Hello everyone, First I do hope this is not against CT policy. I did look over the rules and did not see anything prohibiting it, please let me know if I am mistaken. In a previous thread there was a discussion between myself and another service member. Quite a funny chat I might add. So now I am wondering who else amongst us has served, or knew a collector who served? I ask this as it seems the longer I am in this wonderful hobby the more veterans I seem to be bumping into. I am going to to post a lil bio of my time in the service, one that brings back many fond memories. I enlisted in 1992, only 17, which seems like a lifetime ago. How that happened is a long funny story,for another time. Yes vets can be windy huh. I was a reservist and loved what I did so at 19 I went on Active duty, which took me alot of great places Belgium, Westpoint NY, and Germany, just to name a few. Along the way I met some amazing people, Many, sadly I have lost contact with. The few I have managed to keep in contact with, or meet up with again are friends for life. Along my travels the Coin bug did hit me, I was in Germany and seen some older German Coins, from the WWII era, and had the swastika on them. I found them intriguing, as I have always enjoyed history. I did not research them, or start collecting until leaving the service, as like many, I had no clue where to go to start. A great friend, a civilian, pointed me in the right direction. That was almost 10 years ago. Since then I have watched alot of documentaries on WWII, Rome, etc, and have learned so much more then I thought possible. This wonderful hobby has brought me so much, and the fact that I keep bumping into other veterans I am wondering who else is out there that served and also collects? Kind regards, Stan
I'm not a vet, but my dad collects a little and is a Vietnam vet. Also had an uncle who collected who was a WW2 vet. Guy~
I'm a current service member serving in the US Army. I enlisted two weeks after i turned 17 on 8 December 2008. I have completed Basic COmbat training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina between my junior an senior year of high school. I am currently a reservist serving in northern colorado with an engineering unit. I will be attending Advance training in June at the naval station in Gulfport Miss. Instead of going to active duty as was first planned i am now seeking a full time career in numismatics.
Russ, I to like you did the split entry option when I was 17. Also I did BCT at Ft Jackson. Hated Tank Hill though. That was back in 92' How did you get into numismatics btw? Regards, Stan
I've been in to numismatics since i was about eight ears old. just picked it up one day and never quit! now trying to make it a full time career! BEst thing that ever happened to me. BTW tank hill is still there
Russ, I do wish you the best in your endeavors, though I would imagine, like the Army, you will have your struggles. I wish I had gotten in to coin collecting sooner, while over seas. I am sure I would have a much better understanding and appreciation for world coins....and a lot more books, as i love to read. Oh and they should flatten tank hill...I was in A213 Infantry when there. Got a picture of it around here somewhere....lol Regards, Stan
I was in Charlie 1-13. its pretty cool that we were in the same battalion just 17 years apart! 40 rounds!
I think we almost got into a fight with Charlie when I was there. We were the Alpha-Gators. Kind of a funny name now though i suppose. Yeah 17 years, wow. Now your making me feel old. LOL Regards, Stan
I joined the worlds best Navy in 1992. I've had my endevours around the world and back and have loved MOST of it. I'm just a couple years from retirement and me and my family are patiently awaiting that day!! As for colecting I can remember my father collecting LMC years ago.I remember the day he spent $85 on a 09 S and he wound up getting an 09-s IHC. He was ****ed!! I guess those were the days. I would help him seperate coins and look for upgrades. It has always been in my blood I guess. I just recently found out that my grandfather was also was a collector. He had sold off some of his silver collection in 1973 to buy up a nice chunk of land in KY. That land has now become mine kinda unfortunatelly but it is funny how his collecting has came back around to me. I just recently in the past year and a half gotten serious into coins because my son sparked an interset in coin collecting. For an austic child to show interest in something that has loomed in my heart was by far one of the greatest things a father could ask for. I do believe that he knows more than me now. Soon we will be out of the Navy but I truley hope that I have instilled enough compasion and desire for my son to carry on the legacy of our family coin collecting.
I leave for basic in Jackson later today! =D Decided to do the college thing first, rather than enlisting right out of high school.
US Army, 1961-1964. Basic: Ft Jackson, SC School: Ft Monmouth, NJ (Meteorological Observer) PCS: Yuma Test Station, AZ (now Yuma Proving Grounds) School: Chanute AFB, IL (Army didn't have the school so they sent us to the AF school) PCS: Ft Wainwright, AK I had been collecting on and off for several years before I went into the Army. Made probably my BIGGEST collecting error as I was leaving Alaska. At that time silver dollars still circulated there. Army pay wasn't much at that time. The Vietnam pay hikes hadn't kicked in yet. E-4 over 2 and my base was $180/month. But I had managed to save about $325. I took it home as paper money, not silver dollars. THINK! 1964!!! The last year the US struck 90% silver coins. Thanks to the Hunt brothers, in about 1980 silver was going for $50 an ounce! 325 silver dollars X .77344 oz/coin X $50 = ~$12,500 Oops, missed out on that one.
Military: Coast Guard Pay Base Date: 07 SEP 1999 Boot camp: Tracen Center Camp May My father gave me a couple of options, work full time and pay rent, work half time and go to school, go to school full time or join the military. So I joined.... my first place was the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Dallas_(WHEC-716) and that was the best experience that i could have had, drug busts, migrant operations, all the foreign port calls (throughout the Caribbean). From there I went to Petaluma, CA (PCS - Permanent Change of Station) for training then Baltimore, MD and now Cleveland, OH Semper Paratus Folks! I like hearing your stories! -Shrek
Not a vet myself, but I do have great respect and admiration for those who have served our country. My father was Army and served in the south pacific during WWII. My wifes Dad was Coast Guard and drove landing craft at Guadalcanal. Both of my grandfathers (Army) fought in WWI. It was my father who got me started, in the hobby, at a very young age.
United States Air Force Dec 1995 - Present. Was considering getting out after my first enlistment was up, but with less than 9 months left on contract 9/11 happened and I became a lifer, just like that. Have been all over the world and to the middle east for three separate trips. Got the collecting bug when I was about 10, got serious in 2002, got really serious in 2007-2008, maybe when I retire I'll open my own shop, but not until after I'm done with the Air Force or its done with me.
Oh Boy~ Oh Boy~Now I feel better/younger. USN, 1969 to 1974. My WWII era Uncle gave me a few coins YEARS ago. Nice thread. All the folks I served with are elsewhere now. Not like the "Good Old Daze" when units were formed, trained & deployed, then returned as a "Unit" to form their local American Legions/VFW's and such to carry on as bonded units.
I feel sorry for some of you guys that said you felt old. There are at least three of us here, who completed our tour before you were even born! In another thread, I told Stan that there are two things I don't like to be called, and that is a "gentleman" because it makes me feel older than I already am (62) and "Sir" because I was enlisted. Military: United States Army Security Agency, 1969-1971 MOS: Cryptanalysis Last Duty Station: Project MASSTER, West Ft. Hood, TX Fortunately, and I'll be the first to admit it, I never left the States. Unfortunately, I had a lot of friends die in Viet Nam. I'm originally from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., and every time I visit the Viet Nam Wall, I can't keep the tears from welling in my eyes. Enough about that because they're coming again. In spite of the fact that I never left the States, I have a bunch of stories that I could tell, but I don't want to lull any of you to sleep, so I'll only tell one per post, that is, if you want to hear them. I also told Stan when he thanked me for my service, that he didn't have to because if it wasn't for my Dad, I wouldn't be here. Story #1 Like Stan, my Dad was a combat medic. In WWII, Dad was in the 79th Division (Cross of Lorraine), 314th Infantry. He participated in the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, earned 5 Battle Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, 2 Bronze Stars and never left the front lines from the day he landed on the beach until the day he was captured in January, 1945. At one point, he almost got court martialed. After being wounded twice, he was able to scrounge up a Thompson submachinegun for his protection. Some people may not realize it, but the German infantry and snipers targeted medics as well as officers. Apparently, one of the "Brass" had seen him with it and chewed his CO out. His CO told him he would have to lose the Thompson, and he should try to find something less conspicuous, like a 45 auto. So Dad swapped the Thompson for a Colt 45. Dad was one of only two men from the original company to come back alive. He passed away on December 12, 1997, and he is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. By the way, my parents met in Wasington, D.C. in early 1941, and they were married on December 6, 1941, the day before the attck on Pearl Harbor. It wasn't until about 30 years later that my Mom learned that Dad didn't get drafted. Chris