Last tanks leave Germany
It hardly seems possible, but the Stars & Stripes announces the departure of the last US tanks from Germany;
The tanks belonged to the 172nd [Separate Infantry Brigade from Grafenwöhr] along with a mix that were leftover from other units, according to the 21st TSC.
“It is an honor to be one of the soldiers escorting the last battle tanks out of Germany,” said Sgt. Jeremy Jordan of the 529th Military Police Company, in an Army story about the journey. “As these tanks sail back to the U.S., we are closing a chapter in history.”
It’s the first time that there are no American tanks in Germany since March 23, 1945 when the first US tanks crossed the Rhine River into Germany during Operation Plunder.
Category: Military issues
It still erks me that after they changed us from the 172nd SBCT to 1/25 SBCT they moved the unit name to Germany. The unit patch even has an Alaskan theme.
Yeah, well, at least they don’t still wear the wool blanket-colored beret like they did when I was in Alaska in 1976.
Ahhhh. . . Memories of FTXs in Graf, “the land of always white – mud, dust or snow.”
So, now that the tanks are gone, who/what is left?
“Will the last soldier to leave Germany please remember to turn off the lights and lock the door.”
Jonn, was that back when the unit patch looked like the Star of David?
I spent half my adolescent life in Germany (Dad was a Pershing Warrant,) then spent several years there as an adult (enlisted) as well. I’ll never forget the country or the people. Nor will I forget the Americans I served with. Some of the greatest times of my life were over there.
No, I think it was the big dipper and the north star.
I appologize, I didn’t phrase the question right. Before the unit in Alaska became the 172nd they had a different unit patch. I believe it looked like the Star of David. I vaguely remember some of the older Soldier mentioning it and referring to themselves as “the jumping Jews”. I was wondering if that was true or not because my googlefu is failing me right now.
The current 172nd patch has a sword, mountains, the big dipper, and the north star. There are only about 6,000 of us that wear it on our right shoulder today.
Twiat, maybe you meant this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:172InfantryBdeDUI.PNG
Of course, it’s an eight-pointed star, not six…
Finally found it. It was a Brigade kept on from the 6th Infantry Division.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Infantry_Division_(Light)
Sorry for hijacking the topic.
We have an entire southern border they can be moved to.
Is the tank going the way of the battleship?
i was with the 586th maint in Kornwestiem between Ludendorff and Stuttgart and used to recover alot of broken tanks during
Reforgers 75-79! good times
Although I loved my overseas deployments, I am glad to finally see our “mission” in Germany end. I was stateside when the wall came down, but visited in 2000. I supported the first M1’s in the European theater till I rotated in ’83.
If anyone ever travels I95, stop off at the Aberdeen Proving grounds. Talk about eye candy overload. Wherever you were heading when you got off the highway, well, let’s just say you’re trip–if it resumes at all, will be delayed. The place has acres of heavy metal outdoors and a small-arms museum that is very, very, very cool.
@14,,,i did my first AIT at APG, winter of 75,,twas a cold
mf’r during the gas shortage
This reminds of cleaning tracks for customs inspection prior to transport back to the states after Reforgers. Under the vehicle on the wash rack knocking mud out of the roadwheels with a hammer and screw driver. Fire hoses wouldn’t knock the crap loose. Fun times. While a lot of units drew POMCUS equipment, there were no Vulcans in storage at that time, and we brought our beaters from CONUS.
I was in the 1st Cav and we were supposed to replace 3rd ACR (I think) in Gelnhausen and then the wall came down. I was really looking forward to going to Germany but after the wall fell that rotation was cancelled and I never made it. My father’s grandparents all came from Germany and he started taking German when he thought that he was going to “have to” visit me there!
Here’s some eye candy for you guys. It’s on the IL-WI border, off I-94, and near a truckstop that has a restaurant.
http://russellmilitarymuseum.com/
Yes, the tanks do work. He crushes a car with one now and then.
Hard to believe. When I was in Germany 76-79 we had two armored divisions, two mech divisions, 2 ACRs and three separate brigades. I lived next door to the 1-37 Armor motor pool and saw and heard tanks everyday. Tanks were everywhere moving by road march, rail and HETs. I never thought I would live to see Germany without US tanks.
Many Germans are going to miss the “maneuver damage” money.
End of an era. I was born in Germany when my dad was stationed there and then I served there myself at the tail end of the cold war (87-89.) I was with 1AD HQ in Ansbach.
@19: 1-37 was at Katterbach when I was in Ansbach (Katterbach is just East of Ansbach.) 1-37 was part of our 1st Brigade, can’t remember the name of the kaserne but I think it might have been Bismarck?
#21, think Bismark is correct. I was up the road in 1st Batt, Sixth Infantry, ’86 to ’89.
Wow. Amazing. 68 years after a war and we are pulling out the tanks just now. And we’re calling GWOT the ‘Long War’. We’re a little premature on that call.
Maybe they’re going to move them to the Nork border next week?
White dust for Graf, reddish for Hohenfels…. Not sure about Old Tanker’s recollection, 3rd Herd was at Ft. Bliss in the late ’80s and moved to Ft. Carson. Seems to me in Germany it was 2ACR down south and I think 11th ACR up north? (Could have that reversed.)
My wife was supposedly the first non cook/medical female NCO in the CEWI battalion at Katterbach, circa 1978.
Rock8, those are Cold War relics, not WWII.
I wasn’t referring so much that they were pulling out the FIRST tanks, but that we had been ‘occupying’ Europe for all those years.
#25 David,
I’m not sure about my recollection either!! Long time ago and I never went so I’m sure my memory is off… I do know it was an ACR we were to rotate with.
@25 you are correct. 2nd ACR was headquartered at Hof near the West German/East German/Czech border. 2ACR was part of VII corps, of which 1st Armored (the division I was in) was also a part.
11th ACR was headquarted at Fulda, and I think they may have had elements at Wildflicken as well. 11th ACR was part of V corps, guarding the Fulda Gap.
thouht I recalled correctly, we used to do border missions with 2ACR, and I was stationed briefly in the 3rd (Bend ‘n Squeal, er, ah, I mean “Blood and Steel”) at Ft. Bliss.
We always kinda pitied the lads up north, there was freakin’ NOTHING to stop the Russians much before, say, the Channel.
We didn’t have no stinkin’ Cav on Wildflecken. There was an infantry battalion (2/15 Inf. 3rd ID) and an Engineer Bn (54th?).
#16 At Ft Hood we’d hit the birdbaths on the way in then park in the MP and turn in sensitive Items and leave. The next day was always hell. The mud in the road wheels dried like concrete. We’d drive around to the MP washrack to do the inside and leave a trail of dirt. Still had to crawl under with hammer and screwdriver. Spent a lot of time sweeping the Motor Pool and blaming each other.
@27 The only 3rd at Gelnhausen was the 3AD (2nd Bde). They finally left after Desert Storm. The kaserne was turned over to the Germans and they used it for housing folks from the former DDR. As unpopular as US soldiers were from time to time, the Ossis were even less popular.
2ACR from 88-91; was there (Literally) when the wall came down. 7 times to Graf, 6 to Hohenfels. Damn shame, but the best years of my life. Truly an end of an era…