On November 8th 1984 I reported for duty at the 1st Cavalry Division intake center. After several days, including one holiday, I was issued orders to report for duty with B Co. 1st Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division. This unit I was told was going to be the first unit in the Cavalry to be issued the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

DEJAVU.

B Co. had already DXed their M113s and was in training mode for Bradleys when I arrived. I was assigned to 2nd Platoon with Lt. Kenneth DeVan our PltLdr, SFC Streeter our PltSgt and SSG Johnnie Lieck as our SqdLdr. From November to January I would help get the non-Bradley guys ready for transition training. Unfortunately, the gunners position I was supposed to get would go to someone else. Several other NCOs from different platoons who served with me in Germany would try to sway Streeter into putting me back in the gunners seat but it wouldn't happen. Then, I was given a repreive.

The chosen gunner was not proficient in AFVID and kept failing. I was assigned to be his assistant. I had to teach him everything I knew about armor ID friend and foe and how to be an effective gunner. Angrily I agreed. It went down hill from there. When he continued to fail one test after another I was told that I was not a good teacher and his failing was my fault. That would not last long.

The Cavalry was different. Very Different. In Germany we did our transition training in a motor pool on level ground with a security fence around it. 1/5 Cav did it in the field at the suprise and apprehension of FMC. One of the FMC reps remembered me from Germany. We talked from time to time. My superiors didn't like it. I got in trouble for wearing my Bradley belt buckle one time. The Cav was more different than anything. I was wishing I was still in Germany.

I brought my camera with me one time and was told that it was against regs to film what we were doing. The 3rd ID guys were getting very uncomfortable. There was about 10 of us. It seemed that during this transition the knowledge base was not wanted or needed. The guys that had already been through were relegated to guard duty and Sgt of the Guard. So not only did we do transition we also were the night watchmen while the Bradleys stayed in the field.

Our command element was very different as well. None of the three wanted any input from the junior NCOs and if you used the open door policy you better have used your chain of command even if the problem WAS your chain of command. Our 1SG had a DJ business and if something happened after hours he would relegate another senior NCO to the mission. Case in point; I was in a serious car accident and the only people that came to the hospital after being contacted were some of my 3ID friends and the CQ. My squadleader all the way up to my company commander could not have cared less. That was in August of 1985. The platoon leader, Ken DeVan, decided that I was shamming with my hand injury. He took me up to the POL trailer and got 4 60lb cans of 80wt grease. With 2 split open fingers being held together with 12 single stitch rings I was forced to carry them back to the tracks.

I went to sick call the next morning as my hand had swelled up and split the stitching. Yes, I did tell them what happened. Nothing happened. During the winter just before Christmas we had an FTX with the Bradleys to train the new guys. One guy was our new driver Pvt. Mink. He had never used a night vision device and no one told him in his classes that dark spots on the green field were ditches or dips. I was looking through the ISU when we went nose in to a waddy. My Neck hyper extended and I crashed to the floor. I was rushed to our 1SGs tent where I stayed for more than 48 hrs in pain. He was relieved of duty no long after. He made threats. But what was really interesting was that he was shipped out, the Co. Commander requested a transfer and the XO transfered to Harvard.

Much to my suprise I knew the 1SGs replacement, very well infact. While going through recovery for my neck injury I was beckoned in the parking lot of Darnall Army Hospital. I looked up to see MSG Nelson Beard running across the parking lot. Matt! he yelled. Nelson was not only a Master Sergeant he was my company master blaster (a name affectionately give to master gunners) in Germany. He taught me everything I knew about the M242 Chaingun. Good or bad he knew my platoon sergeant as well but things were about to get better. Especially since we were about to restructure and were getting a new CO.

In early 1986, after spending 5 months of 1985 in the field training for a specific mission, it finally happened. We were transfered to 1/8 Cavalry as the US Army's first Combined Arms Maneuver Battalion. A Co. with its M1A1 Abrams MBTs went to 1/5 as B Co. while we went to 1/8 Cav as A Co. Our unit was the first of its type in the Army.

With that came a lot of change. 1SG Beard fired his driver and without going through SFC Streeter came to me and said I was going to be his driver. I packed and moved to the HQs section. My roommates were Bruce Hale and a private by the name of Hendershot from W. Virginia. I loved doing my job. It was more work than I thought it would be but well worth it. I ETSed in this position in October of 1986.

I'm sure you read this thinking "this guy is a freak show" but its not that at all. I loved the unit I was in, and though there were a lot of problems many of them were not really mine or other soldiers faults in this unit. The leadership was self obsessed and narsissistic.

When I left, the command structure was working very well. Our CO was Captain Reilly, our XO was Ken DeVan, and our 1SG was Nelson Beard.