What is the best/worst vehicle "stuck" or "lost" story?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 15:29:42 -0400

We have all seen the novice Private that can't drive get a truck stuck or a new LT that knew a "shortcut". What is your best/worst vehicle stuck/lost somewhere story? (This can include stuck/lost convoys) :-)

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 18 at 2014 3:57 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 15:57:46 -0400

Iraq, 2008, on a mission to Medasis, a remote area in the northernmost area of MNF west. We were a HET team tasked to remove every single tank from Iraq and this was our first mission. We pulled into the sand pit off of the hard ball and made a circular formation. As soon as we do HET 1 breaks down, myself as PFC Mallicoat was ordered to grab all the chains and bindes from HET 1 and bring them to our HET since we were the backup. This was a horrible idea, as it was 110 plus outside and I was in full kit. 2 19 foot chains, 2 11 foot chains 2 7 foot chains and 4 chain binders later I nearly had a heat stroke. So after a 45 minute cool down in the AC, we finish loading the tanks on the trailers and get ready to roll out, the tanks had sank the tires of all HETS 6 inches into the sand, no HET could move. Luckily HEMMT wreckers are absolute beasts, but it took another 4 hours for the wrecker team to get all 13 HET's out of the sand and back onto the hardball. Very lengthy mission and exhausting one for all involved.

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Jun 18 at 2014 4:34 PM

LTC Paul Labrador — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 16:34:27 -0400

No shit, there I was: Anbar province Iraq, early May 2003. The Regimental Nurse assigned to Med Troop/Support Squadron/3ACR (BRAVE RIFLES!). Somewhere just west of Ramadi. I was on a mini-convoy (back when we allowed to drive around in convoys that small) with 2 soft skin, open-sided HMWWV with about 8 bubbas. We were supposed to head to OP Redskins (which was original the name used for the airfield just south of Habiniyah) to link up with the Combat Stress Control team that was being attached to us and escort them back to Al Asad. The first hour of the drive was uneventful, however, due to a shamal the day before, there was still a lot of dust in the air, so visibility was crappy. Because there was a tribal meeting in Ramadi, we were supposed to not enter the city and go the long way around to Redskins using an old pipeline road that ran between the 2 big lakes south of Ramadi and Fallujah (same route we used to convoy into Anbar). Well, Murphy was in full force that morning. We missed the overpass turnoff that would have taken us onto the pipeline road. We didn't find that out until we hit the outskirts of Ramadi. Oh shit, we need to turn around. So we do so...and take what we think is the proper exit....except for it's not. We are looking around and the road and landmarks (what little of them there were) didn't look familiar. Great, we are lost in a dust storm in the middle of the Iraqi desert. The convoy commander (the my PL) checks his map and Garmin GPS, and decides to try to go cross country to find the pipeline road that was somewhere to the south of us. So there we were, tearing up the Iraqi countryside, not sure if we were heading in the right direction, when we suddenly find ourselves driving smack through a Bedouin camp, to include all the trappings of a campsite, to include tents, a luandry line and kids and dogs everywhere. Oh shit! Drive faster! We scooted the hell out of there, and luckily didn't hit anything or anyone. Luckily we find the road and get back on track. Of course, Murphy had to give us one last parting shot. When we got to Redskins, we found out that the CSC hadn't shown up yet. IIRC, the convoy they were supposed to go on to get to Redskins was delayed by a couple of days. We had made the trip for nothing....

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2016 4:16 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 12 May 2016 16:16:55 -0400

Convoy to Shaiba airbase. I'd been there a dozen or so times. So we pass the turn off road that leads to the base. I told the Convoy commander (TN ARNG), "hey we just passed the turn". him: "Don't worry about it, sir. We're going in the back entrance". me: there is no back entrance. him: yes there is, it's on my map me: I'm telling you, I've been here a dozen times and THERE IS NO BACK ENTRANCE. So we keep driving and suddenly the road just ends. nothing but sand for as far as you can see. That and several hundred tents full of local nomads. Took almost an hour to get turned around because vehicle kept getting stuck in the sand.

Response by SP5 Greg Brown made Feb 11 at 2019 4:37 PM

SP5 Greg Brown — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 16:37:02 -0500

Lt came to take our section to where the mess hall was set up wound up in the middle of on base housing with 5 trucks loaded with howitzer ammo before we stopped and Got the range number we were supposed to be at