I had some real adjustment problems going from the 101st in Nam to the 82nd at Bragg. I think it was especially tough for us guys that went to Nam right out of Jump School, not having any experience with being in a garrison Airborne unit stateside or in Europe. Or even Panama. I hated Bragg the whole time I was there. I wasn't the only one, either. A good friend of mine from Nam volunteered to go back to get out of Bragg. If he had waited, he could have gone back with the rest of us a few months later when we were sent for Tet '68.
While with the 101st, we were encouraged to wear our patches. Many of the uniforms brought to us in the field had them on. During the time I was with them [JUN66-JUN67] they didn't have the subdued patches, and it was my understanding that the 101st was the only unit that wasn't required to wear them when they came out with them. Was that true, Bill?
Like James, I was proud to wear both the 101st and 82nd patches at once. When I got reassigned to Cam Rahn Bay on my second tour, I was supposed to wear the 1st Log Command [Leaning Shithouse] patch as a unit patch, and had the choice of either the 101st or 82nd for a combat patch. I almost always wore the 82nd as a unit patch, and 101st as a combat patch. There was a couple REMF NCO's and officers that would bust my balls about it sometimes, so I had a couple shirts with the Leaning Shithouse [with Airborne crest
] and a 101st combat patch to wear for awhile to appease them. Pretty soon I'd be back in the 82nd/101st shirts until the next time. F_ck those legs
.