Just Sharing a Memory

[AndyLate]

I hope you all don't mind, but I was thinking about something this morning and thought I would provide a un-asked-for tale of my 1st enlistment.

I joined the Active Army as a 12C Bridge Crewman in 1989 and my first duty station was Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis McChord). Imagine my surprise when I was sent to a Heavy Material Supply Company.

I did not do any bridging in the unit, but deployed to the ME for Desert Shield and Desert Storm, eventually returning to Ft Lewis after a year. To be clear, I did nothing heroic but I dang sure spent a lot of time running construction equipment.

I really felt like a fish out of water when we got back and decided I needed to be in an Engineer unit. I talked to my squad leader, put on my crispest starched BDUs, made sure my jungle boots had an mirror shine, drove over to the Assault Float Bridge Company, and asked to see the 1SG.

Now, for the folks who have not served - E4s don't normally go job hunting and I am understating when I say Top looked at me with some suspicion.

Luckily, fortune favors the bold and my first ever Army job interview went well enough for the unit to somehow pull off a transfer and I became a proud member of Headquarters Section, 2nd Platoon. I was there for 12 months before reenlisting and reclassifying right before the unit de-activated. All the other 12Cs in the unit were either PCSed or mass reclassified to 12B and spread out in an Combat Engineer Bn.

I LOVED the year I spent in the AFB company. It was hard work and we were in the field every month but my time there produced some of the fondest memories of my 20 year career.

Andy

[Averageman]

Cool.
I worked on the Wolverine bridging unit as a Civilian.
Lived next to an Engineer on Fort Hood, heavy equipment operator.

[opngrnd]

Sometimes those it's the "absurd" ideas that make things happen. I'd love to have seen the 1SG's face when he realized you were job hunting.

[hotbiggun42]

Nice memory to share!

[chuckman]

Great story!

Reminds me of the Sean Ryan video on YT of former Delta-turned CIA guy Bob 'Ninja' Poras, an engineer who reclassed infantry, just walked up to the Ranger HQ building to volunteer. Funny as hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xEQiIeRbUk&t=5068s

Your lesson, and his: if you don't ask, you'll never know.

[seb5]

As a 20 year Seabee I can appreciate your story. Every Bee battalion has a bridging platoon and over the years that’s a class many of us had to attend, actually several different classes. And of course Alfa(yes it’s spelled right) company is all mechanics and equipment operarators.