What was the highlight/most cherished memory of your military career?

Pinning on one of my former soldier's Ranger Tab who was previously an E-4 in my Platoon (2nd PLT) after I PCS'ed from Germany to Ft. Benning. I had already retired, but somehow NOW 1LT Price, found out where I was working, and asking me to pin on his tab. The crux of the matter is that SPC Price had been assigned to S1, although he was an 11B, because the Platoon/Company had somehow managed to peer this soldier out of the PLT, hence he was detailed to S-1... Long story short, as soon as I was assigned as the 2nd PLT SGT, I found out I had a man detailed/assigned to S-1 and immediately did the necessary and required to get him back where he belong; an Infantry Platoon... Of course, the 1SG and CO backed me... The soldier wanted nothing more than to be back with in his Infantry PLT and I had my soldier back. Win win situation! BTW, I was a civilian none Ranger type pinning on a Ranger tab... Typically that doesn't happen... I believe in second chances!

Receiving my Twenty Year letter. There are many others that all bunch up together in Second Place, but the former is all alone at Numero Uno.

Stationed at Ft. Carson, Co., went into town for a cup of java and met the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I winked at her and it pissed her off so bad that she said yes to a date that has lasted 47 yrs.

I have two that stand out for me. I was Runner-up for 1992 1st Infantry Division Cook of the Year. A Brigadier General came to my Dining Facility to present the awards I received.

The second thing was graduating from Air Assault School at Fort Campbell a couple of years later.

The bonds that I still have with my brothers in Arms. Plus the ten years that I put in.

EVERY MINUET, OF MY 21 YEARS OF ACTIVE DUTY, WAS A CHERISHED MEMORY !!

3............ being crew to an Angel Flight ....catching a Russian nuke on its way into Vladivostok, it was said to be off the east coast by ny....having a n older grandparent couple smile as i walked thru airport in dress blues

I joined the Reserve in 2000 after breaking both legs and an arm , plus I have flat feet, so Basic was VERY VERY HARD I was recycled, I was told I was gonna go home but I stuck it out and I made it through. Two months later I "fainted" at my civillian job and fell off a ladder and landed on my head onto a concrete floor (ladder was at least 10 feet tall), this led to finding out I was Epileptic, thought I would NEVER be able to stay in the service at all let alone dep.loy. Civillian Neurologist put me on meds and got things under control enough that the Army finally agreed to deploy me with my unit in 2007 during the Surge, that would have to be my proudest moment!!!! Being deployed when I thought I was a sure fire never gonna go overseas soldier!!!!!
Was very proud that when we landed in Shannon , Ireland on the flight to Iraq to refuel, the crowd at the Terminal gave us a Standing ovation when we left to reboard. out floght. I also remember being at Bight Star in 2001 and a Kuwaiti Soldier asked if I was American and when I answered yes he got out of his vehicle and hugged me and said he was so sorry for 9/11 and that Kuwait loves America.

I was landing an L-18 on the tactical runway at Eglin AFB when I hit vortex turbulence and the tail passed me up and my left wing dropped when I was just 50 feet off the deck. I could see the spot on the runway behind me that we were about to impact.

After the icecicles went into my heart along with the thought that I didn't know what to do, time slowed to a crawl. I knew that I had to add max power and get the left wing up, and full left rudder to bring the nose back around. It all happened in slow motion, but I got straightened out and brought it in to a normal landing.

After taxiing in and refueling the plane and tying it down, while we were walking to the operations shack my instructor (who had not said a word up to that point) said "Waddell, do you remember that landing on the Tactical runway?" - as if I will ever forget it - "I almost took it from you, but you did what I would have done, so I let you have it".

Especially coming from that instructor, it was the highest vote of confidence I have ever received. Both of our lives were on the line.

After a tough day of travel in a hot MRAP to a remote base near the Iranian border, we played a set (I was in the 34th ID Band, Red Devils Rock Band Team) and literally saw morale improve. The people on the base smiled and danced and the genuineness of their emotions could be felt. Music made that base forget about where they were, and took them "home" for a couple hours. Then we got in the gun trucks and did it again for about 8 more months.