26th Infantry
The Blue Spade
5th Infantry
1st Infantry Division
August 23, 2013
Yesterday’s post about a “platoon” of black-billed magpies prompted memories of my Army platoon. I write this for my family.
IN BRIEF:
I dropped out of Indiana University at the end of 1957 after a year and a half. I worked in a hometown factory for a while, then went back to school at the Purdue/Indiana University Extension in Indianapolis carrying less than a full schedule to bring up my grade-point average. At the end of 1960, after two semesters in Indianapolis, I was ready to re-enroll at the IU campus in Bloomington. That’s when my draft notice arrived in the mail. My two-year tour of Army duty began in June 1961. After abbreviated basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri I was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, 5th Infantry Regiment, Fort Riley, Kansas. Our regimental motto was “I’ll Try Sir!” We were in the field for an extended period of Advanced Infantry Training. I became the “Fire Direction Center” specialist for an 81 millimeter mortar squad. There were two major regimental training operations: “Swift Strike I” and “Swift Strike II.” I believe one was in the Tarryall area of South Park in Colorado. The other was on the border area of North and South Carolina. There was amphibious landing training with the U.S. Navy at Virginia Beach, Virginia. Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. We were on standby with our bags and weapons packed for an assault on Cuba. Thankfully, President Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev called a truce. In early 1963 an administrative error reassigned me and others to the 26th Infantry Regiment and I went to Germany for a six month assignment having only three months left on my tour of duty. The motto of the 26th was “Let Him Bear the Palm Who Has Won It.” Our nickname was “The Blue Spaders” (See emblem). We were posted to Wildflecken, Germany near the border of East Germany. After a troop ship ride home I was discharged at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York a short time before my two years were up. I was back at Indiana University in Bloomington that September and graduated in June 1966.
Citizen Coyote 