" Thus Endeth the Lesson"

The son's final report and mustering out tale
[ Capt. Rocketeer Jr. returns to civilzation on Dec.3 from his UN tour ]

" been back in the sudan 2 and half weeks now with 9 days left before re-deployment to Canada. Unlike my western journey flight to Sudan was uneventful for me and my luggage...noone at the airport to pick me up, had to risk my life in Khartoum taxi - complete with sheepskin covered seats and fuzzy dice, the cab was held together with spit and coat hanger wire. Had to hold the door closed so it wouldn't spring open and dump me in the street on every left-hand turn.

" Waited 2 and half hours to close out my bank account, but, at least, this time they had US dollars so didn't need a wheelbarrow to haul dinars this time. Banks make a killing ..charge $10.00 for a cheque book [ only way to withdraw money is to write yourself a cheque ] and a $ 15.00 admin fee to close accounts..also official exchange rate has dropped from 219 dinars to dollar to 105..bummer "

" no rest for the wicked.. returned to be assigned convoy duty..sector HQ assigned me to accompany a Zambian convoy making a resupply run to El Obeid, about 650 km to the north. According to the Zmbian Lt in charge of the ops we would depart at 0600 on the 13th, two days travel up, one day load and then one day return [ why we could get back faster than going eluded me and, it seems , those in charge ]"

" Never trust a guy when he tells you he's going to pull out early..left at 0830 and had make a detour to pick up a guide from the SAF brigade HQ. 450 km from Abyei to our overnight stop at UNMO site Dilling took 16 hours in the saddle. reasons for ' delay ':
1] poor road conditions
2] complete lack of anything ressembling command, control or communications within the convoy - notwithstanding composition of 2 officers, 4 warrants, 12 staff sgts, 14 sgts, 2 cpls, and a lance cpl. [go figure ]
3] need for the guide to stop and chat with every soldier he met en route
4] need for same guide to take a break to visit his sister in Kharasana
5] droves of cattle and camels and goats heading south to find grazing land
6] breakdowen of the convoys' recovery vehicle which had to be towed to Dilling by one of the other trucks.
7] 30 minutes it took me to explain to the Zambin Lt that UN convoys can't give ' rides'/pick up hitchiking SAF armed troops

" at about 2130 I decided that Zambian rations of digestive biscuits and dry bread were not enough to sustain us and we left troops to change a blown truck tyre while we went in search of some real food at one of the roadside truckstiops which line the 'highway'illuminated by a combination of tractor-trailer headlights and flickering Chritmas lights" looks llike something off the set of ' Blade Runner '.

" Full of roasted goat and peanut stwe finished off the first leg of the trip arriving in Dilling at 0130.. No one knew we were coming but they eventually found us accomodation in an empty tent [ which the Un charged us $ 20.00 each 1 ] Plan was to leave at 0700 next morning.

" Shave and shower in my canteen cup..no water in the UN camp for some reason..sat around until 100 before convoy got under way..At Dilling , at least, the road is paved so last 250 kms took only 3 and half hours..."

" El Obeid is UN's central supply depot in the
Sudan where they warehouse and distribute everything from Land rovers to paper shredders.. Stayed at the Un ' guesthouse' a former bank building..Had the day off while the Zambians loaded their trucks. Met a fellow Canadian who spent his six month rotation posted there and was the only Canuck on site..got the ' royal tour '.."

True to form, despite promise to depart 0700 we rolled out at 0845, and repeated the same mistakes on the outbound journey..still 250 km short of Abyei when we advised convoy to halt for the night."

' Surprise, we departed final leg on shcedule and despite dusty roads and brush fires burning along the verges [ deliberately set by the local farmers to prevent the grazing of cattle by the northern nomads ] we were making good time until we ran into a particularly large cattle herd moving the opposite way aon the road. As we inched through the hundreds of head, one in particular caught my eye, blind and with a huge open sore on one hindquarter. Just as we thought we had cleard the her, the convoy commander stopped us and headed back. Seems that ugly cow wandered under the rear wheels of one of the 12 tonne trucks and had its head severed nearly clean off. Its owner was demanding replacement money. Given that the Sudanese still tend to quote prices in pounds [ ten to the dina ] hios demand of 60,000 didn't seem too unreasonable..I was about to hand over the money so we could get moving again when it turned out that no, he was, in fact, demanding 60,000 dinars or the equivilent of $ 300 Us. With the help of some local chiefs we managed to negotiate the price down to half that..still didn't have that much cash, so cowheard and carcass were dutifully loaded up in the back of one of the trucks to be takne back to the UN cvamp, but not before they all gathered about for a photograph."

Made one hour's travel when we were stoped by a SAF roadblock. Apparently some locals had taken to terrorizing traffic along our route in an attempt to extract compensation from the oil company whose construction had disrupted irrigation of their fields. After som negotiation with the loca national security agents, communication by radio and sattel with sector HQ and a lot of waiting around [ with dead cow in hot sun in back of truck ] we velcrod up in flak jackets and helmets to head down the road, protection element with rifles at the ready.

Turned out to lot less severe than anticipated, farmers were indeed armed but had set up a checkpoint rather than an ambush and after a few ' exchanges of gifts' we were waved through finally arrving back at Abyei at 1530 some 20 hours behind schedule"

Hoped to spend last three days in Juba but got bumped from manifest and have used the days to get a jump on my checkout paperwork instead. Have to wait for the UN to finalize my account, confirm my flight and fight with the Canadian Government over who will pay for my flight home..them or the UN...

Just my luck that after getting through a parasite infested place without a scratch I've come down with a cold in my last week..

A true time of 'thanksgiving'.

geez, I'm really surprised he'd ever be willing to wear that baby blue pisspot ever again! The bit about the cow is a classic!

Gunny:
now that he's back I'm trying to get him to give me some ' unexpurgated' insights into the tour!!

the stories you keep for the fireside over a cold beer.

Glad to hear. Are you rethinking my earlier advice about him taking a small automatic pistol along?

Gunny:

I asked the boyo how the great cow adventure turned out..

seems that the dead beast and the owner enjoyed the ride back to the Un camp though some in close proximity to the expired bovine found it a bit off-putting after 8 hours in the sun and heat on the back of a flatbed trailer..

Son is not convinced that the poor cudchewer met with an ' accident ' and is of the beleif that, in the spirit of all impoverished people, the herder had some ' steet smarts ' [ even if there are no ' streets' around! ] and realised he could turn a liability into an asset.. It is my son's considered opinion that the blind, lame beastie was ' assisted' in its finding itself under the wheels of a miltruck..

what better way to turn a lame old blind bovine into a brand new prime piece of livestock by making the UN pay for a 'replacement '..Naturally no one was about to mutilate a new cow to duplicate the ' condition' of the first and return to the herder another lame, blind animal, so he comes out ahead with either a new animal or a fistful of cash..

As the happy farmer and his compensation were escorted back to his charges, the remains of the ' victim' were consigned to ' other uses' as no one wanted to turn ol' bossy into burgers given her delicate condition prior to meeting her fate and her ' curing' on the back of the truck during her journey..

all in all a pretty successful scam..that farmer will go far...

$150.00 is probably a more than a full years wages for the farmer!

I remember in Germany after every exercise or troop movment, the German farmers and a field collecting from us. Tracks could make one hell of a mess.

mech
Which brigade were you in while in Germany? Reason I ask is that my brother was in the Berlin Brigade over there.

Gunny, I was in the 2nd brigade 81st Armor, 1st Armored Division out of Erlangen. It's about 12 klicks north of Nurnberg. I was attached to a tank outfit in Berlin in the summer of 1977 for a period of 95 days. It was a rotational thing due to shortages of manpower after the war. What unit was your brother in?

Mech, Got this from his website:
Company F "Patton" 40th Armor Berlin Brigade

September 1978 - December 1983
April 1985 - March 1992
Positions Held: Loader, Driver, Commanders Jeep Driver, Commander's Gunner, Gunner, Tank Commander, Platoon Sergeant, Platoon leader, and Battalion Master Gunner

Company A, 2-64th Armored Regiment
HHC Brigade and G3
3rd and 1st Infantry Divisions
Schweinfurt and Wurzburg, Germany

March 1992 - July 1996
Brigade Master Gunner, Platoon Sergeant and Division Master Gunner


kid brothers website

He came in Berlin a year after I left there.I was stationed in Germany from early 1975 to late 1978 He put a lot of time there. I thought I was unusual with a little over three years there. Been to Schweinfurt and Wurzburg. Did a lot of traveling when I was in HQ platoon. Nice web site he has there. I remember one of the ranges we had to practice at. You were Marines and him an Army tanker? Must have led to some interesting family reunions.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mech768,

Mech

Bobby when he was younger was a hell raiser and one of the most defiant and irritating little s.o.b.'s I'd ever known. He asked if he would do well in the Marine Corps, so I told him up front that he wasn't cut out for the Corps and that he would fit in better in the Army. Turned out I was right. (go figure!) The Army set him straight on a multitude of personal development areas. Personally I think it's just because he was allowed to drive a tank.

Yea, that does something for us.I was the same. On the verge of loosing my license for the second time for racing when I joined, then they gave me a tank and with a blade to boot! Nothing better to crush something with than a 64 ton hot rod.

quote:

The Army set him straight on a multitude of personal development areas.

huhh...yepper me too.