101st Airborne at Fort Jackson, SC??
Anyone else out there take Basic Training with the 101st when they were a buncha legs at Fort Jackson, SC back in the '50's?
I did beginning on 03 March 1955 in Company A, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, ("Geronimo"), 101st Abn Div. Co A was the first company on the west side of the parkway and just downhill from the water tank at the top of Tank Hill and just below the PX. I don't think we ever saw the inside of that PX except once and that was to spend our "Flying $5" for the required crap / stuff for our footlocker display.
Some of the training cadre were from the 42nd Tank Battalion and I seem to remember that they taught the .30 and .50 cal MGs, the BAR, the 3.5" bazooka, and the 60mm mortar.
The 101st moved up to Campbell in 1956 (I think??) and went back on jump status soon afterwards. I was at Campbell in 1967 and they were on jump status then.
|