ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
I used to have an interesting photo of a jeep that had been smashed one night when a soldier in C Co. had taken his turn at starting up the APCs' engines and ran them for a few moments during a cold winter night. He thought that he had the APC in neutral but after he had climbed out of it, it began to move forward and encountered the jeep. For quite a while that soldier was "on the ropes" believing that he would have to pay the replacement cost for that destroyed jeep.

Personnel: these are some of the names that I recall from my time at Henry Kaserne:

Captain Strobridge was the company commander of C Co. Scuttlebutt was that as a 2nd Lt. in the Korean Conflict he chose to lead a patrol himself instead of sending scouts out in front one night. He was said to have stepped on an anti-personnel mine and thus became permanently lame in one leg. He walked with a pronounced limp and I am sure that is why he was commanding an APC company instead of a regular infantry company.

First Sergeant of C Co. was named Willowby but I don't recall his first name.

Bruce Hicks and Jack Kreager were both voluntary draftees from Southern California. Kreager's home was in Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles. Both had established records for injuries to a leg and therefore had light-duty assignments. This really annoyed Capt. Strobridge so they would limp excessively when he was around. Kreager and I flew from Landstuhl, a USAF airbase in Bavaria, to Paris. then on to London before returning to Munich. We had the most amazing experience at Landstuhl, when a C-54 was taxiing on the runway for take-off. The tower reported our presence and interest in a ride to Paris; so the pilot stopped his plane, cut the engines and waited while a jeep took the two of us to the airplane to board. We were not yet even into our seats before we were airborne. We could not appreciate enough what the Air Force did to get us on that flight. The Amy would not have been so charitable to two low-ranking draftees. Interestingly, Kreager did not limp while with me in Paris and London!

Joseph Smith was from Virginia: he was the battalion mail clerk.

Mr. Eyester was the battalion personnel officer and Sgt. First Class Charles Mutell was personnel sergeant. Both experienced WWII in Germany; each was married to a German wife; and each was content to remain living in West Germany. Sgt. Mutell limped slightly.

Arnold Sell maintained the battalion officers' service records; he was assigned to HQ Co. He was a draftee from Southern California like me. Unlike me, he bought a new 1957 Karmann-Ghia in Frankfurt. Dale Molitor was the B Co. personnel clerk and a draftee. When his father arrived tom the US (they lived in Iowa) he and Dale visited living relatives in Luxembourg.

Blas Blas was a Guamaian from Guam and an RA. I don't recall his duties. His given name and sumame were the same.

(___) Erickson was the A Co. personnel clerk and a draftee.

Spec. 4 (___) Bravo ranked above us line company personnel clerks; I don't recall his duties. They might have related to financial records. One week each year we stayed at Army Finance HQ and reviewed our five companys' finance records against our personnel records. I don't think we did this in Munich, but it was somewhere in Bavaria. It was nice to get away from Henry Kaseme without having to go set up in a big tent in the countryside with our typewriters and folding tables while the line troops ran around in the fields. Mt. Eyester told us that if war started (USSR) we could fall back and set up in a school or hotel or someplace similar. Apparently, he did that in WWII.

Vincent Baldissari was of Italian parentage from the US. He was RA and visited some of his relatives in Rome. He owned a car and drove down into Italy. I don't recall his assignment. I am sure he was in HQ Co.

(___) Scalsetti had a loudmouth NYC type of personality. (I know the type -- I'm from Buffalo.) He was always joking around. I think he was RA. He teased Mr. Eyester and Sgt Mutell, and got away with it. His conduct seemed incredulous to me but he got away with it. I think he was in HQ Co.

(___) O'Conner was the D Co. personnel clerk. He was a draftee.

Master Sergeant Soccor was the battalion re-enlistment NCO; he, too, reported to Mr. Eyester. He, too, was one of those WWII soldiers who preferred to stay on in West Germany.

Personal: I liked being assigned to the battalion personnel unit. When I wanted a three-day pass I mentioned it to Mr. Eyester and he phoned Capt. Strobridge and worked it out. When I passed time-in-grade by several months as a PFC I had to explain to Mr. Eyester why Capt. Strobridge preferred promoting line troops and RAs over draftees. He got on the phone and told the captain to promote me. End of discussion. Captain Strobridge was the only company commander who had no re-enlistments in the one year I was in his company. All of the other company commanders had multiple re-enlistments. Even long-time sergeants would not re-up while in his company; they would wait to engage in re-enlisting when back in the States, not before.

As my release time started to come around, Capt. Strobridge made various inducements and offers if I would enlist and become RA. He suggested that if I enlisted for a three-year term that I could get assigned to the Adjutant General Corps. I put him off by saying that I was thinking about it. While I was on leave in Paris and London, Jack Kreager told me how he and Hicks were filing early release applications for going to college before the fall 1957 semester began. I had not been aware of this option until hearing about it from both Hicks and Kreager. Upon returning from my leave to England and France in mid-July, I submitted my early release for college registration. When Capt. Strobridge saw it, he remarked, "Well, I guess, White, that you have made up your mind?" "Yes, sir" was all I said to him. (I didn't inform Capt. Strobridge that the corporal who was the battalion clerk who typed up all of the court martial documents was himself court martialed for being Absent Without Leave. That too, was a clincher for me.)

I was assigned to Recon Patoon, Hq. Company, 371st Armd Inf Bn. Started out in a rifle squad, then became T-18 driver and eventually ended up in the Tank section (M41 Tanks). A very interesting assignment.

It has been a long time, but here is what I remember of the organization of Headquarters and Service Company, 371st AIB (with Supply Platoon, Mortar Platoon, and Recon Platoon).

The Recon Platoon consisted of a rifle squad and an armored personnel carrier; a scout section with 5 jeeps - 3 radio jeeps and 2 machinegun jeeps; a light mortar squad with a half track; and a light tank section consisting of 2 M-41 tanks (76mm) and 8 personnel - 2 drivers, 2 loaders, 2 gunners, and 2 tank commanders. This platoon was a fast moving group - tanks capable of doing 45 mph + and the rest could travel that or better.

I was first assigned to Delta Company and later to Headquarters & Headquarters Company in the S4 (supply section).

The unit moved from Merrell Barracks to Worms Germany in Dec 1957. I’m the one that convoyed all the basic rations, ammo, and petrol to an arriving Armored Division unit in the Stuttgart area. I remember it was thanksgiving day 1957, and the Support Platoon leader (Lt Gaydosh) left me (an SP4) in charge while he went home to his wife. At the time I filled the slot as “Assistant Battalion Supply Sgt” so was expected to be in charge.

I’ve attached my picture and a picture of the unit patch.

I thank you for maintaining the site. Maybe more people will make contact thru it.

As a note: My first assignment after training (a Private) was with the 371st AIB (attached to the 2nd Armored Regiment) and my last overseas assignment, 17 years later, (as a Chief Warrant Officer) was with the 1st Squadron, 2d ACR at Bindlach, Germany and the Regimental Headquarters was at Merrell Barracks (1971-1974).