airborne373
Member
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2007
- Messages
- 953
Hello my name is Douglas Hostetler and I live in Indianapolis, Indiana where I sell real estate. Selling real estate is a tough business nowadays but not nearly as tough as living and working in the combat zone called Iraq. You see I wasn’t always a realtor in my younger days during the cold war I felt a need to join the U.S. Armed Forces so I talked to some recruiters, The Air Force, The Navy, My dad was a Marine in Vietnam so I skipped that recruiter (no offense “leathernecks”) and finally ended up signing with the Army. They offered me a chance to go to Airborne School after basic training and AIT and maybe become a paratrooper. Well as a 19 year old kid how could I pass? So off to FT. Knox I go to be trained as an armor crewman.
About five months later it’s time to go to FT. Benning, Georgia. I could write pages on that three week experience. It was a fantastic time and I was honored to join the Brotherhood of the Airborne. After graduating jump school the DOD sends me orders to report to the 82nd Airborne Division at FT. Bragg, North Carolina. Ok if you have been paying attention I was trained to operate tanks, so why am I going to a unit that jumps out of perfectly good airplanes?
Ft. Bragg was the home of the free world’s only Airborne Armor Unit, the 3rd Airborne BN, 73rd Armor Regiment. This is basically a forward recon unit with really big guns. Our unit would l.a.p.e.s. 17 ton Sheridan tanks from C-130’s ten feet from the dz at over 130 mph. In case you are curious no one was in the tank at the time. But this is a deadly serious business even in peace time. There is a video on my YT channel about the unit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ji5Y6b_lIs (This was one of my first vids so production quality is a little loose.)
As a paratrooper in this type of unit your entire life is about the unit and the mission.
The people you serve with become your best friends and family. These are the people you trust with your life and they each work very hard to earn that respect. I still value those relationships eighteen years later.
Last June the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry, the same unit but without the tanks, (Graham Rudman Act) deployed to Iraq. The Command Sergeant Major of this unit is my former platoon buddy from eighteen years ago, if you have never been in the military he is the mother and father of these young paratroopers. He is the one responsible for their lives. For the past few months I have been sending care packages of beef jerky, candy, DVD’s etc. My personal commitment was one 25lbs box per month these items are for the entire unit so it does not go far but they really appreciate this type of genuine support. So much so Command Sargent Major called me from Iraq to tell me how much it boosts the moral of these young troopers to know people back home have not forgotten them.
Recently however I have not been able to keep up with the costs. So I have sent nothing for the last 60 days. I thought it would be easy to get help to send care packages to the troops, right! Not so. I thought I could keep my personal feelings about the war to myself and ask pro-war civilians for donations and they would jump at the chance to do something so personal. I was wrong, apparently “supporting the troops” for these people extends only to putting magnetic stickers on their SUV’s.
So I am asking Ron Paul supporters to please donate. Please give what you can at the Chip In I have set up at: http://ronpaulsupportsourtroops.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/f9cee4118a9eedde
This is a great out reach to our combat troops to let them know Ron Paul believes in them.
I will be posting videos about this project at my YT channel if you would like to follow this effort please subscribe.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=airborne373
Thank you for reading.
Airborne, All The Way!
About five months later it’s time to go to FT. Benning, Georgia. I could write pages on that three week experience. It was a fantastic time and I was honored to join the Brotherhood of the Airborne. After graduating jump school the DOD sends me orders to report to the 82nd Airborne Division at FT. Bragg, North Carolina. Ok if you have been paying attention I was trained to operate tanks, so why am I going to a unit that jumps out of perfectly good airplanes?
Ft. Bragg was the home of the free world’s only Airborne Armor Unit, the 3rd Airborne BN, 73rd Armor Regiment. This is basically a forward recon unit with really big guns. Our unit would l.a.p.e.s. 17 ton Sheridan tanks from C-130’s ten feet from the dz at over 130 mph. In case you are curious no one was in the tank at the time. But this is a deadly serious business even in peace time. There is a video on my YT channel about the unit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ji5Y6b_lIs (This was one of my first vids so production quality is a little loose.)
As a paratrooper in this type of unit your entire life is about the unit and the mission.
The people you serve with become your best friends and family. These are the people you trust with your life and they each work very hard to earn that respect. I still value those relationships eighteen years later.
Last June the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry, the same unit but without the tanks, (Graham Rudman Act) deployed to Iraq. The Command Sergeant Major of this unit is my former platoon buddy from eighteen years ago, if you have never been in the military he is the mother and father of these young paratroopers. He is the one responsible for their lives. For the past few months I have been sending care packages of beef jerky, candy, DVD’s etc. My personal commitment was one 25lbs box per month these items are for the entire unit so it does not go far but they really appreciate this type of genuine support. So much so Command Sargent Major called me from Iraq to tell me how much it boosts the moral of these young troopers to know people back home have not forgotten them.
Recently however I have not been able to keep up with the costs. So I have sent nothing for the last 60 days. I thought it would be easy to get help to send care packages to the troops, right! Not so. I thought I could keep my personal feelings about the war to myself and ask pro-war civilians for donations and they would jump at the chance to do something so personal. I was wrong, apparently “supporting the troops” for these people extends only to putting magnetic stickers on their SUV’s.
So I am asking Ron Paul supporters to please donate. Please give what you can at the Chip In I have set up at: http://ronpaulsupportsourtroops.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/f9cee4118a9eedde
This is a great out reach to our combat troops to let them know Ron Paul believes in them.
I will be posting videos about this project at my YT channel if you would like to follow this effort please subscribe.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=airborne373
Thank you for reading.
Airborne, All The Way!
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