When I was in B Company the Technicans were billeted in Pirmasens. We were near the Exclusion Area for security reasons. When C Company was formed we had a Headquarter's Platoon, a Security Platoon (MPs), and an Operational Platoon (Technicans). I believe the first Company Commander was CPT Herlinger. We had several(?) Lieutenants just out of OCS but with significant service as platoon leaders. We (at least the MPs) were still billeted at the B Company Kaserne and the Exclusion Area was in the Ammo Compound secured by the "Polish Guards". That was the very large (huge) forested compound on the same side of the road as our Kaserne (I can't recall the name of that Kaserne!) and up the road a couple of kilometers. (I had been promoted to CPL by that time and was a Squad Leader and the Machine Gun Section Leader. When we were at the other Exclusion Area all we ever carried were our M1 Rifles.)

We moved to Zweibruecken and I went to work in Operations as the Assistant Opns Sgt. I believe that MAJ Norris was the CO. We conducted CPX with the BAOR on several occasions. Mönchengladbach, maybe?

I retained my 95B MOS even though I was working in Operations and when I re-enlisted I stayed in the MPs. In 1967 transferred to MI and was awarded a 97B MOS. Appointed a WO and retired in 1976. I have some of my records from my first enlistment and service with the 10th Ordance Battalion and will be happy to see what I can provide. I do know that I have a picture of several of us MPs clustered around an H-34 helicopter during an exercise where we provided security for the movement of some special weapons. Problem is, I haven't a clue where or when it was. I do have some copies of orders for enlisted personnel with names, ranks and serial numbers (not SSNs) but I have no ideas where any of those folks are now.

Let me know what kind of information you would like to have. WE are leaving shortly for a vacation but will be back by 7 June. I will be happy to look through my records for whatever I can provide

After entering the US Army, I went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for eight weeks of basic training. After basic training, I went to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey to attend an eleven week basic electronics course. After attending this course, I went to Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama to attend an eighteen week course on the Corporal Guided Missile electronics guidance system. After graduating from this course, I received one weeks leave to return home and then to proceed to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey for further transfer overseas.

Myself and six others that graduated from the course were selected to go to Great Britain to teach a course to the British soldiers on the Corporal Guided Missile System. After arriving at Camp Kilmer, we stayed four weeks awaiting transportation overseas. While waiting so long for shipment overseas, it became apparent to all of us that something was wrong with the way the US Army was doing things. On three occasions (three different Saturdays), we were instructed to dress into our OD's and to board a bus with our duffel bag. Each of the buses was supposed to carry us to an US Transport ship located at New York City. Each time, somewhere along the way, we were instructed to depart the bus and to return back to quarters on the base.

Finally, on the fourth Saturday, we boarded a bus and arrived at the transport ship located at New York City. Once there, we boarded the transport ship still thinking that they were headed for Great Britain. It took seven days by ship before arriving at Bremerhaven, Germany - not Great Britain as originally thought! During the ship's transit to Germany, the ship ran into much bad weather where the seas had produced waves of 20 to 30 feet in height. Many of the soldiers and ship's force got deathly sea sick during the trip. The food, which was served on a tray, would slide off of the tray or the tray would slide off of the table each time the ship would list to the port or starboard. She would list from 5 to 15 degrees each time a huge wave hit the bow of the ship. The waves were headed into the bow at about 15 degrees off the port side of the ship. For several days after departing the ship, you were unable to walk a straight line because your head felt like you were still on the ship experiencing the roll and pitch of the ship.

The seven of us boarded a train at Bremerhaven and arrived at Saarbrucken, Germany some 10 hours later. While traveling to Saarbrucken we observed lots of open fields being plowed by oxen which were being driven by both men and women. You did not see many trees during the route. Most of the trees had been either bombed and destroyed or had been harvested for firewood during the war.

We stayed at Saarbrucken a week awaiting orders. Finally, our orders came. We were being ordered to the 96th Ordnance Company (71st Ordnance Group) which was located at Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany - some 120 Kilometers away. Mainz was a German base used during World War II by the Germans. Most of the barracks there were four stories tall with an attic on the fourth floor. They were built out of stone with slate roofs. Most of the other buildings on the base were built the same way.

While assigned at Mainz, I got interested in amateur radio after meeting a fellow soldier named Stew Black. Stew had built and installed in the attic of the barracks a MARS (Military Affiliated Radio Station) radio station. The call sign for the station was DL4 CCB. At first, I just visited the radio shack and later I would stay for hours at night. I would talk to other radio operators located throughout the world. Subsequent to getting involved with this hobby, I got my license to operate the station. My call sign was DL4 BV.

The seven of us stayed at Mainz for 10 months. For the first three months while there I was assigned to the motor pool and not to a job in anyway associated with the Corporal Guided Missile System. During that period, I drove a 10-ton motorized crane. Later, I was assigned to the Missile System Lab where I actually performed testing of missile components.

Six months after being assigned to Mainz, the 96th was disestablished and all of the short timers (those having less than six months left in the Army) were transferred back to the States. I was not included because I still had more than six months left in the Army. I, along with the six other soldiers that left Redstone Arsenal together were transferred to the 9th Ordnance Company (Webmaster: should be "battalion") located at Siegelsbach, Germany. The base at Siegelsbach had been a German V1 and V2 Missile testing and assembling area during World War II. All of the German fortifications (bunkers built under ground) had been destroyed by American and Allied forces at the end of the war and the US Army had come along and built their own fortifications for testing and assembly of atomic missile warheads. There were around 80 enlisted men and several officers assigned to the company. All of the enlisted men were either college or high school graduates.

I returned to the States and was discharged at Fort Jackson, SC in Jan. 1957. During the past month I have connected over the internet with several of the men who were stationed in Siegelsbach during the time I was there.