Bill Murray, STRIPES
"Where have you been soldier? Training Sir! What Kind of Training Son? Arrrrmy Training, Sir!"
Vacations in Grafenwoehr
Aside from the occasional 'REFORGER' (Return of Forces to Germany) war games exercise or a day in our local training area at Lamboy Woods, the majority of our actual combat training was conducted in one of two massive training areas located in Grafenwoehr and Hoenfels, Germany. A/40th's usual destination was Grafenwoehr, situated in a beautiful part of Southeast Germany (if you are a wild boar) and conveniently within 'ear-shot' of the Czechoslovakian border and the rest of our Cold War foes, the Soviet-backed 'East Block.' What made the training worthwhile and bearable, was the MLRS soldier's high among highs: Live fire missions sending MLRS rockets 'down range' and scaring the hell out of everyone within miles of the firing points in Grafenwoehr, Germany.
American forces follow the doctrine that if we are not actively engaged in a conflict, we should be training for the conflict that will eventually come to pass. Someone much wiser than the average soldier, summed up the American training doctrine with a single statement: We train so that we don't have to fight, but should we have to fight, we will kick 'their' collective butts.
We at A/40th MLRS always looked forward, with warm hearts, to those wonderful times of the year, when we got to leave the safety of our refuge, Francois Kaserne, our hot showers, decent food, dry beds, bars, wives and girlfriends to go 'camping,' in the German countryside. Those two or three glorious weeks spent sleeping in vehicles, freezing our butts off, eating sub-par food (eggs in the shape of a square) leaning our backs against trees to relieve ourselves (then sticking a 'flag' in the results) were always worth the discomfort, just to be at one with nature. Oh, how I miss those cold, sleepless nights in the field and the 0200 to 0400 guard duty shift...
We at A/40th MLRS always looked forward, with warm hearts, to those wonderful times of the year, when we got to leave the safety of our refuge, Francois Kaserne, our hot showers, decent food, dry beds, bars, wives and girlfriends to go 'camping,' in the German countryside. Those two or three glorious weeks spent sleeping in vehicles, freezing our butts off, eating sub-par food (eggs in the shape of a square) leaning our backs against trees to relieve ourselves (then sticking a 'flag' in the results) were always worth the discomfort, just to be at one with nature. Oh, how I miss those cold, sleepless nights in the field and the 0200 to 0400 guard duty shift...
Training
Training 1
Daniel Camara sits on his cot while he packs his gear from the previous night's training.
A couple of weeks in Grafenwoehr is enough to cause anyone to regress into a 'fetal' position.
Mike Huxta is right on time for his 0400 guard duty shift. Does anyone know what we were guarding?
James Graves just 'loves' the dreary weather that perpetually hangs over the Grafenwoehr training area.
Joakim Sulfrain chooses to sleep on the ground instead of his nice, comfortable cot.
James Mathews, SGT Berry and Arthur Colter are hiding from SFC Bell.
The M-998 HEMMT will go just about anywhere. You should get one: We had 18!
Aaron Nelson and Niels Hansen with a gas can. Should we be worried?
During breaks, we slept in these open-bay barracks by the M-1 Tank range!
Ahhh.... Remember the 'Walkman?' What a marvel of technology!
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