That's me with my nifty Army Jeep. I believe it's the Ford M151A2. This Jeep was known to rollover and kill it's occupants. In the later 80's they started putting Roll Bars on them. Shudda had those long time ago. I was the Captains driver and later the Majors driver. We did moto in the mud in Grafenwoehr many times, never had a problem.
When I arrived Jan.1980 it was a mandatory field trip to the East German Border, at the town of Hof. We could see the east German Guards looking at us as we were looking at them. I never saw the "Wall" in Berlin, not until 2017 on a Tour with NATO in Belgium, we took a trip to Berlin and saw what was left of the Wall.
This is unloading from the Field, Grafenwoehr it was. What a pain in the neck.
When everyone comes back from the Field they'd give us a coupla days off. All hell breaks loose and the beir is flowing for days.
That's Tim "OB" O'Brien, Tom "Ted" Black, Ken "Fritz The Hat" Thompson, and Brent "Turtle" Schwizzlehiemer, dudes where are you!?!
A buck Sergeant name Don Lee, from Seattle, taught me and Tim "Jeet Kune Do." I didn't even know what it was, of course I knew Bruce Lee but I didn't know Jeet Kune Do is the style that he created. Sgt.Don Lee was a white guy with blondish red hair so the name and the locaton, Seattle, were a coincidence at the time I didn't think much of. I should have because Bruce Lee strted in Seattle and had his first school there.
This was 1980. Bruce had only passed 7 years prior and I didn't think to ask WHERE did you get this JKD knowledge from in Seattle! He taught us a stick exercise that trains your hands for Wing Chun that I have never seen to this day anybody else doing?
I stayed in the Army for 40 years, they kicked me out, yer too fat n old they said. I ran the clock out. I might be the only person in America that has known Jeet Kune Do for 40 years and was in the Army for 40 years. Thatsa small club, the 40/40 gang. I never became a Kung Fu expert, but I did become a expert in Kung Fu psychology and philosophy. I created a project to "decode" Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do. I'm looking for the secret algorithms, it's called Decoding Bruce Lee- |
When weren't learning JKD we were ar ....
Oktoberfest. but of course.
Remember at the big PX RB (Robinson Barracks) they would set aside at-cost rock concert tickets for G.I.'s ! I bought like 15 Police tickets, that was the hottest concert tour in the world that year. I sold them along the way to the show.
After we got off the train we were on the city Bus. Everyone on the bus was going to the Concert. We were jammed in this Bus like packed Sardines and the Germans heard us Americans joking, "Don't Stand So Close to Me..." and then the entire bus broke out into song, .. don't stand, don't stand,don't stand so close to me.... it was so wonderful. We coudn't stop laughing. |
The 563rd HHD building is behind him, for awhile I had that room second floor to the left of the entrance.
This was of course 11 years before I got there. The building got a new paint job for us otherwise it's exactly the same looking.
Grafenwoehr
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Ludendorff NCO Club. We never went in there E-5 and above only. Who cares we never needed to go in that place. I heard they were drinking American Budweiser in there yikes. In those days the Army was strictly divided. E-5 and up were "Lifers" the E-4 and below did not associate with them after duty hours. You didn't trust anyone above E-4. That's just how it was. Years later I'm glad I became a Warrant Officer. I got the respect as an Officer but the enlisted people could relate to me, because I used to be one of them.
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Welcome to the 563rd Combat Engineer Battalion1979-1982
locator site.
If you were at Ludendorff Kaserne Kornwestheim in 1979 - 1982
Send an e-mail so we can contact you about the reunion party
we're putting together
for everyone who served in that period. This page has just
been updated July 2012.
We're currently writing a Book on Ludendorff Kaserne
1980-1981. Please contact us with your story!
Some of the people who are MIA;
Rick Phillips 503rd En Bn from CA.
Ken Thompson aka "Fritz the Hat" 503rd En Bn from CA?
Tom Black aka "Ted" Headquarters Bn 563rd HHD from
Diamond Bar, CA.
Tim O'Brian aka "OB" 563rd HHD from
Chicago
Turtle!!!Turtle!! Turtle! Brent WHERE R U????
Tina Iaccobaci, Tina I made the Punch for your birthday Party!
Chris Carter 563rd Combat Engineer Battalion
Willis, Willis you borrowed my pup tent and you broke the side string, you owe me a beer pal.
Donna, Tammy Leclare, Margaret, Brian Fike,
Jack Gaquin, ooooh Jack,,
Beatrice "Bea," Headquarters Bn
Lopez, all those crazy guys, where is Lopez?
we had those wild fruit Punch parties
The Halloween party when the Scottish Army Bagpipe Band
came by and dumped scotch in our punch,
Wiped out our whole platoon! Where
is everybody now
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