Traditional Muzzleloading Association
The Center of Camp => The Campfire => Topic started by: Bigsmoke on April 04, 2024, 02:04:17 PM
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The Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC was getting ready to begin.
I was in the Army and TDY to Camp Drum, NY. I had made plans with Ms Smoke to come down to our little apartment just outside of DC and then attend the festival together. So, my platoon sergeant and another E5 and I all signed out on a 3 day pass and loaded up in the Sarge's car and began the drive south. Somewhere about a hundred miles into our trip, we heard the news flash that MLK, Jr had been shot and killed. Knowing that if we had turned around and went back to the Post, we would be confined to quarters, so we ventured on, agreeing that the radio in the car did not work. Little white lies that fortunately bore no bad fruit for us.
Instead of attending the Festival, which was cancelled, we sat in our little one bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor of a brick building and watched the TV, showing scenes of the rampage going on in DC and looking out the south facing windows and seeing the smoke rising out of DC from the burning buildings in town.
Our whole battalion had moved en masse from Ft. Lewis, WA in October, and since we got to Ft. Meade, MD we had been training for riot control. Personally, I thought that whole process was flawed. We would be issued no ammunition, but we would be instructed to affix bayonets, although we could not remove the sheathes. The concept was that we would form up so that at a one arm interval we would stretch across the street and march forward stamping our left foot as we went.
Some military genius firmly ensconced in the Pentagon for the last 20 years probably came up with that idea, thinking that would be effective against a hoard of seriously pissed off people. Yeah, right. Wonder what he was smoking?
Fortunately, our unit was never called upon to try that concept out. The CO commander did some pretty cool stuff. On Friday, as expected, everyone was confined to the company area until further notice. On Saturday at noon, they served hot dogs and hamburgers and brought out a keg of beer. In the afternoon, the CO notified the MP's that they should not patrol in our area and he organized an afternoon of drag racing. IIRC, the mess hall served up steaks for dinner and another keg of beer was brought out. So, all in all, the guys on post had a lot better time than those few of us who left early did.
So, that is how it was 56 years ago today. I cannot say that I really miss those days, but it does give me something to reflect back on.
John (Bigsmoke)
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Thanks John. Enjoyed reading that. I'm sure you have many fond and not so fond memories.
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I was a junior in high school but I still remember the news casts.
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I was 11 yrs old living on the NW side of Chicago, the south side went up in flames for 3 days, never understood why they would destroy their own neighborhoods, I remember smelly smoke for a week , then come the summer and we lived about 10 miles from Grant park and our neighborhoods wreaked from weakened tear gas for a week, Democratic Convention, which will be held there again this summer, might be interesting to watch!
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Fort drum ! 10th mtn division!!
I spent a little time there while at Plattsburgh AFB and in Syracuse.
Thanks for the memories. O rah or whatever you army guys say. :bigsmile:
Kevin
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Kevin,
Back in those days, it was Camp Drum and I was not aware of the 10th Mountain Division being anywhere near.
What did us Army guys say? Well now, since you asked, best I can recall was F T A, and that was definitely not an abbreviation for Fun, Travel and Adventure. :P
John
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Still better than being in SE Asia.... :yessir:
~Kees~
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Been there, did that, and I agree wholeheartedly.
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Thought you were. Being Navy and getting out in 1965 I missed all the "fun" although we did sit on Station Yankee for 3 days, enough to qualify us for some ribbon. We were supposed to go in for shore bombardment but then they cancelled that and sent us to try to get photos of a Russian sub.
I saw what it did to guys and was very glad I hadn't enlisted in the Army or Marines!
~Kees~