Best Friends John Nash Kennedy James Parker Tom Colpoys
Other Memories Positions held: Cannoneer (C Btry) A/Gunner(C Btry) Special Weapons Assembler (C Btry) Platoon Leader's Driver (C Btry) MLRS Launcher Driver (B Btry) Gunner (B Btry) Recon SGT (B Btry) Inprocessed into the regular army at Ft. Dix and shipped out to Germany. Within a couple of weeks I was at Grafenwohr during a training exercise with snow up to my knees. It was cold and miserable. The first couple of years with 6-29 FA was during the last of the cold war. We had alerts a few times a month, still had guard mount for guard duty (you could get a day off if you were good enough). The duty wasn't bad, very regimented with set schedules (other than the alerts). I started using my time to go to night school to earn college credits. Between classes and CLEP tests I earned an Associates Degree, not bad for a 13B. I was also recognized at different times by being selected as battalion and DIVARTY Soldier of the Quarter. I was also selected as the Baumholder Military Community Soldier of the Year while assigned to C Btry. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, I was on leave in Paris. When I got back everyone was getting ready to deploy. Instead of a deployment order, our battalion deactivated. We spent our time guarding the housing areas after we turned in our howitzers. It wasn't long after Desert Storm was over that we started to rebuild the unit as a MLRS battalion. I was selected to transition and had the honor of driving the first launcher through the gates of Strassburg Kaserne in Idar-Oberstein. Traveled as much as possible and volunteered in the community. While I was in B Btry I was selected as a member of the SGT Morales Club. 8th ID deactivated and reflagged as 1st AD. The next assignment with 6-29 FA covers the time with 1st AD.