tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post768712057390027926..comments2024-03-21T14:41:14.622-07:00Comments on Graphic Firing Table: The Army I Knew: PanamaFDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-77051583159689812762020-12-25T14:05:25.566-07:002020-12-25T14:05:25.566-07:00Could not agree more
Was honored to serve in A Com...Could not agree more<br />Was honored to serve in A Company.<br />Earned my Honduran and Ecuadorian Jump Wings<br />Was a blast making my cherry jump with a damn gator strapped to my nuts.<br />LolAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12625756945829244620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-48903238434607163502020-07-11T19:35:15.716-07:002020-07-11T19:35:15.716-07:00I was there with A company from 81-83 and half my ...I was there with A company from 81-83 and half my time was spent in the jungle training some of the toughest training I went through Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10221427610250098390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-40170274782058671992019-04-10T15:27:37.200-07:002019-04-10T15:27:37.200-07:00Look. Dead is dead. Dead in a tiny, geopolitically...Look. Dead is dead. Dead in a tiny, geopolitically ridiculous piece of nonsense like Grenada is as dead as taking a bullet on Omaha Beach. I'm sorry for Maynards' family and friends; they loved him and will miss him. It doesn't make his death any more valuable or significant or important, any more than anyone who died over that piece of real estate to ensure that Princess Cruise Lines could stop into St. Georges and Virgin Airlines could land at Pt. Salinas.<br /><br />And, actually, I was a pretty good troop. Kept my mouth shut, saluted and moved out smartly - just the kind of GI every troop unit loves, because we are ready and willing to die for our country.<br /><br />It's only now that I'm old and curmudgeonly that I think that if anyone has to die for their country it's better to be the other fucker.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-25134431404612874842019-04-10T04:28:29.958-07:002019-04-10T04:28:29.958-07:00Lord what a dick. I was in 4/20 mech, also A 3/5 (...Lord what a dick. I was in 4/20 mech, also A 3/5 (ABN). Fine, you are entitled to your opinion. Bit your comment on Grenada being where no one really got hurt. Marlin Maynards freinds and family would disagree. He was shot to death there by Cubans along side a couple other Rangers. You sound just like the kind of guy that was a constant prick and bitched all the time. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124120221739125285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-81224037436101088782018-10-12T08:12:45.270-07:002018-10-12T08:12:45.270-07:00My first duty station out of Infantry School/Airbo...My first duty station out of Infantry School/Airborne School was 3rd Platoon, A Company 3/5 Inf Ft. Kobbe Panama. 80'-83' I became a Moatengator. I had no idea what I was in for over the next two years! In 11 years of Army service (Active & Guard) and 27 years in Law Enforcement I never served with a better unit! Our CO sucked , but the rest of the leadership were men who shaped my life! My PL , 2nd Lt. Mulholland became I believe a 4 Star in charge of Special Ops Command. My Platoon Sgt , Tommy Heime is one of the finest men I have ever served under. Yes, we were "bad ass" and small unit jungle fighting was our thing! Large amount of Vietnam vets and many others were Ranger Batt boys, they always complained that this gig was suppose to be their easy break from the Battalion before rotating back and we were just as bad : ) . I later went on to serve in the 82nd and 20th SF then moved over into Armour and never found a bunch of misfits like my brother Moatengators!Para069https://www.blogger.com/profile/11328174956084807877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-72291951161183710852018-04-13T13:15:38.134-07:002018-04-13T13:15:38.134-07:00Aww...c'mon, guys. Seriously?
A/3/5 was a biz...Aww...c'mon, guys. Seriously?<br /><br />A/3/5 was a bizarre little sort of Army joke. What the hell a single jump-qualified infantry company (in a leg infantry battalion...) would have done had any sort of actual fighting broken out in Central America in the Eighties is likely to have been something between "meh" (i.e. what the REST of the battalion would have done, without the parachutes) to "suicidal" (as in trying to jump into somewhere as a lone company).<br /><br />I could have seen it had the "Moatengators" been, say, a pathfinder platoon in A Company. But having the single dinky little jump unit makes me, a military history buff who has always been kind of fascinated by the tale of airborne operations, scratching my head to figure out how the hell I'd have used the damn thing. In a genuine airborne operation it would have been lost in the crowd. In some sort of oddball little one-off company-sized operation it would have risked defeat in detail.<br /><br />I'm certainly happy that all the former Moatengagglers still have fun recalling back when they were young, dumb, and full of cum. But the bottom line is still that the outfit was a military oddity before the 3/5-to-2/187 conversion and just-another-airborne-infantry-company afterwards.<br /><br />Would the Moaters have been as bad-ass as they believed? Maybe. But when the time came, it was Charlie Company that got stuck into the <i>Comandancia</i>. <br /><br />So we'll never know.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-2909740150029178412018-04-13T09:30:21.254-07:002018-04-13T09:30:21.254-07:00Moatengator were and still are the best airborne j...Moatengator were and still are the best airborne jungle infantry in the world. Our esprit-de-corp is second to none. How many units have you served with that still jump together years after leaving the Army? Moatengators fill the skies of Texas every year in June and will be jumping as a unit again in this year in 2018. Sounds like you wished you were one of us based upon your comments. Also, you seem to know very little about the 8-11 second DZ. Everyone I've seen that came from Bragg were useless in the jungle and had to be retaught how to operate as a jungle trooper.henrybhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03721010362439372255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-23444244689250504672018-04-12T14:45:29.039-07:002018-04-12T14:45:29.039-07:00Having served in 2nd Batt, the 82nd, Alaska, and a...Having served in 2nd Batt, the 82nd, Alaska, and as a Moatengator (85-88), you’re correct! We may not have been of much use in the Fulda Gap, but as light-fighters in the jungle, we were untouchable...especially in the late seventies through the eighties, as virtually all of our NCOs, from SSG to CSM we’re experienced Vietnam Vets, passing their hard-earned knowledge onto us. Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07951581469229489662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-61562748300714245492018-04-12T14:45:00.241-07:002018-04-12T14:45:00.241-07:00Mission specific much? There weren’t (and aren’t) ...Mission specific much? There weren’t (and aren’t) many Sicily, Holland, Normandy, etc. sized DZs to be found down there. At the squad level, we reigned supreme in our tasked mission. Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07951581469229489662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-17255389415345513902018-03-28T05:36:06.815-07:002018-03-28T05:36:06.815-07:00I was stationed in headquarters company, signal co...I was stationed in headquarters company, signal corp. Radio security and the company mail room were my duties. When we went in the jungle to play Army I was one of the few who carried live rounds, so I had an easier time than most. I travel around to all of the Army bases on both sides with Maj Lowery, headquarter's XO.<br />Lived in downtown PC with my wife and our daughter was born at Goregus(?) Hospital.<br />Stationed there 70-72. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10639714125739483421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-79594667996328419082018-03-19T08:44:15.783-07:002018-03-19T08:44:15.783-07:00Absolutely correct. I and many assigned to A 3/5 w...Absolutely correct. I and many assigned to A 3/5 were former 75th. (83-85)Moatengators Rah!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10689631397232333369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-85625771923393530732018-03-13T00:24:58.543-07:002018-03-13T00:24:58.543-07:00"Un Bandido siempre es un Bandido.""Un Bandido siempre es un Bandido."Tom Kratmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13342132821284754125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-56871565051031713312018-03-07T11:15:14.348-07:002018-03-07T11:15:14.348-07:00I was there in 1968 when the 3/508 was reflagged t...I was there in 1968 when the 3/508 was reflagged to the 3/5. I was there when the original Montengators were named for A company. I went off jump status to get away from those assholes and went to B company. 90 percent were fresh out of jump school and didn't have a clue what it meant to be airborne. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-15435932407740999302018-01-27T19:57:03.172-07:002018-01-27T19:57:03.172-07:00No, that wasn't it. The 193rd, Airborne or ot...No, that wasn't it. The 193rd, Airborne or otherwise, had a deep relationship, not with the 82nd, but with the 75th. For example, when you arrived there the Bn Cdr was probably George Utter (or maybe his successor). Before, Utter, though, the CO was Wesley Taylor, who went on to command 1st Batt and then the regiment. Before him it was Emory Mace, who went on to command the 2nd Batt. (And who remains my moral guide to this day. Whenever I have a moral dilemma, I simply ask myself, "What would Mace, do?" and then do the opposite.<br /><br />Conversely, in, for example, B Company, 81-83, where I was a platoon leader and XO, about half the platoon sergeants and squad leaders came from one of the then 2 Ranger battalions, and a large percentage of the team leaders as well, along with non-trivial numbers of the troops. A Company was even more densely 75th than the rest of the battalion.<br /><br />Now, me, personally, I always preferred the battalion I was enlisted in, 4/10. Tom Kratmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13342132821284754125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-27522230617414178582017-11-12T00:43:01.231-07:002017-11-12T00:43:01.231-07:00Ah! Finally one of the Moatengaggle shows up! By &...Ah! Finally one of the Moatengaggle shows up! By "better" I assume you mean "dinked around Panama for a couple of years making teensy little postage-stamp DZ jungle jumps", eh, Jethro?. Hey, at least you tried; you get a participation trophy for that!<br /><br />The funny thing was that within the first year that I spent down at Kobbe A Company pretty much completely lost whatever unique character it had had when it was A/3/5. It was just a regular old paratroop infantry company, no better or worse than any other I worked with. Y'all did have a fucking wild man for a 1SG, tho, I'll give you that. But y'all got swarmed over by levies from Bragg and that was pretty much the end of the Moatenmojo...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-16225181102049112912017-06-22T12:50:13.060-07:002017-06-22T12:50:13.060-07:00LOL; I was a Moatengator you fucking POG. And I w...LOL; I was a Moatengator you fucking POG. And I was in the 82nd and I was Infantry and you are god damn right we are better than you REMFs.Jefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14350965572467589678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-7779491284930881612014-07-19T16:15:16.975-07:002014-07-19T16:15:16.975-07:00Just stumbled onto this and had a good laugh. In A...Just stumbled onto this and had a good laugh. In Alaska we had Charlie Airborne (the C Cos of each battalion were on jump status) and they were just as insufferable. They used to wear their "Arctic Paratrooper" PT sweatshirts out for nights in Anchorage. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-65832545313794544592014-02-14T21:13:30.153-07:002014-02-14T21:13:30.153-07:003rd Bn. of the 7th SFGA, jim; I think the rest of ...3rd Bn. of the 7th SFGA, jim; I think the rest of 7th Group was under the flagpole at Bragg but was also tasked with Latin and South America.<br /><br />The Wiki entry for 7th Group says "In May 1962, the advance party from Company D, 7th Special Forces Group departed for Fort Gulick, Panama, in the Canal Zone, to establish the 8th Special Forces Group. 8th Group was deactivated in 1972 and the unit redesignated as the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group."<br /><br />So by my time 8th SF was gone.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-19086950675009019602014-02-08T10:30:41.102-07:002014-02-08T10:30:41.102-07:00Chief,
Was it he 8th or the 7th grp?
In FRG we had...Chief,<br />Was it he 8th or the 7th grp?<br />In FRG we had the 509 which was mechanized and on jump status.<br />They were as you describe the Co of the 5th in.<br />jim<br />rangeragainstwarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02126542922536584950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-86823869431233369882014-02-02T17:41:57.504-07:002014-02-02T17:41:57.504-07:00I'm onto the next ...I'm onto the next ...Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-52638656579123789432014-01-31T10:13:35.938-07:002014-01-31T10:13:35.938-07:00Oh my!
Can't wait for the next episode!Oh my!<br />Can't wait for the next episode!Briannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-68754305044271050302014-01-31T08:15:05.511-07:002014-01-31T08:15:05.511-07:00You have NO idea..! ;)You have NO idea..! ;)FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-61085223117320668912014-01-31T07:35:43.196-07:002014-01-31T07:35:43.196-07:00Cliffhanger much?Cliffhanger much?Aelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788190394672505925noreply@blogger.com