nzt1939@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil (William M. Aldo) (03/22/91)
From: nzt1939@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil (William M. Aldo) Bill: I emailed the following 'post' to you earlier this A.M. -- I didn't proof-read it until after the fact. I can't believe I misspelled a word -- here is a re- vised edition. Please post this one instead.... >From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) >>From: fiddler@Eng.Sun.COM (Steve Hix) >> >>My real question involves the M551 Sheridan. [stuff deleted] >....The M114 had a terrible maintenance record and was... While at Ft.Knox for AIT, my MOS (way back when) was 11D (Armor Reconnaissance Specialist); we played with the M114A1E1 (mounted a 20-mm and an M60 machine gun)...it pretty much s*cked. I totally destroyed one (not really my fault, though;-) I was driving one back from a 1 1/2 week bivuoac when its steering linkage broke. The '114 went through a wooden support for a railroad trestle and, finally stopped before going through a second support. A second '114 couldn't get stopped in time (too close...hey, we were trainees;-), hit us, rupturing our fuel tank/cell...which caught fire. The vehicle was a loss, the trestle was condemned (I don't know if it was ever rebuilt), and I managed to 'gain' a broken collarbone and eight stitches under my chin. Upon getting to Germany, my MOS was switched to 11E (Armor Crewman), which is another episode altogether;-) BTW, I found out after the fact that the '114 I *helped* destroy had been 'deadlined' and shouldn't have been moved (....and I was driving it???). The '114 was made of aluminum alloy...melted real nice;-) >The story is told that a 1st Armored Div tank commander, parked next to >an 82nd M551, pointed to his M1 and said, "This is your tank." And pointed >to the M551 and said, "This is your tank on drugs." Back in the '70s when I was in Germany, most of us tankers called them 'toy tanks' (as opposed to 'real' tanks...M60s and M60A1s, at that time;-) I re- member after Tank Crew Qualifications at Graf one year, we had to stick around and support other units on the ranges for an additional two weeks. My tank spent time (with three others) supplying white/IR illumination for night-fire for a Cav unit from Schwabach (I think) using Sheridans. If memory serves me, technically, the Sheridan is a tank....but its true nomenclature is an AARV standing for Armored Assault Reconnaissance Vehicle or Air?something Assault Reconnaissance Vehicle. I will say 'tank or not', those guys usually do a hell of a job considering they're in a smaller, more cramped area than us in the M60s and M1s for sure;-);-) -- Mark Aldo UUCP: (osu-cis)!dsacg1!waldo INTERNET: waldo@dsac.dla.mil "...Hotel Quebec One Six...You are clear to begin your night run on Range Eight Zero....Good luck, good shooting...Tower, out" -- radio transmission from Control Tower - Range 80 at Grafenwoehr, Germany