Riding in an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
But I Can’t Remember Where and When!
Memory is a funny thing. I swear on a stack of Bibles that one time, I took a long ride in the back of an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier. But I can’t remember when or where it was.
It may have been at the Hohenfels, Germany Training Area. I spent lots of time there in 1987–1990.
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Or the Grafonwehr Training Area, also in Germany. Range 301 was one of the highlights of my Army career. I was in an M151A2 jeep, but near me were Abrams Tanks, mobile artillery, and then in came the A-10 Thunderbolts, also known as Warthogs. Good thing I had my earplugs in or I would have been deaf for life.
Or it might have been at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA. I worked at the 1st Bridage, 24th Infantry Division Tactical Operations Center, and it was a piece of cake (easy). The battalions were being evaluated, but we stayed in the same place for a month. I worked the night shift. As a Spec 4, I was the only one awake for about 5 hours of the night. They trusted me to wake up the Duty Officer if anything happened.
I suppose I may never remember where it was. But I DO remember that riding in the cargo area about shook me to death.
The Army sucked. But I’ve forgotten the bad parts and only remember the good or interesting parts. That means I’ve forgotten 98% of everything that ever happened while I was in the Army.
