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West Point Class of 1969

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Class of 1971

Jun 29 2021

NRAS – 1973

     

In the fall of 1973, I was a lieutenant in a Howitzer Battery, 2nd Squadron, 11 Armored Cavalry. The squadron was stationed at Daley Barracks in Bad Kissingen, Germany.

Entrance to Daley Barracks

Our mission was to watch over the East German border portion of the Iron Curtain near Bad Neustadt in the Meiningen Gap. Our border camp was at Wollbach.

          Area of Operations

     On October 6, 1973, The Arab Coalition started the Yom Kippur War with a surprise attack on Israel. West Pointers are trained military leaders, so it was no surprise that every classmate and graduate I knew paid very close attention to the conflict. (Related story: https://thedaysforward.com/panic-1973-war/)

     Israel didn’t do so well during the first week of the war. Egyptian forces crossed the   Suez Canal and drove deep into the Sinai desert. Syrian armor threatened to overwhelm the Golan Heights. The nation of Israel was in danger of being cut in half. Israeli losses of armor and aircraft were horrific. In spite of this, Israel held at the Golan and began to push back in the Sinai.

1973 Yom Kippur War

     Now, lieutenants are not privy to a lot of military secrets, but they do hear rumors, and between October 10th and October 22, there were rumors a-plenty. Rumor was, the US was pulling ammunition, M-60 tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, and F-4 Phantom jet fighters out of European war reserve stockpiles and flying them to Israel as fast as aircraft came available. Other rumors said the Russians were doing the same for the Egyptians and Syrians.

     What the lieutenants didn’t know was that the Russians sent a letter to President Nixon early on October 23. The letter said Russia would unilaterally enter the fight against Israel if the US did not join them to force a cease fire. Russia alerted seven Soviet Bloc airborne divisions to be ready to move to the Mideast. One division, with its air transport, mobilized at an airfield in Yugoslavia. In addition to this, the Russian fleet sortied 97 combat ships into the Mediterranean to shadow US Navy assets. Both fleets were ready to shoot.

     Israel was in danger of being destroyed if the Russians entered the war. Golda Meir authorized the IDF to arm some of its nukes. The Russians, in return, moved a ship with their nukes into a harbor in Egypt. World War III was in the air.

Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir

     Around midnight, DC time, on October 23, the Nixon Administration ordered the US military to DEFCON 3.  The DEFCON scale defines stages of US military readiness with 5 being normal and 1 being war is imminent or underway. DEFCON 3 directs selected US forces to increase readiness for deployment. The US wasn’t about to allow unilateral Russian intervention. US action made that perfectly clear to the Russian government.

     Midnight October 23 in Washington DC is early morning October 24 in Germany. The day dawned as a beautiful crisp sunny autumn morning at Daley Barracks in Bad Kissingen, Germany. Around 0830 on Wednesday, October 24 (midnight October 23, Washington DC time), an NRAS B Team member and I, an NRAS A Team member, were called to the 2/11 ACR HQ to decode an NRAS message.

     NRAS stands for Nuclear Release Authentication System. This system is designed to prevent a single individual from exploding an atomic bomb. The system works by requiring classified codes to be stored in a safe with two locks, an A Team Lock and a B Team Lock. Each lock has a different combination. Access to any coded material under two-man control requires the presence of an A Team member with the A Team combination and a B Team with the B Team combination. Armed guards prevented any monkey business.

     Higher headquarters often transmitted NRAS messages to 2/11 ACR via 3-character alpha-numeric code groups. The first code groups of a message identified a specific sealed plastic card. Popping the seal on the appropriate card allowed us to open one of two books and get instructions for decoding the message. The first book was the “practice” book. The second was the “real” one. There was little distinction between the “practice” books and the “real” books.

     2/11 Howitzer Battery NRAS teams were very experienced. Practice messages came in several times each week. All of us had worked together for 18 months and decoded dozens of practice messages and we were good at it. On October 24, we unlocked the safe, opened the practice code books, decoded the message AND THE CODE DIDNT BREAK.

     So, we tried it a second time and THE CODE STILL DIDN’T BREAK.

     We looked at each other and in a split second, in unison we said, “Oh Shit, it’s real” This was not a practice message. We opened the REAL BOOK and popped the sealed WAR RESERVE card. THE MESSAGE DID BREAK AND IT WAS A REAL NRAS ALERT. We and the US military all over the world were at DEFCON 3, one step away from war.

     The message told us info we never imagined. It sent units all over the world to alert assembly areas, it released weapons we never heard of and put us one step away from sending our wives and children to Rhein Main Air Force Base for evacuation to the United States.

     Suffice it to say, this presented Howitzer Battery, in Bad Kissingen with a serious issue. Our 2/11 Squadron E, F and G Cav Troops and the H CO M-60 tank company were doing tank gunnery at Grafenwöhr. Graf is a long way from Bad Kissingen. This meant the only thing patrolling our section of the East German border around the Meiningen Gap was an under-strength artillery battery with 6 155mm howitzers.

One of Jim’s155 mm Howitzers

We didn’t have enough people to move out of Bad Kissingen to our alert position.

    So, how do we tell our Battalion Commander about this? Turns out we got him on the phone and suggested he go have a conversation with any neighboring nuke capable 155mm artillery battalion commander about current events. He did. Before he could arrange rail transport to bring the 2/11 tanks back to BK, cooler heads prevailed. A truce was arranged in the Mideast and the alert was called off before the end of the day.

     I didn’t play any kind of an important role in this incident, but I did get to see a tiny part of history.

Written by Suzanne Rice · Categorized: By Jim Buck

Jun 27 2021

Adventures of a Firefighter – 1974 – 2007

     Fort Lewis, WA was my next assignment after returning from Vietnam in 1973. It was at Fort Lewis that preparation for a second career began.  I joined the local Fire Department (Thurston County District #3 (Lacey)) as a volunteer and became a certified Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician. I started a Paramedic class in Pierce County but was dismissed when they excluded everyone who did not reside in Pierce County.  When next assigned to complete the MP Officer Advanced course at Fort McClellan AL, I enrolled in the Paramedic course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  This involved driving to Birmingham on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and living in my van on weekends when completing the hospital clinicals at various hospitals there. I had joined the Anniston Rescue Squad, was licensed as an Alabama Paramedic in 1978 and was the first Paramedic in the Rescue Squad.  There, I saw more blood and guts than in the Republic of Vietnam.  Disputes involving knives and shootings were a frequent occurrence.

      Next selected for a graduate Fellowship in Forensic Medicine at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, I also completed a master of Forensic Science degree at George Washington University.  Then assigned to the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Fort Richardson Alaska, I volunteered with the Palmer Fire Department for about two years years. Later, in response to a request for an overseas assignment, I was stationed at the Army Training Center at Fort Irwin CA for four years as the Provost Marshal, and later as an Engineer Officer in J3, Force Modernization, US Forces Command located at Ft. McPherson in Georgia. After arriving in Georgia in1989, my family and I settled down in Peachtree City and I joined the Peachtree City Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician.  Since Georgia did not have reciprocity for Paramedics with Alabama, I took the Paramedic course again to be a Georgia-certified Paramedic. For two years, I served in a Volunteer capacity as a FireMedic.  I retired from the Army in 1992 as the O-6 board was convening.  Regardless of the outcome of promotion, it seemed apparent that I would finally be sent overseas, and I was determined not to disrupt the education of our two sons who were close to graduation as had happened to our eldest son. I decided that if I was going to continue in emergency service, I might as well get paid something.  So, I became a career FireMedic with Peachtree City Fire Department working 24 hours on and 48 hours off.  I responded to virtually every kind of known emergency: significant residential structure fires, industrial fires, numerous vehicle accidents and fires, aircraft crashes, flood rescue, and various accidents and injuries.  In the early days we responded to calls of “general weakness”, which often turned out to be a patient in respiratory and/or cardiac arrest.

A couple of the more memorable calls included a small boy (3 ½ years) who had fallen and struck his head on the brick fireplace. That had created an obvious bruise and a laceration which was freely bleeding.  The boy was near hysterical and no one had been able to calm him.  When I walked into the room, the boy saw me, came running over to me and jumped into my arms.  We stopped the bleeding, applied a temporary bandage and transported him to the hospital where they could close the wound.  No one knew why I had such an impact on the child; perhaps it was because I had ten grandchildren of my own. 

Another case involved a multiple vehicle wreck with multiple victims and a vehicle fully involved in fire.  As we were working to extinguish the fire, we noticed a man slumped over in the front seat.  Shortly thereafter, we noticed that he was still alive and pushed the fire away from him as we proceeded with extrication attempts.  This was complicated by the fact that the boot on his right foot was melted into the base of the floor shifting mechanism.  He had survived the fire because he was wearing heavy hunting clothing which shielded him.  He was airlifted to the burn center where he lived for about three weeks before succumbing to respiratory distress. 

The next incident involved a man who was operating a Bobcat loader on which one of the side safety screens was missing.  He managed to get his head outside the cab while the hydraulic arms were in motion and they sheared off the top half of his head.  He was still breathing so he was intubated and transported to the nearest hospital where the physician on duty observed his condition and immediately determined that further medical treatment was futile.

In 1997, I was designated as the department Accreditation Manager and began working on the many issues needed to improve the Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating which effects the insurance rates for property within the city and achieve National Accreditation.  In December 1999, the current Fire Chief died after a battle with cancer.  In January 2000, I became the third Fire Chief of the Peachtree City Fire Department.  I continued in office until my retirement in April 2007 and remain the only retired Fire Chief of Peachtree City. 

Presentations for Peachtree City Firemen

Like many Fire Departments, it had started as an entirely volunteer organization with minimal equipment, minimal training and minimal funding.  Some members had mortgaged their homes to get money to buy the first fire engine, a 1949 Chevy 750 gallon per minute (GPM) pumper. The city grew and was continuing to grow, and the Fire Department had not grown with it. Since I had been the first person in the Department to attend the National Fire Academy, I immediately started increasing training opportunities and acquiring more modern and capable apparatus and equipment.

Hazmat Training

 Morale increased, and both fire and medical service provided was excellent.  In response to a request for help to recover from Hurricane Katrina, The Peachtree City Fire Department sent an ambulance with Medics and provisions to Louisiana for about one month.  During my term as Peachtree City Fire Chief, no firefighter was killed or incurred significant injury in the line of duty. No fire apparatus broke down while fighting a fire and no ambulance broke down while transporting patients to a hospital.

Outreach to the Schools

On September 11, 2001, I was at a Mass Disaster Operations class.  Just before the class started, we received a phone call urging us to turn on a TV set and watch the news.  It was activated just in time to see the second aircraft strike the Twin Towers, and everyone knew instantly that it was not an accident.  Within minutes, everyone’s pagers started activating calling them back immediately to their primary duty stations. I and the rest of the class returned to our duty stations to begin immediate checks of apparatus, equipment and staffing in preparation for whatever might next occur.

When we moved to Georgia, we were looking for quality schools for our sons, quality emergency services for a safe place to live, and some activities and amenities to keep our sons involved in wholesome activities.  My 33 years in the fire service and 29 years as a Paramedic have clearly demonstrated that most persons have the same outlook.  Also, that whenever most people need directions, information or help, they almost always call the fire department either first or when they cannot find someone else to help them.  The quality of the fire/emergency medical service is definitely a major determinant in how the community’s quality of life is perceived and maintained.

Written by Suzanne Rice · Categorized: By Stony Lohr

Jun 27 2021

West Point Wedding Hostess – 1981-84

     As an Army wife, I served in many capacities as a volunteer.  The one that stands out as the most enjoyable was that of Wedding Hostess at the Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity at West Point. 

     Mrs. Jinnie Pollin (wife of the head of the Math Dept.) was in charge of this ministry.  We incoming hostesses received training at a luncheon held by Mrs. Pollin in her beautiful quarters in the Lusk Reservoir Housing Area.  The gracious Mrs. Pollin regaled us with many delightful stories of the weddings she had served.  What fun we had!  We couldn’t wait to start our “ministry”.

     My friend, Kathy, and I decided we would co-host.  She lived in Grey Ghost, and we lived in the “Lonely Old Brick” on Merritt Rd. 

Lonely Old Brick Quarters

That made it easy for us to walk to the Chapel most of the time.  Parking was tight, and we didn’t want to add an additional car to the mix.

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Chapel at West Point

     Most of the weddings were small to medium in size.  One of the most memorable weddings stands out because it was the largest and because the weather was the worst.  It was every bride’s nightmare.  It was hot and humid with a severe thunderstorm booming and crackling overhead. Inside the Chapel,

Inside the Chapel

there were 6-8 excited little flower girls and an equal number of squirmy little boy attendants.  Add bridesmaids, and we had quite a crowd.  Ordinarily, the hostess prepares the attendants to walk down the aisle.  We remind them to hold their bouquets at waist height, straighten dresses, and with the bride, fluff her veil and train.  We also cued the bride and her attendants when to walk down the aisle. For this particular wedding, the bride’s father took over all the hostess duties.  I stood aside as he did everything.  He was darn good, I might add.  Most Holy Trinity was not air conditioned.  The Chapel was so stuffy and so hot. One of the attendants passed out at the altar.   Guests started getting up in search of a breath of fresh air.  Unfortunately, they weren’t able to go onto the portico because of the downpour and lightning.  It must have been disappointing for the newlyweds to have their arch of sabers held indoors. It was still a beautiful wedding, and I’m sure the bride and groom have many happy memories of their wedding day despite the mishaps.

Outdoor Saber Ceremony

     Then, there was the “Crisis in the Choir Loft” wedding.  Before this particular wedding, I went up to the choir loft, as usual, to check in with the organist.  The organist told me he….ummm… had “the runs”.  He told me in no uncertain terms that I was to get that wedding going promptly and to get the wedding party down the aisle ASAP.  He didn’t know how long he would last.  He also told me he had talked to Father.  Father would keep an eye on the choir loft and add special blessings and prayers as needed.  As promised, during the ceremony, Father would glance up at the choir loft and add whatever flourishes needed to work around the organist’s absences.  To this day, I’m sure that couple doesn’t realize how many extra blessings they received on their wedding day.

     Kathy and I always arrived early for the weddings.  We were in the Chapel making sure everything was in place for a wedding when a young man walked in and took a seat about halfway down the side aisle.  He wasn’t dressed as one would expect for a wedding, but we thought nothing of it.  Probably a relative or friend who had just arrived from out of town and didn’t have to time to change clothes.  It didn’t take us long to figure out this wasn’t a regular, run-of-the-mill guest.  As the ceremony proceeded, this man started making comments.  You could call it loud mumbling under his breath.  He also made some comments out loud.  The priest would say something, and he might comment, “yeah, right”.  Kathy and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows.  This must have been the bride’s disgruntled boyfriend.  Mrs. Pollin’s instructions did not include a chapter on, “Disgruntled Boyfriends”.  We sat in the back quietly trying to figure out what course of action we should take.  Was he going to escalate his disruptions?  We nixed the idea of asking him to leave.  It wasn’t likely that he would agree to do that without a scuffle.  Should we call the MPs?  We hated to cause a disturbance at this otherwise beautiful wedding by having the MPs remove this gentleman, possibly by force.  We decided we would call the MPs and ask if they could at least have a presence in the back of Chapel.  There were no cell phones back in those days, so Kathy got up to go to a phone to make the call.  Thankfully, just as she was doing that, the man got up and stomped out the door.  Phew!   Crisis averted. 

     All in all, it was a great honor and delight to serve at weddings.  When I meet someone who was married in the Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity during the early 80s, I always wondered if I might have been their hostess.

Written by Suzanne Rice · Categorized: By Dee Lohr

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