A Few Old Pics

[BrokenolMarine]

I didn't want to horn in on another thread, but it made me think about some old pics that I always liked, and especially the military pics for memorial day. I just wanted to toss in a couple. This Sunset pic was taken in a Fiord in Norway, above the Arctic Circle and I loved the Colors. I was standing with my Partner, a Navy Master at Arms, keeping the decks clear, on an Aft Gun Mount, you can see the chains and the Gun Barrel in the pic... they put this pic and the one that appears below in the cruise books for the two cruises.

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In this picture, we were on a Med Cruise and we were asked if we could assist in moving supplies to a Spanish Castle being restored. They had been trying to restore the castle for a decade, but the task had been very difficult due to the location. All the supplies had to be moved into position by burro. We moved ALL the supplies needed to finish the job by HELO in two days.


The entire town located at the base of the mountain turned out for a party in the streets the second night. We had moved the materials from a local soccer field, suspended on pallets below the AC and set on a narrow landing area beside the castle, and work details moved them into the castle grounds as the next loads were being brought in. The entire evolution was made so much easier by the large number of Spanish Speaking Marines and Sailors in the units.

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Miss T and I were always into kayak fishing, and a big advantage was the fact that if the fishing weren't biting, you always had a great day kayaking. I would put away the fishing gear and haul out the camera. I loved sunsets and reflections and looked for them. The pictures below were taken at the state park and they used them on the website to promote the park.

I love the reflection in the spillway picture, and the fall colors. I always thought this one would make a great puzzle or post card for sale in the gift shop.

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The turtles below ignored me when I drifted into the cove, and they too could star in a large puzzle or a post card.

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I miss it. We knew the park well and taught kayaking and fly tying and fly fishing there as friends of the park.

[clovishound]

Great pics. Amazing how much more saturated the colors and how much more resolution there is in the two digital images, even though they were taken with a low resolution (by today's standards) early generation digital camera.

[BrokenolMarine]

As a young Lance Corporal we did some joint training with the Rangers outside Atlanta (Far outside) at Camp Merrill, their Ranger Training Base. We provided the Helo Transport for their operations. During downtime, my fellow Marines and I would run the woods and found this bunker.

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This picture reminds me that I wasn't always old and chunky. The picture below always cracked me up when I was teaching in Memphis. I had it in my photo Album for the students to look through on break, one of the Sailors asked me what I had rolled up in my sleeve if I didn't smoke. We were operating from remote grass strips and refueling from Bladders.

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I learned to admire the Ranger Candidates. We would drop them at remote LZs and see them come marching back into the base camp a day, or two, later. Covered in mud and exhausted. Full packs, (70 pounds) and when given the command to "Halt," they were so tired they were swaying. The instructors would call out, "SIT!" They dropped into sitting positions with the huge packs behind them, all leaning against the Ranger Candidate behind them, and instantly fell asleep. Sitting Upright. The instructors would go into the duty hut, get coffee and a sandwich, do paperwork, whatever. Half hour later they'd come out, move around the formation, and yell, "Get on your feet," and instantly awake, these guys popped to attention and dressed the ranks. NOT one of our Marines laughed.

(The first day one of the young PFCs smirked, but a Gunny snatched him by the collar and dragged him around the building right quick, he never smirked at any part of the training again.)

These guys were Born Again Hard.