Connecting the Troopers of Today with the Veterans of Yesterday.

First memories of the boarder

Very first foot patrol in camp rotz sector, we ran across a chez patrol going in the other direction. My team leader told me to stay in place and lock but not load my M2 submachine gun while he approched them. During those times (1973) we had to keep a peice of green tape over the top of the magizine so the ammo did not fall out, heavan help you if you were short a round when you returned from patrol. To my horor the magizine would not go into the gun becuase of the residue left from the tape. Afterwards we discovered once the mag had been cleaned the top round also had enough residue that it would not chamber.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wayne Nimmo on December 17, 2008 at 10:43pm

One of my memories that sticks with me is going out to do a patrol, during the winter. Drove our jeep up to a vantagepoint where we could see them, they could see us, yet everybody kept their cool, or so they thought. After we parked our jeep, the Sgt. I was with (cant remember which one was involved in this story) and I stayed out in front of the jeep for a few minutes after the East German patrol came up, saw us, and stopped to take their customary pictures. Sarge decided that was enough time, and told me to go get a canister out from the passenger side of the jeep. I got it, walked back to the front, and put it on the hood. Cylindrical, silver, about a foot long, with a 2.5 inch black cap on top and a handle on the side. They saw it in their binos, grabbed their cameras, and rattled off at least 2 full rolls of film, trying to figure out what this was. After a few minutes, we decided it was time to remove the cap, pop the pour spout, and enjoy some of the coffee from the thermos. A whole lot of german, probably profanity laden, insued, followed by the East Germans climbing in their vehicle and leaving in a big hurry. We had a good laugh over that one, and ended up having an uneventful night after that.

Permalink Reply by Sean Dubee on December 18, 2008 at 6:14am

On the border...the memory that sticks out most in my mind was during my first tour at Camp Hof and thinking that his stuff was for real. Alerts, movements, all of it.

Then on my first foot patrol, I was kind of disappointed at the reaction of the East Germans in a tower at the railroad crossing at Kandelhof. It was almost like...meh. They opened the window quite lazily, looked out, looked at us and then closed the window. We filed out a spot report and moved on.

After that it was them watching us watch them.

At least the Czechs flew their helos more often and I was able to get some nice Hind pix. :)

The boarder on the other hand was rude and obnoxious at times but only after he drank a lot. :P

Permalink Reply by James Bigbie on December 22, 2008 at 5:59am

My most memorable moment was when we were at Camp Reed when the borders went down. The entire camp was restricted to post for 2 days, while Reaction Force pretty much slept on the vehicles. There were little pieces of shit Trabants everywhere! That was the end of the border camps.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Hirth on December 27, 2008 at 3:51pm

When I first got to Amberg in Jan. of 79 for some reason the Sqdn had a policy that How Battery didnt do border duty then that changed in 81 and I did my one and only tour at camp May in January of 81. I was in FDC (fire direction control section) so I ended up spending the entire time in the head shed and then running the little nco club during off duty hrs. I remember being thankfull back then that I didnt have to freeze my ass off with the other guys out on patrol although now Im kind of disappointed that I missed the experience. I remember I got my third stripe a couple days after we got there and The absolute best food Ive ever eatten in the army was there at the border those guys that were permanent party there were the absolute best. All in all Border duty was pretty tame for me but I remember really feeling for the guys out patroling or the reacton force rolling out in the middle of the night because that winter was the coldest one I remember.

Permalink Reply by curtiss vann on December 29, 2008 at 5:25pm

Hirth this is Vann small correction we did border tours in 79. I did 2 one, with Sgt adkins as NCOIC
pretty intense guy

Permalink Reply by Andrew Hirth on December 29, 2008 at 8:40pm

Hey Curt ..... well some how I missed them not sure where I was at when that happend as you remember I got there at the end of Jan 79, I went home on leave once during the summer is there a chance that one was in Jan and the other while I was on leave?

And yes SFC Adkins was so tight he squeeked when he walked but once you got to know him he was a prety good guy an fair to.

Any way HWB never did a border tour in 80 then Jan 81 was my first.

curtiss vann said:

Hirth this is Vann small correction we did border tours in 79. I did 2 one, with Sgt adkins as NCOIC
pretty intense guy

Permalink Reply by Robb Russell on December 29, 2008 at 10:50pm

Curtiss and Andrew I spent a good part of 79 at Camp May,as permanent party. Chances are I never had a chance to meet you in the berg though.I ran the movie projector, PX , inspected the mess hall daily and about anything you can name in addition to being the Camp Doc that needed to being done.If I put a cook on quarters I also was a cook. I remember having triple rations per man allotted and ordering some neat food many back at the rear dreamed of eating.

I remember the 4th of July, 1979 on patrol being in a snow fight up on one of the hilltops along the border.

I don't remember HWB at the border but its been 29 years now. I met a lot of great soldiers like both of you and who knows we may have even sat down over a beer sometime.

Permalink Reply by curtiss vann on December 30, 2008 at 5:15pm

Robb Russell said:

Curtiss and Andrew I spent a good part of 79 at Camp May,as permanent party. Chances are I never had a chance to meet you in the berg though.I ran the movie projector, PX , inspected the mess hall daily and about anything you can name in addition to being the Camp Doc that needed to being done.If I put a cook on quarters I also was a cook. I remember having triple rations per man allotted and ordering some neat food many back at the rear dreamed of eating.

I remember the 4th of July, 1979 on patrol being in a snow fight up on one of the hilltops along the border.

I don't remember HWB at the border but its been 29 years now. I met a lot of great soldiers like both of you and who knows we may have even sat down over a beer sometime.

Permalink Reply by curtiss vann on December 30, 2008 at 5:15pm

curtiss vann said:

Robb Russell said:
Curtiss and Andrew I spent a good part of 79 at Camp May,as permanent party. Chances are I never had a chance to meet you in the berg though.I ran the movie projector, PX , inspected the mess hall daily and about anything you can name in addition to being the Camp Doc that needed to being done.If I put a cook on quarters I also was a cook. I remember having triple rations per man allotted and ordering some neat food many back at the rear dreamed of eating.

I remember the 4th of July, 1979 on patrol being in a snow fight up on one of the hilltops along the border.

I don't remember HWB at the border but its been 29 years now. I met a lot of great soldiers like both of you and who knows we may have even sat down over a beer sometime.

Permalink Reply by curtiss vann on December 30, 2008 at 5:16pm

Did 1 tour at Rotz and 1 at May but cant separate the 2 camps in my mind. Can someone help?

Permalink Reply by Mark D Nelson on July 11, 2009 at 2:53pm

I did permanent medic duty at doth camps off and on in 80 and 81. Rotz was a old camp with block buildings. When you came into Rotz you came in gate and turned right in to the motor pool. Rotz was on top of the hill. Camp May was a newer post with new buildings. When you came into May you drove between the barracks on the right and mess hall and ops on the left to get to the motor pool. May was built on side of hill, barracks at bottom. From there you walk up hill to main camp road(only one?) and then up stair to mess hall on other side of road. Camp May was smaller then Rotz and May was next to a major highway. Rotz had the helicopter landing field outside gate, across road and the JP4 truck to refuel them. I don't think May had a landing field and i know it had no JP4 truck. I have been looking for both of them on Google earth but can't find them.

Permalink Reply by Robert D King on January 2, 2009 at 4:56pm

Any body remember the F-111 that went down 1/2 click from the Chec border around 77? I got the duty of recovering and transporting what was left back to K-Town. It took 2 days to cook off all that ammo. The whole thing was in plain view from the Chec border towers.