Where was your first duty station after tech school and how long were you stationed there before your first PCS? Was it where you wanted?

My first PCS assignment was as an Air Policeman with the 351st Combat Defense Squadron (SAC) at Whiteman AFB, MO From there I went to Vietnam with the 12th Security Police Squadron, Cam Ranh Bay then the 366th Security Polcie Squadron, Da Nang, Vietnam. My next three bases I got My first choice each time, First Hanscom Field, MA, Lowry AFB, CO and Hickham AFB, HI

Well if you can count training at Ft. Lewis for ten months as a Tech school my first duty station would have been Vietnam,now if you count my ten months and fourteen days in Vietnam as a tech school then Ft. Polk La.was my second duty station ,there were similarities ,as some here on RP can attest!

1. Ft. Bliss
2. 5 years
3. Absolutely not, but it wasn’t that bad.

I had all northern tier and overseas bases on my dream sheet. When I graduated EOD School I had orders to Moody AFB, Georgia. Opposite end of the country from what I asked for. Go figure! I was TDY from Moody for almost 4 months total and had PCS orders for West Germany 13 months from the time I checked into Moody until I out processed.

SFC William Farrell 1SG Dan Capri SPC Mark Huddleston SP5 Mark Kuzinski TSgt Melissa Post SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth Cpl (Join to see) PO1 H Gene Lawrence SSgt Corwin Whicker MSG Andrew White TSgt Steve Waide Sgt Randy Wilber SGT Christopher Combs ] COL Lee Flemming SPC Mike Lake SGT (Join to see) Sgt Kelli Mays SSgt (Join to see) SGT Michael Thorin SFC (Join to see)

SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Jim Arnold (Join to see) Sgt Albert Castro SSG William Jones PO1 William "Chip" Nagel CMSgt (Join to see) SSgt Boyd Herrst Maj Kim Patterson SGT Tim Fridley SGT Quentin Moore LT Ed Skiba SSG Michael Noll PO2 Michael Martin SGT (Join to see) CWO3 Dave Alcantara SFC Richard Williamson SSG Robert "Rob" Wentworth PO3 Phyllis Maynard SGT (Join to see)

Was originally supposed to go to Tempelhof Germany but the site was slated for closure before I arrived. Instead, I was sent to Misawa AB Japan for three years. It became very clear why they called it the "dream sheet" because I didn't get any of the bases I wanted. The fact my AFSC (1N5X0) was only authorized at about eight locations probably didn't help my odds any.

Luke AFB AZ 1984-88- follow on to an Air Reserve Tech slot in the 917th at Barksdale AFB, LA 1988-99- then home to Sioux City at the 185th- drill at the 132d in Des Moines. I will hang them up in the next few years. So many place in between with deployments and long TDYs I could not begin to list them.

My first duty station was Fort Campbell, Kentucky in March 1975 my friend TSgt Joe C. I was assigned as a 12B Combat engineer in 20th Engineer Battalion [Combat]. I received orders in the spring of 1975 to report to Fort Monmouth to attend United States Military Academy Preparatory School [USMAPS] in August 1975. I was pleased with that assignment.
After I graduated from USMA, West Point on May 28, 1980 I took leave and reported to Fort Benning for Infantry Mortar Platoon Officers Course [IMPOC] and Infantry Officers Basic Course [IOBC]. I had completed Airborne School the previous summer.
My first commissioned officer duty assignment was Warner Barracks, Bamberg, Germany. I was assigned to 1st Battalion 52nd Infantry [Mechanized] from February 1981 to June 1984. Then I PCSed to Fort Benning for Infantry Officers Advanced Course [IOAC and then company command.
I was pleased with that assignment as well.

Images:
1. 1975-03 Ft Leonard Wood, MO - AIT B-2-4 Steve with broken foot. I reported to Fort Campbell in a leg cast. :-)
2. 1981-08 Grafenwöhr August 198 [01]– 2nd PLT A 1-52 at OPFOR Vehicle Park – posed in front of tracked vehicle – SPC Correa, 2LT Ford, SPC Ballinger, SPC Reyes, SPC Frizzel, SPC Turner
3. 1982-10 Hohenfels A Company 1st Bn 52nd Infantry Regiment XO 1LT Stephen Ford (1)
4. 1982-03 A Co 1st Bn 52nd IN at Grafenwöhr Training Area in March 1982 – M60 machine gun ammo commercial - 1LT Andy Cruise, 1LT Mike Johnson, 1LT Stephen Ford

Camp Pendleton, CA for Field Radio Communication School and stayed on Pendleton assigned to HQ Btry 3rd Btn 11th Marines as a field radio operator at Camp Las Pulgas (43 Area, Camp Pendleton) 1979 - 1982. Worked in the Battalion Fire Direction Center.