What’s the most fun you had in the military?

2022-08-31T15:23:02-04:00

Everyone has at least a little fun during their military career, but there are those few instances that make the whole experience well worth it. Share your story in the comments below.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2022 7:30 PM

2022-08-31T19:30:30-04:00

With the 82nd ABN 1974, being picked off the officer's beach at Camp Lejeune.

Our battalion was ordered off the officer's beach, because we were enlisted attending with our officers.
Battalion commander called in UH1's, to lift all of our personnel off the officer's beach. It was a sight to see, all those paratroopers in their boxers loading those UH1's.
I was so proud of our battalion commander that day, we would follow him anywhere he lead us.
By the way, we beat their Marine unit at the war games that month, maybe that's why we got chased off the officer's beach that day.
"It was worth it"

Response by SP5 Dennis Loberger made Aug 31 at 2022 10:35 PM

2022-08-31T22:35:48-04:00

I had a wife and 2 kids when I was drafted. Did Basic and AIT at Ft Leonard Wood. In January of '73 I was sent to Japan as a force fill. They made me a company clerk. While there a communication came across my desk that said the Army was looking for softball players to try out for the Army softball team.Tryouts were at Ft Carson. A friend in our unit also was trying out for the team and had relatives in Denver. We spent some time at their house before going to Carson. In the end he got cut and I made the team at 3rd base. I spent the rest of the summer playing softball for the Army in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. I took leave after it was over and went home for the first time since Christmas of '72. Diane said she would never complain about me playing softball again....and she hasn't. The write up in Stars & Stripes got my name wrong, it listed me as Gary rather than Dennis...oh well

Response by SMSgt Michael Gleason made Sep 4 at 2022 3:15 PM

2022-09-04T15:15:49-04:00

My "Funnest Moment" was when I was standing in a university hallway waiting for Apollo 16 Astronaut BGen Charles M. Duke, Jr., to address a group of engineering students and show them his "home movies" that he had taken on the Moon, hoping to interest them in joining the Air Force. He came walking down the hall, spotted me in uniform, and stood there just "chatting" with me - one on one - for almost ten minutes! In my military career I had had the opportunity to meet many "lofty" dignitaries, but Gen. Duke was the most "down to Earth" of ANY of the people I'd met!

Response by LTC Jack Regan made Sep 4 at 2022 10:32 PM

2022-09-04T22:32:34-04:00

I spent three years in Korea. During one of my assignments I had time to do volunteer work at the Seoul Zoo. Thanks to my experience before joining the Army I was able to assist them with caring for their elephants and rhinos. Before I PCSd my event was written up in Stars and Stripes, a couple of Korean news papers, and even Korean television. I even received a letter of appreciation from the Mayor of Seoul. It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had with animals. There is a lot more to this experience but had I not been in the Army this would never have been possible.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Sep 4 at 2022 11:46 PM

2022-09-04T23:46:29-04:00

thanks for sharing

Response by MSgt Janice Trojan made Sep 6 at 2022 11:39 PM

2022-09-06T23:39:40-04:00

Oh my. It sucked but was fun in the same instance. "3 days in the field." Air Force medics.1st day ran out of water in a rainforest. Because folks washed thier hair-1st day. 2nd day nurse called in that she was lost. On radio Col said where are you she said by areally big tree. Enjoy all my other stories, got better. But my first crazy story. Love the military.

Response by SPC Arthur Bernal made Sep 8 at 2022 1:38 AM

2022-09-08T01:38:01-04:00

drinking and hanging out my fellow soldiers going to movies

Response by SGT Daniel Petitt made Sep 9 at 2022 8:24 AM

2022-09-09T08:24:49-04:00

Stand down

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2022 9:24 AM

2022-09-09T09:24:02-04:00

I was in the Mass National Guard. 1Bn 102FA. And we would rotate with the1Bn 101FA. In July 4th. At the Boston PopS. Esplanade. And fire the 105’s in sequence with the fifth of Beethoven. Awesome time by all.

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Sep 9 at 2022 10:41 AM

2022-09-09T10:41:55-04:00

In going to celebration of host nations events that jointly honored our participation and shared values

Response by Sgt Adriane Ramos made Sep 9 at 2022 2:53 PM

2022-09-09T14:53:54-04:00

Dorm HALLWAY parties with the bartender and blender in the Bathroom :)

Response by HA Janet Valenti made Sep 9 at 2022 5:18 PM

2022-09-09T17:18:43-04:00

Hospital Corp School, Illinois

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Sep 9 at 2022 8:52 PM

2022-09-09T20:52:34-04:00

In the 34 years I served in uniform, I had a lot of fun. Being sent to places I had no desire to go helped me appreciate the people I met and served with there and the experiences off post as well.
However are are a few.
1. When I was assigned to A Company, 1/52 Infantry we trained hard and played hard. We took company trips to Lloret de Mar, Spain [twice], Ski trip to Hippach in the Austrian Alps, and a trip to the east cost of Italy.
2. I enjoyed traveling around Europe [1981 - 1984].
a. I visited a cousin in Copenhagen, Denmark,
b. a friend in Athens, Greece [took a slow train ride from Munich to Athens - sharing my food with Yugoslav folks after we stopped in Sarajevo - they enjoyed peanuts but hated coca cola :-)
c. I visited cousins and friends in London, Wales, Bath, Notinghamshire, etc.
d. A good friend came to Germany just before I rotated back to CONUS. We took a road trip to Weisbaden to visit friends and another to the Montreux Jazz Festival on Lake Geneva where we saw Van Morrison and Freddie Hubbard perform.
3. When I was assigned to HQDA G-4 after 9-11-2001, I took a computer mouse with tail and stuck the tail in a mouse trap in the technical support area. The technicians loved it but supervisors did not :-)
4. After my mitral valve repair surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, it was claer that something had gone wrong. They had called for my pastor to mpray over me after I leaked 15 units of blood. I made ahand signal to my darling wife which she recognized [wanted a picture taken] Then I played charades with the medical teams :-)
5. At my 25th anniversary reunion at USMA, West Point, I got to march punishment tours with cadets while my right foot was in a support shoe. They ere thrilled to march with a century man - I had over 100 punishment tours while I was a cadet [1976-1980.

Images
1. February 1983 1LT Stephen Ford with Cross at Dead Man's Curve.
2. Early March 12, 2003 -Post mitral-valve repair surgery - Charades at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
3. A Co 1st Bn 52nd IN trip to Hippach in the Austrian Alps – SP4 Higgs wipes out 1LT Stephen Ford on the ski slopes
4. 25th Reunion of the USMA class of 1980 - Steve Ford marching under arms with the Punishment Tour Formation in Central Area at West Point- 17 Sep 2005.
5. Wild Boar checking out my M-151 jeep at dusk in Hohenfels major training area.
6. 2010-10-29 Steve & Maria Elena Ford and Tom Bosco and Susan at 30th reunion of the USMA Class of 1980 Dinner Dance in Sheraton, Mahwah

FYI HA Janet Valenti SGT Private RallyPoint Member SMSgt Michael Gleason PO3 Edward Riddle MSgt Robert E. M.

Response by PO3 Edward Riddle made Sep 9 at 2022 10:39 PM

2022-09-09T22:39:37-04:00

The day I got out of the service, as a matter of fact I was already out, I was walking back to the barracks and passed by a Lieutenant Commander (Same as a Major), and he told me to go get a haircut. I just said O.K. Chief (A Navy E-7). Having just come back from Nam, this was funny to me.

Response by GySgt Jack Wallace made Sep 10 at 2022 8:41 AM

2022-09-10T08:41:25-04:00

First duty station. Camp Butler Okinawa, JP. It didn't start out that good but ended up the best duty station for me and the best time in my entire life. Needed some extra money so I got a job off base working at the Okinawa Hilton. Worked there part-time about a 1 yr. or so. Then when to college in the day time during lunch and took some night courses.Met a wonderful Japanese lady at work as we started playing tennis. I took judo off base and was getting very good until I dislocated my shoulder twice. Started scuba diving and when camping out over night on the beach , eating on what we speared from our dive. Started kendo but the Japenses military beat -me up to much, so had to withdraw from that. Got to go to Korea 5 times on R& R( Brother was that FUN), and P.I twice. After All of that I got married to my Okinawa wife and we will have been married for 44 yrs this November.
Yes Sir, my 3.3 yrs on the Rock/Okinawa was the most wonderful/ exciting time in my life. Note; I even got promoted 3 times* Almost forgot, my inspection team when to Mt. Fuji twice as we inspected Camp Fuji before it burnt-down.

Response by LTC Dave Leppanen made Sep 11 at 2022 10:12 PM

2022-09-11T22:12:25-04:00

Played keyboards in a couple of bands from 1983-1986.

Response by Maj John Bell made Sep 21 at 2022 6:57 AM

2022-09-21T06:57:03-04:00

My entire tour at Marine Barracks Bangor. Two great CO's who understood that Marines did not sign up to stand in a glass box and watch a tree line that nothing ever came out of (except the occasional deer). My mandate was to make sure that when we had training week (every 3rd week), the Marines could walk into the E-Club and talk shit about the crazy training we did. With a lot of support from SubComPac and the 2/75 at Ft Lewis, we did things most active-duty Marines in combat arms MOS's only do in school. In return we provided aggressors for their training and for most of the Division and Brigade level CP's and Brit units during their spool up for duty in the Irish countryside. It hurt to PCS.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Sep 21 at 2022 7:20 AM

2022-09-21T07:20:40-04:00

Russian girl friend while stationed in Germany.

Response by MSG Thomas Currie made Sep 22 at 2022 2:11 PM

2022-09-22T14:11:56-04:00

Attending church service led by a chaplain who prayed "Lord grant us the wisdom to find the bastards and the strength to pile on"

Response by SPC Lyle Montgomery made Sep 23 at 2022 10:37 AM

2022-09-23T10:37:58-04:00

While an Army grunt in Quang Tri Vietnam, I loved screwing with the new guys as I had been through the same thing. I always liked dried apricots and they held up well in the jungle heat. I had bought a can of them at the PX on standdown. I strung several on a shoelace and tied them to my belt. When a new guy arrived by chopper in the bush, the newby would ask one of the guys what they were. The guy from my platoon would say " That guy (me) was a wierdo and that I cut the ears off of dead gooks". Then I would tear an apricot off of the shoestring and eat it. One newby tossed his cookies when he saw this but a lot of others didn't fall for this gag but it was fun anyhow. When we dug our foxholes for our NDP we would often find big worms similar to nightcrawlers but a lot bigger we would put then into someones boots. I found them in mine too.

Response by MSG Stan Hutchison made Sep 23 at 2022 3:32 PM

2022-09-23T15:32:48-04:00

As a career Army NCO, I had far too many fun times to record here, but:
Octoberfest, Munich, GDR, 1966 & 1967,
Fasching, Heidelberg, GDR 1966 & 1967
24 hours at Le Mans, 1967
2 weeks in Sitgis Spain. 1967
Learning to golf on the Saigon golf course, Saigon RVN. 1968-1969
Travelling the Rocky Mountain high country out of Ft Carson, 1973-1978
4 years in Alaska ('nuff said)

Here's one evet I will go into detail with:
THE LITTLE UNIT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BUT DID!
While preparing for REFORGER 77 at Ft Carson, my AG detachment did not have a lot to do. It took us all of about 10 days to get everything lined out for deployment. So, we had a lot of time on our hands. When the Provisional Battalion we were a part of, plus the other units involved, where sent to the field to train for the war games we would be having in Germany, our AG unit was assigned the duties of playing aggressors. Actually, this was kind of fun, as we were basically chair-borne rangers, and did not get involved in this type of action very often. We had a few ex-grunts in our group, so we were not totally lost.
Ok, here is the sitrep:
There is an S&T (supply & transportation, usually a battalion in a division, but just a reinforced company for this exercise) bivouacked at an opening of a narrow valley. They have set up their vehicles properly but have placed their mess tent right out in the open. We learned later the mess supervisor did not want to contaminate the food preparation by having everything under camouflage I think they were just being lazy.
Our mission, as aggressors, is to make an attack on this unit. I think the Bn CO knew they were not ready. We decided to do an early morning attack. We had all the weapons and ammo (blanks of course) we needed, plus lots of CS (tear gas, for you non-military types). We had converted our jeep to a gun jeep, carrying a M-60, with driver (me), commander, (an E8) and a gunner, plus had a 5-quarter with 2 M-60s (driver, 2 gunners, 2 asst. gunners) and a squad of 10 riflemen (and women). (A foot note here; this was the first time Ft Carson and the 4th Inf. Div had allowed female solders to play war with weapons and actually be involved in attacking an enemy)
So, its 0445, the S&T troops are just getting out of their bags, the smell of coffee and frying bacon is drifting across the floor of the valley, when down off of the ridge directly to the east comes these 2 vehicles, weapons firing, troops yelling, making all kinds of fuss and muss! The S&T troops are caught totally by surprise. They had guards out, but most of them had been asleep. We just roared right past the guards, firing in all directions. The 5-quarter stopped near the mess tent and raked the area with fire. We in the gun jeep drove down to where we could see the CP, dropped 2 canisters of CS in front of the tent, raked it with fire, turned and drove back past the mess tent. As we passed the tent, we dropped 4 more canisters of CS, then made a hasty retreat, the 5-quarter following, all the while keeping up our fire. Not one of the S&T troops even picked up a weapon, much less returned fire. When we had hit the CP, we could see the company officers inside having coffee, and I guess, being briefed. They were all in that one small tent. We got them all.
Needless to say, we were flushed with victory. But, our joy was not long lived. By the time we returned to our bivouac area, our CO was waiting. He had already received a call from the CO of the S&T unit, bitching about us ruining their breakfast. It is amazing what a little CS gas can do to scrambled eggs. Later, our CO was called to see the BN CO. I wish I could have been there. It is my understanding that all hell was raised over the unnecessary loss of all that food! I really think it was more about the S&T COs wounded pride. In the end, it was decided we would no longer be allowed to use CS. Maybe we violated the Geneva Convention or something. Our Captain told us later that, as he was leaving, the Bn CO followed him out and told him he thought we had done great, however, it was Army and 4th Div policy not to use CS around any food being served. But the LtCol appeared happy we had taught the S&T unit a few valuable lessons. And the after-action report he wrote to the Div CO never mentioned the loss of the food.
So, causality list:
Pleased Bn LtCol 1
Embarrassed S&T company commanders: 1
Pissed off S&T cooks and troops 250
Proud AG captain 1
Happy, But tired AG troops 18
Pretty good odds,,,,,,
Stan H

Response by LTC Trent Klug made Sep 23 at 2022 3:59 PM

2022-09-23T15:59:46-04:00

RIMPAC 1986. Playing the crew of the HMS Beaver in American football and their football.

We crushed them in American football. I still remember the Petty Officer's face as I ran over him. Ah good times.

They destroyed us in their football.

Then we drank to good friends and good times.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 24 at 2022 5:20 AM

2022-09-24T05:20:39-04:00

I don't remember but I got an Article 15 for it lmao

Response by 1LT Kenneth Fendley made Sep 26 at 2022 9:15 AM

2022-09-26T09:15:11-04:00

Oktoberfest in Munich.