Fort Campbell, 1953, bivouac was at Kentucky Lake. At the time no way was Jack a leader, but would eagerly follow. Although he was not a swimmer still had fun, lots of fun, rafting and playing with rubber tubes. After a formation a small group of them decided not to go to the detail assigned to them. Instead,they crept away from the company, fell asleep and missed the next formation.
Company Commander First Lieutenant Mapp held their small group in front of the company and told the entire group how they had caused everyone to lose all Lake privileges. The infuriated crowd murmured and formation was dismissed. Like smoke signals, and tom-toms the word spread, fueled by Lt. Mapp's last statement. He said, "I don't know, but if someone caused or took away my privileges I would surely do something about it". The words blanket-party echoed throughout the woods.
New Yorkers were at the time given a wide berth. Sergeants seemed to fear most New Yorkers. They honestly believed that all New Yorkers had gangs at their beck and call. From about the age of 13 Jack had worked on weekends with "Joe the iceman".
After four years of lugging 100 pound bags of coal, or 10 gallons of kerosene to the top floor of a five story building, and the push ups, the never-ending push ups at Fort Campbell Jack was as buffed as a hundred-thirty pounds could be. He sent back his own smoke signals. "Anyone pulling my feet and trying to get the me out of my tent is going to a meet my entrenching tool and the business end of my bayonet fixed on my M-1".
In the pitch black darkness Jack heard blow upon blow raining upon the bodies of his fellow cohorts. He waited afraid in the darkness. Jack was not a violent boy and would not have to be one tonight. He would have taken his punishment like a man. He waited he waited. He didn't get any sleep but he didn't get his ass whipped either. Was it the New York connection? Is this what stopped the M.P. and the Marines. Maybe so, maybe not, Jack was learning and the incidents became more and more infrequent.
Its 45 years later and now Jack is hopefully a lot smarter. While reading Norm's page he had to wholeheartedly agree with his statement. Jack had often sat and wondered why they made all of us endure such constant harassment. At least that's they thought it was.
But as Norm says that harassment that went on made them more alert, more safety conscious and in the long run saved countless hundreds of lives. Instructors, wherever you are, thank you. Even most sergeant's, although it never seemed that way, also had our best interests at heart. Case in point: we were about 20 minutes from green light. A trooper whose name I can't remember, suddenly calls the Sgt. over and tells him he doesn't have a chin strap. Sgt. says no problem and fashions a chin strap using hankerchiefs.
Trooper says now in no uncertain terms I don't want to jump. In the next moments the now angry Sgt. had to decide what to do. Pleading didn't help. The man had decided he was not going to jump. Now where do you put this guy to keep him from blocking the stick. Really can't risk putting 10 or 12 guys over the woods. The following stories show this epitomizes this concept. Read how, despite the devasting losses, they could have been worst had not the troopers had this built in adrenalin.
Nothing makes Jack prouder today than to have been a part of the Elite Airborne,The 82nd, The 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment. A shudder ran through his body as he read this statement from the division's commander General Steel. "The very first soldier I talked to, one of the most severely burned, was conscious. When he realized who I was he saluted me. He said through the tubes in his throat, 'AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY, SIR',"
Right about now, if this doesn't stick in
your craw, if this doesn't get you to feeling what it's all about, STOP, do not read any
further. The rest of this will have absolutely no meaning.
"I couldn't ask for any more out of my soldiers". Major Wayne
Clark,Commander,57th Med.Co.
"He whispered in my ear to crawl out from underneath him. I did, and took off
running. I realized he was not at my heels. I figured he would be running directly behind
me. I went back to where we originally fell down, and he was dead."Spc. Estell
Wingfield, describing the action of SSgt. Daniel E. Price, who shielded her body to save
her life and lost his own.
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