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

thanks for sharing

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

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"

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 Carl Blas SMSgt Michael Gleason PO3 Edward Riddle MSgt Robert E. M.
SGT Paul RussoAmn Dale PreisachSGT Dan Grey
MAJ Hugh BlanchardSFC William Farrell SPC (Join to see) SSgt David M.1SG Joseph Dartey SMSgt Lawrence McCarter MGySgt (Join to see) GySgt Jack Wallace SFC Ralph E Kelley SFC Stephen King SSG Franklin Briant PO1 Howard Barnes

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!

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.

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

Hospital Corp School, Illinois

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.

Stand down