Young Lieutenant Donovan got off the airplane at Frankfurt, he and the other Lieutenant Donovan were picked up by 1LT Pete Hansen, the rear detachment commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Field Artillery. Pete motored us to Monteith Barracks, near Nurnberg, home of the 1st Armored Division's Division Support Command (DISCOM) where little Johnny drew his TA-50 issue. Pete then drove us over to Pinder Barracks, home of 1/22 FA, 6/14FA, HHB DIVARTY, 595 MP, and a Corps maintenance company whose number escapes me for the moment.
There I got in a jeep and headed off to Grafenwoehr and the FIST TOC, where I was informed I had radio watch for the night. I hadn't been in Germany 10 hours yet. That would be the famous night where I told the idiot blowing into his microphone on the battalion net that it was not necessary to inflate his radio prior to use. Apparently LTC Becker, the battalion commander, liked to inflate his radio before he used it and he did not take kindly to my admonition. Fortunately, he didn't catch my callsign, either.
Such was my introduction to the 1st Armored Division in 1980.
Three weeks later the battalion is back in garrison and 1LT Pullen, the Brigade Fire Support Officer I worked for (yes, a 1LT (P) brigade FSO, we were short-handed back in the day) informed me that I should report that afternoon to the Pinder Theater for the DIVARTY commander's welcome brief.
Seated with all the other newbs, the DIVARTY commander stumped out on stage, looked us over, and said in a gruff voice with an odd accent:
"The mission of the 1st Armored DIVARTY is to go east, and cancel Czechs!"
That was my introduction to Colonel John M. D. Shalikashvili, who would later manage to make his way to the top of the military ladder as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1936, son of Georgians who had fought against the Bolsheviks - I heard his stories of the war, and he wasn't shy about some of
the uncomfortable twists in his family's experience of the war. While his post-career politics didn't exactly align with mine, he was an able commander who cared for his troops, which is more than I will say for several other officers I served under who later wore four stars.
Regardless - it was a memorable mission brief, and a good introduction to the Cold War. Hoist a stein of Zirndorfer down at Fiddler's Green for me, General.
Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance:
In Memoriam of General John M. D. Shalikashvili, who taught me military banking the 1st Tank way!
Read the complete post at http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2011/07/end_of_mission_1.html
Posted
Jul 24 2011, 08:18 AM
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Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..