If there is one thing I've learned which holds true for every job I've had, is the fact that the job you had before prepares you for the one you're about to be part of. Regardless of its initial outcome, staying firm in your beliefs, hold purity in your heart, and striving to be the best at what you do trumps disappointment.
You can't make people like you. But you can always like them.
So, after I left the 3rd Combat Aviation Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, I wrote on the average of 7 articles per week for around 6 weeks. I don't remember how many of them got published but I know a lot of them did.
After that, I was reassigned to the 2/17th Cavalry with the official reason being my Cobra crew chief MOS was in critical shortage. The real reason, Soldiers Magazine pissed off the Department of Information Services trained journalists off because they were calling me and not them.
But it really didn't matter why, in truth, it had to happen. As a matter of fact, everything had to happen.I just didn't know why at the time.In fact why is sometimes realized in bits and pieces.
So, in March, the first piece of the puzzle aligned. Major General John M. Brandenburg was about to become the Commanding Officer of the 101st Airborne Division. Yeah, the same General who requested a picture of me with him.
Believe me when I say this, when General Brandenburg came over to my unit to meet with my Commanding Officer, I tried to hide from him. Unfortunately, he spotted me, excused himself from turned around and walked up to me.
I saluted him and he saluted me.
"Sergeant Edwards, didn't I just send you to Germany?"
"Yes sir."
"What are you doing back?" He laughed and walked away.
Now, I knew why everyone was stir fry nuts in Germany.
And also, now, suddenly, my Commanding Officer at the 2/17th Cavalry found himself in a rather uncomfortable situation. He just witnessed a E-5 whose cozy with the Commanding Officer of the 101st Airborne Division.
Still, the exchange between us was hilarious.
You know, sometimes being bored out of your gourd is a good thing. And while I was waiting for REFORGER 78 to start taking shape, I tjhought about an issue that has been
During REFORGER 78, the images were again mixed up:
At least, Army Aviation Magazine got the patch right this time.
Okay, so I was asked what was I doing back? Hum, well, I created a way to know what group in what troop had ordered manuals by putting extra holes in IBM 21 punch cards and that worked.
Up to that time, we had to call each troop to ask if they had ordered the manuals. After the inclusion,. we no longer had to do that.
When REFORGER 78 was about to happen, I was assigned to A Troop, 2/17th Cavalry and asked to take pictures and write stories. I talked with and sent pictures to the editor of Army Aviation Digest, I had a Black widow spider in my tent which was really cool to watch the smaller spiders try entering my tent and then back out of it. Didn't know she was in there until I split my poncho apart from my half tent.
Apparently, she died as the flap of my poncho caught the chopper blades and pretty much smacked her around until she was dead.
Arrived in Germany with 20 rounds of 36 shots slide film, 6 rounds of 36 shots black and white film. for my semi automatic 35mm packing a 28 mm lens and a sharpshooter 80mm to 210mm double barrel shot gun.
I was armed and dangerous baby and I wasn't takn prisoners!
I know all of the above sounded pretty silly. But you have to remember, I was back in country and the people I knew, the people who knew me were about to get a healthy dose Deja vu.
Sent Werthiem goes to Werthiem to Stars and Stripes and then thanked the editor for publishing it. His last words to me, "Just like old times, Sergeant Edwards"
I swear on the stack of 500 bibles that I'm not making any of this up. So I'm walking around all the evening activities, listening to the bitchy, high pitched screams of mobile generators, hearing the clanking of torque wrenches as rotor blades were being reattached to helicopters and I'm thinking, wow, I really have it made.
All I have to do is get the pictures my CO wants and do what he has no idea what I can do here and everyone is going to be happy. I'm back and, not only that, I'm back at Giebelstadt.
What could possibly go wrong in paradise?
You know whats coming, don't you?
I didn't.
I got back over to our GP medium and slept soundly until the smell of hot coffee and freshly cooked bacon drifted over my senses. After breakfast, we started throwing our gear into our duffel bags and preparing to go to the field.
Someone yelled "Ten-hut" and we all stood at attention. The voice from the colonel said, "At ease. Is there a Sergeant Edwards in here?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Report to General Brown, now."
How in the heck can a simple article published in Stars and Stripes be that wrong?
So, I reported to him.
"Sergeant Edwards, do you have film in that camera?"
MG John M. Brandenburg use to rib me with the same question. So, I wasn't sure how to answer him. I assumed he wasn't joking with me.
"Yes, sir."
"Consider that film and all the film in your possession to be official Army film. You are now the Task Force 229th official Army photographer."
"Any questions or concerns. No, sir. But I do have one concern. My CO purchased the slide film."
"You tell that Major that if he has any problems to report to me."
"Yes, sir. Thank you sir."
I saluted and walked away.
I had no idea what just happened. I mean, wasn't I already doing this?
What now?
What has changed?
What was I supposed to do next?
And more importantly, how the heck am I going to explain to my CO that the film he bought just got compenscated by the US Army?
So, I got back to the tent and the guys wanted to know what was going on.
"I don't think you're going to believe me if I told you. But here goes. So the photographer who came over to take the official images for the 101st and for Task Force 229, got his leg broken while jamming it between a 5 ton and the trailer it was pushing back.
"I am now the official 229th Task Force photographer. Even I can't believe this is happening.
"Now, I have to tell our boss his film he bought for this is no longer his."
There was a good luck with that chuckle.
"He said w h a t!!!"
After the laughter died down. "Sir, I'm not making any of this up. General Brown told me to tell you that if you have any problem with this to see him."
"Alright, I'm not going to go see General Brown over the slide film and it looks to me like you're over your head, am I right?"
"Only on the logistics side of getting out to places and taking images of all of us here. The Task Force and not just A Troop, 2/17 Cavalry. As you have already seen with my Werthiem Goes To Werthiem piece in Stars and Stripes, I still have some ties with in country publications.
"The effort needs to include the Press Center for this exercise and getting the work back to our press folks from Public Affairs that are also here for this exercise."
"Forget the Press Center, let's keep your efforts in line with the chain of command expectations. Stay with us, I'll get you out to where you want to go and once a day, a chopper will pick up your work and get it over to our division Public Affairs staff."
"Thank you, sir."
I felt like Ernie Pyle. I would go out, take pictures and sit in front of my duffel bag while I typed on my portable typewriter. At 12 noon, a chopper would land, I gave them the film and the stories I wrote and never saw any of it after that.
On day three of the exercise, I went out with our Blue Platoon and took pictures of two of our soldiers riding speeding away on their motorcycles.
Okay, so I was asked what was I doing back? Hum, well, I created a way to know what group in what troop had ordered manuals by putting extra holes in IBM 21 punch cards and that worked.
Up to that time, we had to call each troop to ask if they had ordered the manuals. After the inclusion,. we no longer had to do that.
When REFORGER 78 was about to happen, I was assigned to A Troop, 2/17th Cavalry and asked to take pictures and write stories. I talked with and sent pictures to the editor of Army Aviation Digest, I had a Black widow spider in my tent which was really cool to watch the smaller spiders try entering my tent and then back out of it. Didn't know she was in there until I split my poncho apart from my half tent.
Apparently, she died as the flap of my poncho caught the chopper blades and pretty much smacked her around until she was dead.
Arrived in Germany with 20 rounds of 36 shots slide film, 6 rounds of 36 shots black and white film. for my semi automatic 35mm packing a 28 mm lens and a sharpshooter 80mm to 210mm double barrel shot gun.
I was armed and dangerous baby and I wasn't takn prisoners!
I know all of the above sounded pretty silly. But you have to remember, I was back in country and the people I knew, the people who knew me were about to get a healthy dose Deja vu.
Sent Werthiem goes to Werthiem to Stars and Stripes and then thanked the editor for publishing it. His last words to me, "Just like old times, Sergeant Edwards"
I swear on the stack of 500 bibles that I'm not making any of this up. So I'm walking around all the evening activities, listening to the bitchy, high pitched screams of mobile generators, hearing the clanking of torque wrenches as rotor blades were being reattached to helicopters and I'm thinking, wow, I really have it made.
All I have to do is get the pictures my CO wants and do what he has no idea what I can do here and everyone is going to be happy. I'm back and, not only that, I'm back at Giebelstadt.
What could possibly go wrong in paradise?
You know whats coming, don't you?
I didn't.
I got back over to our GP medium and slept soundly until the smell of hot coffee and freshly cooked bacon drifted over my senses. After breakfast, we started throwing our gear into our duffel bags and preparing to go to the field.
Someone yelled "Ten-hut" and we all stood at attention. The voice from the colonel said, "At ease. Is there a Sergeant Edwards in here?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Report to General Brown, now."
How in the heck can a simple article published in Stars and Stripes be that wrong?
So, I reported to him.
"Sergeant Edwards, do you have film in that camera?"
MG John M. Brandenburg use to rib me with the same question. So, I wasn't sure how to answer him. I assumed he wasn't joking with me.
"Yes, sir."
"Consider that film and all the film in your possession to be official Army film. You are now the Task Force 229th official Army photographer."
"Any questions or concerns. No, sir. But I do have one concern. My CO purchased the slide film."
"You tell that Major that if he has any problems to report to me."
"Yes, sir. Thank you sir."
I saluted and walked away.
I had no idea what just happened. I mean, wasn't I already doing this?
What now?
What has changed?
What was I supposed to do next?
And more importantly, how the heck am I going to explain to my CO that the film he bought just got compenscated by the US Army?
So, I got back to the tent and the guys wanted to know what was going on.
"I don't think you're going to believe me if I told you. But here goes. So the photographer who came over to take the official images for the 101st and for Task Force 229, got his leg broken while jamming it between a 5 ton and the trailer it was pushing back.
"I am now the official 229th Task Force photographer. Even I can't believe this is happening.
"Now, I have to tell our boss his film he bought for this is no longer his."
There was a good luck with that chuckle.
"He said w h a t!!!"
After the laughter died down. "Sir, I'm not making any of this up. General Brown told me to tell you that if you have any problem with this to see him."
"Alright, I'm not going to go see General Brown over the slide film and it looks to me like you're over your head, am I right?"
"Only on the logistics side of getting out to places and taking images of all of us here. The Task Force and not just A Troop, 2/17 Cavalry. As you have already seen with my Werthiem Goes To Werthiem piece in Stars and Stripes, I still have some ties with in country publications.
"The effort needs to include the Press Center for this exercise and getting the work back to our press folks from Public Affairs that are also here for this exercise."
"Forget the Press Center, let's keep your efforts in line with the chain of command expectations. Stay with us, I'll get you out to where you want to go and once a day, a chopper will pick up your work and get it over to our division Public Affairs staff."
"Thank you, sir."
I felt like Ernie Pyle. I would go out, take pictures and sit in front of my duffel bag while I typed on my portable typewriter. At 12 noon, a chopper would land, I gave them the film and the stories I wrote and never saw any of it after that.
On day three of the exercise, I went out with our Blue Platoon and took pictures of two of our soldiers riding speeding away on their motorcycles.
Notice that the 101st Airborne insignia is taped over. We were technically in enemy territory.
And I was loving every minute of it!
After dropping them off, we move to our pickup point. After we landed, it was obvious to me and everyone else on that chopper that we didn't exactly pick the best spot for a pickup point.
"Unless that's an earthquake, we got tanks around here somewhere. Sir, I'm going to take a look around the corner. See what's up the hill. If I give you the signal, we've go to go!"
I turned to corner and all I'm seeing is tank after tank after tank. So I go up to the tank commander leading the first tank by foot. Snap some images and pull out my notepad and pencil and do what I generally do during a REFORGER exercise and start asking questions.
"Are you sure you're not the enemy."
"Yeah, I am and that's why I'm out here in the middle of no where taking pictures of you and your unit cause I want to die trying to get my stories published in EurArmy. Do you read EurArmy?"
"Yes. Does Sergeant Richard Edwards ring a bell? Drowning is Dumb?"
"Wait a minute, you're that guy."
"No, I just stole the name just to come up here and harass you."
He laughed.
"Look, I have to go. Have a chopper to catch and get this back over to the Press Center. Thanks for making this article more interesting. Anything else you want to add?"
He shook his head.
I walk calmly back down the road, turn and when I'm out of sight of the tank commander, I give our crew the "let's get the hell out of there."
I buckled in, we raised to a high over to clear the trees, looked down, saw the referee who smiled at us, shook his head and gave of the your dead for 30 minutes cut throat sign.
Oh, well, I tried.
Major General John N. Brandenburg once asked me what I was doing back after he sent me to Germany, the result of my efforts here during this REFORGER exercise was my way of answering that.
Second column. Read the We were in REFORGER paragraph.
Major General John N. Brandenburg sent me a personal and official letter of appreciation after that and I was quickly reassigned to DISCOM in an E-7 slot, Public Affairs.
The last article I did for Soldiers was "Earning My Wings". It was about me going through the Air Assault School.
What was the funniest thing that happened before I got out?
Remember me being asked to take images of the AAAA Convention in Arlington, VA?
Neither did the 2/17th Cavalry. In fact, our Legal Beagle at the Cavalry called me a lie to my face when I told him about it. It troubled me and I thought I had a pretty good excuse as to why I couldn't go when I got home from REFORGER and saw a note on the table:
Over at the hospital. Crystal is running a 104 temperature.
So I called the AAAA Convention line, talked to a colonel and told him to let Art know I have an emergency as my daughter was in the hospital with a 104 degree temperature.
Upon arrival back at Fort Campbell and since my Squadron Commander met me getting off the airplane and gave me the next 3 days off, I thought I was off the hook. Until Thursday night when a neighbor on the second floor told me that some Sergeant from the 2/17th Cavalry HAS to talk to you.
It was our legal Beagle.
"Sergeant Edwards, why is the Secretary for General Kastner wanting to know why you aren't on his airplane?"
Oh, did I want to laugh.
"Army Aviation Convention at Arlington, VA ring a bell?"
"Never mind that, get the secretary off my back."
So, I called Art, apologized. Told him what happened, told him the crisis was over and if they still needed me. I would be more than honored to go.
Orders were cut and a Captain drove me to the Nashville airport in less than 4 hours.
At the end of the convention General George S. Blanchard told General Bernard Rogers to get out of his way because he wanted me to take a picture of him and an X POW Major.
General Rogers turned to me and said, "I don't know, Sergeant Edwards, should I get out of the way."
I'm usually pretty lousy at standup quick response.
But I said, "I don't know sir, which one of you has more time in service, time in grade? Pull rank."
They both laughed and General Rogers got out of the way.
Publication with my bylines and credits from 1977 to 1979:
Proudly served:
2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry
Generals I've known and talked to personally:
General I knew before he became a 4 star:
In 1980, in August, SAGA Magazine published: Killer Copters Our Deadly Middle East Weapon.
And I was loving every minute of it!
After dropping them off, we move to our pickup point. After we landed, it was obvious to me and everyone else on that chopper that we didn't exactly pick the best spot for a pickup point.
"Unless that's an earthquake, we got tanks around here somewhere. Sir, I'm going to take a look around the corner. See what's up the hill. If I give you the signal, we've go to go!"
I turned to corner and all I'm seeing is tank after tank after tank. So I go up to the tank commander leading the first tank by foot. Snap some images and pull out my notepad and pencil and do what I generally do during a REFORGER exercise and start asking questions.
"Are you sure you're not the enemy."
"Yeah, I am and that's why I'm out here in the middle of no where taking pictures of you and your unit cause I want to die trying to get my stories published in EurArmy. Do you read EurArmy?"
"Yes. Does Sergeant Richard Edwards ring a bell? Drowning is Dumb?"
"Wait a minute, you're that guy."
"No, I just stole the name just to come up here and harass you."
He laughed.
"Look, I have to go. Have a chopper to catch and get this back over to the Press Center. Thanks for making this article more interesting. Anything else you want to add?"
He shook his head.
I walk calmly back down the road, turn and when I'm out of sight of the tank commander, I give our crew the "let's get the hell out of there."
I buckled in, we raised to a high over to clear the trees, looked down, saw the referee who smiled at us, shook his head and gave of the your dead for 30 minutes cut throat sign.
Oh, well, I tried.
Major General John N. Brandenburg once asked me what I was doing back after he sent me to Germany, the result of my efforts here during this REFORGER exercise was my way of answering that.
Major General John N. Brandenburg sent me a personal and official letter of appreciation after that and I was quickly reassigned to DISCOM in an E-7 slot, Public Affairs.
The last article I did for Soldiers was "Earning My Wings". It was about me going through the Air Assault School.
What was the funniest thing that happened before I got out?
Remember me being asked to take images of the AAAA Convention in Arlington, VA?
Neither did the 2/17th Cavalry. In fact, our Legal Beagle at the Cavalry called me a lie to my face when I told him about it. It troubled me and I thought I had a pretty good excuse as to why I couldn't go when I got home from REFORGER and saw a note on the table:
Over at the hospital. Crystal is running a 104 temperature.
So I called the AAAA Convention line, talked to a colonel and told him to let Art know I have an emergency as my daughter was in the hospital with a 104 degree temperature.
Upon arrival back at Fort Campbell and since my Squadron Commander met me getting off the airplane and gave me the next 3 days off, I thought I was off the hook. Until Thursday night when a neighbor on the second floor told me that some Sergeant from the 2/17th Cavalry HAS to talk to you.
It was our legal Beagle.
"Sergeant Edwards, why is the Secretary for General Kastner wanting to know why you aren't on his airplane?"
Oh, did I want to laugh.
"Army Aviation Convention at Arlington, VA ring a bell?"
"Never mind that, get the secretary off my back."
So, I called Art, apologized. Told him what happened, told him the crisis was over and if they still needed me. I would be more than honored to go.
Orders were cut and a Captain drove me to the Nashville airport in less than 4 hours.
At the end of the convention General George S. Blanchard told General Bernard Rogers to get out of his way because he wanted me to take a picture of him and an X POW Major.
General Rogers turned to me and said, "I don't know, Sergeant Edwards, should I get out of the way."
I'm usually pretty lousy at standup quick response.
But I said, "I don't know sir, which one of you has more time in service, time in grade? Pull rank."
They both laughed and General Rogers got out of the way.
Publication with my bylines and credits from 1977 to 1979:
- Air Force\Navy Safety Publication
- Army Aviation Digest
- Army Aviation Magazine
- Army Magazine
- Army Times
- Army War College Review
- Clarksville Leaf Chronicle
- Lake Charles American Press
- EurArmy Magazine
- Fort Campbell Courier
- Hopkinsville New Era
- Soldiers Magazine
- Stars And Stripes
Proudly served:
2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry
- Valorous Unit Award for THUA THIEN-QUANG TRI
- Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1968
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1968-1969
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1969-1971
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1971
- Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1968-1970
- Troop A additionally entitled to:
- Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for DAK TO
- Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for DONG AP BIA MOUNTAIN
- Valorous Unit Award for TUY HOA
- Valorous Unit Award for THUA THIEN PROVINCE
- Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1965-1966
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1966-1967
Generals I've known and talked to personally:
- MG Sidney Bryan Berry August-73 – July-74
- MG John A. Wickham, Jr. March-76 – March-78
- MG John N. Brandenburg March-78 – June-80
- MG Jack V. Mackmull June-80 – August-81
- MG Charles W. Bagnal August-81 – August-83
- MG Teddy G. Allen May-87 – August-89
General I knew before he became a 4 star:
- General Gary E. Luck
In 1980, in August, SAGA Magazine published: Killer Copters Our Deadly Middle East Weapon.
For me there's never been a meet destiny half way. I spent ten years trying to make Cobras, their pilots and the people who support them look good.
I spent more than $10,000 dollars of my own personal income to do it.
Now that I'm retired, I look back and wonder if anyone remembers me or wants to make my golden years just as memorable.
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