Hello!

Hello all,

Another new guy reporting.

Name's Larry and I'm from Ohio (as you can tell from my username). I was in the military from 1985 to 1991 (US Army Reserve... Leg, REMF, MOS 97E). I happened upon the board a few days ago and finally got around to registering. I also post on a few other military and WW2 related forums (I've seen a few familiar names already).

I'm looking forward to exploring the forums. Looks like a great website!

 

Welcome to the forum Larry.

 

Hi Larry and Welcome

 

Hi, Larry, welcome aboard and thank you for your service to your country.

I recognize the badge of the 83rd Infantry Division, which was the American outfit that came closest to Berlin!

 

(Kiwiwriter @ Dec 2 2005, 11:10 AM) [post=42462]Hi, Larry, welcome aboard and thank you for your service to your country.

I recognize the badge of the 83rd Infantry Division, which was the American outfit that came closest to Berlin!
[/b]

Thanks for the kind welcome everyone.

You're one of those familiar names, Kiwi! I also post over at wbg.com. Good eye on the 83rd patch too! My unit was part of the 83rd ARCOM, which derives its lineage from the 83rd Division. Sad to say, when I was in, I didn't know much about the 83rd and what they'd accomplished. Twenty years later I've rectified that and I have to say that I'm prouder than ever of having worn that patch on my shoulder.

Cheers,

Larry

 

Welcome to the boards Larry.

I am glad you called yourself by the state tree.

I can't imagine you as the state flower (Scarlet Carnation)

Good story on your CMH winner during the war.

http://home.comcast.net/~83division/83html/MOH-Award.htm

Medal of Honor Recipient - Ralph G. Neppel

Rank and Organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company M, 329th Infantry, 83d Infantry Division. Place and Date Birgel, Germany, 14 December 1944. Entered Service at: Glidden, lowa. Birth: Willey, lowa. G.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945.

Citation: He was leader of a machinegun squad defending an approach to the village of Birgel, Germany, on 14 December 1944, when an enemy tank, supported by 20 infantrymen, counterattacked. He held his fire until the Germans were within 100 yards and then raked the foot soldiers beside the tank killing several of them. The enemy armor continued to press forward and, at the pointblank range of 30 yards, fired a high-velocity shell into the American emplacement, wounding the entire squad. Sgt. Neppel, blown 10 yards from his gun, had 1 leg severed below the knee and suffered other wounds. Despite his injuries and the danger from the onrushing tank and infantry, he dragged himself back to his position on his elbows, remounted his gun and killed the remaining enemy riflemen. Stripped of its infantry protection, the tank was forced to withdraw. By his superb courage and indomitable fighting spirit, Sgt. Neppel inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and broke a determined counterattack.

 

Good post Spidge!

I'd read about Sgt Neppel before, pretty amazing stuff. I've recently come into possession of an original 329th Infantry Regiment official unit history. I'm hoping it may have a more detailed account of what happened there. Between that an the 83rd Division unit history I have, I'm working on a sort of condensed version of their history that I can post at different WW2 related websites, but it's quite a task to make it relatively brief, but still do it justice.

Looking around the site it's good to see a fair few aussies, like yourself, posting too. Two years ago I married a wonderful, gorgeous aussie girl. I spent a month over there that year and loved every minute of it.

 

I knew of Ralph Neppel. He was a friend of my dad's. Amazing man with an amazing sense of humor. He ended up loosing both legs, and invested in sets of differents heights. Wore his short ones on his short days and his tall ones on his tall days. (Or, would switch them during parties to confuse people) Story is that he would take them off and hide behind the couch when his son Max was having parties, then after the party got going would jump out and startle party goers. From what I can gather he was active in veterans organizations, but also worked for the employment of those with disabilities. Died way too young in his mid to late 60s from cancer in the 1980s.

 

Hi Larry, welcome to the forums.

30th Novemebr birthday? Now I am getting worried at the number of posters on here with that date of birth. Run for your lives!
Kitty

 

HI Larry, welcome to the forum. What, pray tell, is MOS 97E?

 

I would say hello but Buckeye hasn't posted for ages. Why do people make six posts and then disappear? Weird.

 

Ack, didn't mean to have gone MIA!

I'm not sure how the birthday thing got messed up, but I hope I can put your mind at ease as I'm a March baby, mosquito! November 30th must be the default option if you don't enter anything there.

Thanks for that story about Sgt Neppel, kandyjo - he sounds as if he was a real character.

and lastly, MOS 97E is/was an Interrogator/Linguist (that's what it was called in my day, anyway). Looks like they've since changed the name of the MOS to "Human Intelligence Collector". I got to spend a wonderful year in Monterey, CA at the Defense Language Institute learning to speak russian (which I've forgotten quite a lot of in the last 20 years, sadly) and then a not-so-wonderful 9 weeks at Ft. Huachuca, AZ at the US Army Intelligence Center and School (I like grass and trees - both of which are in short supply in SE Arizona :p ).

Funny thing about that. In the 1980's/90's, HUMINT had really taken a back seat to electronic warfare ("Combat Electronic Warfare Intelligence" or CEWI was what it was referred to then). In fact, my reserve unit which consisted of an interrogation section, counter-intelligence section, intel analyst and support sections was removed from the army's TO&E because it was basically considered to just not be needed anymore.

Now for the last few years that we've been involved in fighting an insurgency, HUMINT has come into its own again and folks have finally figured out how important it is.

Thanks for the replies, though! I'll try and be less of a stranger!