Delta Company
1st Battalion (Mech.), 41st Infantry Regiment
2nd Armored Division (Forward)
Table of Contents
The Army
Going in. Garlstedt, Germany. Desert Shield / Desert Storm. Leaving the Military.
Going in.
I enlisted on 15 Sept. 1987 in the Army Infantry, the senior arm and the senior branch of the U.S. armed forces. I wanted to see Europe and earn some money for college. There was never any real thought that I would see combat. I was going to Europe, where NATO was still locked in peaceful cold-war stalemate with the Warsaw Pact on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
I went through OSUT (One Station Unit Training) at Fort Benning, Georgia. My Basic Training unit was B CO 1st Bn - 29th Inf. Regt. We were a COHORT unit, all trained together, destined to serve at the same first duty station. Not that it was that good of an idea.
That fall was cold and rainy in Georgia. We were all glad to graduate and go home on leave for Christmas, even though most of us knew we would return to Ft. Benning for 'Mike School' just after New Year's. Mike School taught us to drive, maintain and mostly ride comfortably in the back of a 25 ton aluminum and steel beast called the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. They are impressive pieces of equipment, they'll take out a German Volkswagen beetle or van if you are careless.
Garlstedt, Germany.
After training, I served in Germany and The Persian Gulf with the 1st Bn (Mech.) 41st Inf. Reg. 2nd Armored Div. This was a unit with a glorious history, with battle stars from the Second World War, fighting in North Africa and Europe. The Second Armored Division had been Gen. Patton's own. This made us plenty proud to serve with our division patch over our left breast pocket. Since then I've met W.W.II vets who have less respect for Patton than we held in 2AD(FWD).
Our post was near the little town of Osterholz-Scharmbeck. Northern Germany was a lot more like that fall in Georgia than we could have appreciated at the time. The North Sea assures Northern Germany mild summers and winters. Rain falls profusely during all four seasons.
Desert Shield / Desert Storm.
We left our home in Northern Germany on the 7th of January 1991 and arrived in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the next day, just after midnight. The warehouses of the port of Al Jubayl were we waited through the first Scud raids of January until the ship came in with our vehicles. Waiting, we spent or days adjusting to the heat and training on the jetty. The port of Al Jubayl, was protected by a Coast Guard Port Security Unit from Buffalo, NY. Coincidence? We left the port about the 20th of January.
We moved inland, spending a week in a tent city painting vehicles and drawing ammo. We were attached to the Big Red One. We spent a month in the Saudi desert digging fighting positions and dodging rain storms and frostbite before the ground war started. We spent our nights in 4 hour shifts of sleep and guard duty. Morning brought light but little warmth until almost noon. Paranoia was widespread. Until we crossed into Iraq, we had no idea the Iraqis would fall apart as they did. The air war had deprived them of food, water and fuel. Their communications and intelligence was never at par and suffered from the bombardments. Failures in this area hurt them terribly. There were significant battles, but the Iraqis and their weapon systems were no match for U.S. and Coalition troops and our weapon systems.
The ground war was four days of charging across the sand, clearing bunker complexes and dodging crowds of surrendering Iraqis. On the 28th we were on the road between Kuwait City and Basra. The war ended with a whimper. We wondered where the last day had gone, until we realized the dark was from the clouds of oil smoke over head, not the hour of day. We only found out later that retreating Iraqis had started the well fires.
We thought about the brag to take Baghdad and considered our situation. We would take what we had been given. It was sad to see our first Iraqis up close. We hadn't expected monsters but these men were not even soldiers. Just men picked off the street to defend the homeland. Their leaders had abandoned them in the desert with little food or water. We had to attack to save them from our Air Force and their own lack of a supply system. Some POWs we had believed we would shoot them. A translator assured them that no more shooting would occur. We gave them some MREs. It was just another odd situation.
It was good the war ended quickly. It would have been better if Iraq had never left home. Our company lost one man, PFC James C. Murray, Jr. God rest his soul and bless his family. The rest of the Brigade lost 6 more. Yes, it was short. Though, not short enough for those 7 men or their families. I pray that we don't lose any more boys but know that we will. Places like Bosnia will continue to eat up soldiers and civilians the same.
The rest of our time in the Gulf was spent watching the Iraqis until they signed the peace treaty. We moved around a bit and spent a month at a place we named "Diamond Base Volleyball." So named for the shape of our defensive perimeters and the primary activity of our platoon. The flies got worse as the heat went up and the rain fall went down. We played with dung beetles, lizards and scorpions.
Two companies spent a few weeks in a place called Rafah before flying out of the sandbox. We build a refugee camp along with some National Guard engineers, a French Anti-Tank unit and some Saudi troops. Operation Provide Comfort was about helping civilians fleeing Saddam. Saudi Arabia gave some of them homes there at Rafah. It felt good to help those people but we wanted to leave.
We left the gulf on 14 May 1991 on a TWA 747. The crew of the aircraft treated us excellent and apologized for the lack of alcoholic beverages. The pilots actually flew us past the pyramids in Egypt and circled around to give us a good view. Despite the encouraging plane ride home, there was little ticker tape for us upon our return to Germany.
Good to be back "on Post" as it were. Good to be in a familiar place where the high temperature didn't exceed 85 and there wasn't any sand under your feet or in your boots. Better yet to return home to the US. That happened a month and a half later after I had "cleared post."
Leaving the Military.
I left active duty on 1 July 1991 as an E-5/SGT 11M20, Mechanized (Bradley) Infantryman. My awards include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, AAM w/ 3OLC, GCM, NDSM, SWASM w/ 3 stars , NCOPDM, ASM, OSM, and KLMs (Saudi and Kuwaiti). I am qualified expert with rifle and hand grenade. I won the German Marksmanship metal (Silver) and Sports metal (Bronze).
I have no regrets about enlisting. Over all, my time in uniform was worthwhile. I consider my time in the service to have been well spent. Infantry training helped me develop leadership and people management skills. And while I had always considered myself an outdoorsman, time in Germany and the Gulf taught me how to navigate and survive without the aid of roads, structures or other people.
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Travel in Europe
I have traveled in civilian clothes in Europe and seen life past the front gate and the local GI bar. The trains in Europe are superb! Naturally I spent most of my time in Germany. Our post in Northern Germany was near the little town of Osterholz-Scharmbeck. Deutschlanders are a great people, and their country is a great place to discover. Meet the people and see the countryside. The Germans love their nature and work hard to protect it. The cities are not bad either though. Try out Bremen in the north. There is a dance club called "Modernes" you should see if you are in to alternative music.
The city of a thousand churches, Cologne, is a must see. (I never actually counted them, but there are a lot.) Well served by rail lines, it is easy to get to from anywhere in Germany. Dom, the city's cathedral, has the third tallest steeple in the country. Check out the carved statues of saints on the walls as you enter. Inside is very beautiful. The Germans can make some fine stained glass.
Some consider their greatest contribution to society to be their beer. Lagers, Pilsners, Weise beer. All brewed with the "Best Stuff on Earth." Hops, Barley or wheat, yeast, and water. No sugar, no flavorings or dyes. Beer is Germany's Liquid Bread.
The capital of Bavaria, Munich, hosts October Fest at the end of every September. It celebrates the wedding feast of a princess of Bavaria like a thousand years ago. The beer comes in one liter glass mugs distributed by big, beautiful, busty girls who carry 2 and 3 mugs in each hand. You can meet travelers from all over the world in the beer tents of Munich.
EURAIL Experiences.
I did the Eurail experience and highly recommend it as a way to see the Continent. You can sleep on the train and meet people from all over the world. Stay a couple of nights in one place and check out the Youth Hostels. See the country, the people and the cities for their architecture and culture. "Americanization" is slipping in, but the differences are worth noticing. Take a day to wander the city. Have a map and compass with you and follow your progress on the map.
Some tourist maps have little drawings of the tourist sights on the map to simplify navigation. Don't try to go too far, know your limitations. Getting lost in the residential section of Madrid or Munich may not be an ideal vacation adventure.
Scandinavia is a great place to see. The country and people are beautiful. Communication is not a problem, many Danes, Swedes and Norse speak English quite well. The prices are a little higher than average for Europe.
For a discount vacation in warmer climes, try Portugal or Spain. Transportation is slower than elsewhere, but there is less of a need to hurry. The Prado in Madrid is a must see if you are an art lover.
Art on the Continent.
The other places to see art, France and Italy, are great too. Just a little more expensive. Go to Paris and see all three of the museums. Do it in chronological order. First the Louve, then the 19th century works in the converted train station, then the modern works in the inside-out industrial style art museum.
The one site in Italy is Florence. The Uffizi is full of work by Bottichelli, Michelangelo and many other talented artists. Be sure to go early to see Michaelangelo's "David". (My name's sake.) The line forms early and stretches around the block. The Vatican is the other must see. Don't try to wear shorts into St. Peter's. You won't get in. Inside there are marks on the floor where other churches would fit inside the footprint of St. Peters.
Plan a day on the last Sunday of the month. Go to Mass and then get into the Vatican Museum for free. The Sistine Chapel will leave you speechless. You'll think you are looking at Heaven through a glass ceiling.
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DAVE'S STORY
Created by David J. Nichter.
© Copyright 1999 - David J. Nichter.
Updated: 28 July, 1999
