road in Landstuhl and not too far from the autobahn.

The pastor of the church was Jerry Briggs. He started a mission outreach in Zweibrucken soon after I left Germany. I lost track of the goings on soon after I left Germany so I don't know what became of either church.

Last I heard of Bro. Briggs (and this was some time ago), he was serving in some kind of prison chaplain capacity in Colorado. I tried making contact with him in CO, but I never got any response back.

 

Interesting thread
Feb 71- April 71 Boot Camp, NTC, Orlando, Fl
April 71-May 72 Electronics Tech School, Treasure Island and San Diego CA
May 72-May 72 USS Diamondhead, Norfolk VA AE-19
May 72-May 73 Nuclear Power School, Location Classified
June 73-May 74 NAVAIDS Support Unit near Norfolk, VA
Jan 74-Dec 74 While at NAVAIDS deployed to Aegean Sea area with a six man team on special ops with USNS Harkness, Cyprus, Turkey, isolated Greek Islands
Jan 75-May 75 Communications School, rate switch from electronics tech to communications tech
May 75-Dec 76 USS Mt Baker AE-34 Charleston SC Med cruise April 76-Dec 76
Jan 77-Dec 78 Navy Recruiter Western Kentucky
Dec 79-Nov 82 USS Mahan DDG-42 Exteneded Middle East Cruise Iranian situation
Discharged Nov 82, health reasons, VA rating 70%

Although not listed, the place I hated the most was Gitmo, Cuba, which I visited twice. I got to see Spain, Scotland, France, Italy, Sardinia, Tunisia, Eygpt, Greece, Turkey, Crete, Cyprus, and the Carribean islands of Peutro Rico, Jamaica, Virgin Islands, Aruba, Martinique, and some more islands I cannot recall at the moment. May have also missed some countries. Of course I left out Mexico and Canada which I did manage to get to.

God truly blessed me. After discharge, I worked at an insurance company for a couple of years, then landed a job at the postal service. I finally got a job doing the same thing I did in the Navy, electronics technician and retired in 2009 with 36 years.

This film was taken about a year and a half after I left the ship, but it shows what a guided missle destroyer does. Pretty neat clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZMHnaL9Ux4

One of the jobs on the ship that really got me the most rattled was maintaining the alarm system that protected the tactical nuclear weapons. There had so be two technicians present to repair the system, and an armed guard with a 45 was always present. They did not play around in that area.

Anyway, all I can say without going into great detail is that I got to see lots of places and do lots of things I otherwise would not have gotten to do.

Salty, great idea for a thread.

 

US Coast Guard
Feb 82 to Apr 82 - Cape May NJ, Basic Training
Apr 82 to Sept 85 - Summers in Townsend Inlet for Search and Rescue, winters in Cape May repairing the boats that we use all summer.
Sept 85 to Mar 87 - sitting at a desk in Cape May (bad place for a boatswain's mate), Knee surgery, sitting at a desk some more.
Medical discharge.

Five years, one month, and four days.

 

USN 1969 - 1973 (active duty)
Temporary Disability Retired 1973 - 1975
Honorably discharged 1975 with 30% disability

Basic Training, San Diego, CA 1969
Basic Hospital Corps School, San Diego, CA 1969
Operating Room Tech School, Corpus Christi, TX 1970
Optician Tech School, Williamsburg, VA 1971
Medical Staff, 1st Marine Division, Cherry Point, NC 1971 - 1973

 

Jul-Aug 1976 Basic and AIT at Ft Leonard Wood MO
Aug 1976-Jul 1979 Panama, Canal Zone

Was down there when the Canal Zone changed hands. Also was put on a live mission during the Jim Jones affair - still am bothered by that.

Dark days indeed.