Gavin Competion Photos.....

**Mortarman11c** · 07-20-2011, 02:29 PM

H-Fucking Minus!!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/m...7306546&type=1

**MI~intheSky** · 07-21-2011, 08:20 AM

wait is that happening right now? shit what day is it fuck i hate working in staff

**Ops NCO** · 07-21-2011, 04:59 PM

Good stuff. I was going to try to go but someone (ahem, Mortarman, cough-cough) never got me the schedule.

I'm curious what the events were this year.

In 1986, the graded events were (if memory serves me):

1. Squad to buddy rig and be JMPId for a jump. We were the only squad with no gigs, even though we were the only squad with no jumpmasters in it.

2. The squad jumped from a Chinook. It was timed. The clock started when the first guy stepped off the ramp, and the last guy reached the assembly area. My squad rode our gear in so we wouldn't have to spend extra time and gather up the h-harness and straps.

3. Graded movement to contact lane.

4. 16-18 mile roadmarch for time. The whole squad had to finish together, so we ended up carrying one of our guys' gear a good part of the way. (He had weak feet.)

5. Arrive at a rifle range. Five minutes later we received the command to "open fire", and fired our weapons for qualification.

6. Moved directly to another station at the range where everyone had to assemble the M-16, M-249 and M-60 for time. 2-3 guys in our squad did it in less than 3 minutes (I took about 3:15.) By then, we were starting to stiffen up from being off the road.

7. Back on the road for another speed march, about 6-7 miles this time. Arrive at the Division obstacle course.

8. Ran the obstacle course for time. Again, it was the time of the whole squad, not the individual members. I was so smoked after the two speed marches, my legs were cramping every time I put any weight on them. I was one of the last guys over the final wall on the course, and to this day still remember crossing the finish line with my squad.

I can honestly say it was one of the top three times I was really physically challenged and pushed to my limits. We actually did the Battalion competition first, then the Brigade competition right after that (the next week, I think), so we were already worn down.

VB · 07-21-2011, 06:33 PM

How come this thread has "photos" in the title but there aren't any pictures?

**Mortarman11c** · 07-21-2011, 07:03 PM

Sorry Ops...my contact had to attend the funeral of the KIA from A'stan.......my bad.

**IEDmagnet** · 07-21-2011, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by VB

How come this thread has "photos" in the title but there aren't any pictures?

Cause those of us without Facebook don't get to look.

**Ops NCO** · 07-21-2011, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Mortarman11c

Sorry Ops...my contact had to attend the funeral of the KIA from A'stan.......my bad.

No problem, Al. Get me a coin from Saturn or something and we'll call it even...

**lewis505** · 07-24-2011, 08:19 AM

Yeah was in awe of you guys when I got there as a cherry in Oct 87 - that, plus there was still the "Fury From the Sky" painted at the end of the hallway!

Originally Posted by Ops NCO

Good stuff. I was going to try to go but someone (ahem, Mortarman, cough-cough) never got me the schedule.

I'm curious what the events were this year.

In 1986, the graded events were (if memory serves me):

1. Squad to buddy rig and be JMPId for a jump. We were the only squad with no gigs, even though we were the only squad with no jumpmasters in it.

2. The squad jumped from a Chinook. It was timed. The clock started when the first guy stepped off the ramp, and the last guy reached the assembly area. My squad rode our gear in so we wouldn't have to spend extra time and gather up the h-harness and straps.

3. Graded movement to contact lane.

4. 16-18 mile roadmarch for time. The whole squad had to finish together, so we ended up carrying one of our guys' gear a good part of the way. (He had weak feet.)

5. Arrive at a rifle range. Five minutes later we received the command to "open fire", and fired our weapons for qualification.

6. Moved directly to another station at the range where everyone had to assemble the M-16, M-249 and M-60 for time. 2-3 guys in our squad did it in less than 3 minutes (I took about 3:15.) By then, we were starting to stiffen up from being off the road.

7. Back on the road for another speed march, about 6-7 miles this time. Arrive at the Division obstacle course.

8. Ran the obstacle course for time. Again, it was the time of the whole squad, not the individual members. I was so smoked after the two speed marches, my legs were cramping every time I put any weight on them. I was one of the last guys over the final wall on the course, and to this day still remember crossing the finish line with my squad.

I can honestly say it was one of the top three times I was really physically challenged and pushed to my limits. We actually did the Battalion competition first, then the Brigade competition right after that (the next week, I think), so we were already worn down.

**Ops NCO** · 07-24-2011, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by lewis505

Yeah was in awe of you guys when I got there as a cherry in Oct 87 - that, plus there was still the "Fury From the Sky" painted at the end of the hallway!

Funny you should say that. After we won the competition, we were always being called out to outperform everyone else, no matter what the company was doing. If I had a nickle for every time we heard "Where's the Gavin Squad? Let's see how well they do it...?", I could retire.

Case in point: When we were doing the squad live fires in Hondo, Captain Campbell was going behind each squad to see how well they had engaged the targets. Before we started, he said "Well, Gavin Squad, let's see if you can do better than the others..." Doug Pallister, of course, wasn't going to let that go unanswered. So, before we ran the lane, we told each of us to keep a magazine or belt of ammunition back until we were on target, then fill up the targets from about three feet away. Needless to say, each target had hundreds of holes in it. Cpt Campbell just walked up, took one look at what we did, and shook his head. Doug was like "So, Captain, how'd we do?"

As I think about it, though, I find it amazing we, as a squad, were as good as we were. We were obviously extremely proficient, but you wouldn't expect it looking at our individual characteristics. Our squad leader was new to Division, Matthews and I were virtually cherries, Stewart was busy fathering children all over Fayetteville. Durham and Miller were big goofballs. And we fought like cats and dogs (Roka and I virtually came to blows more than once, and Holt actually locked me up at parade rest in the field one time). But I think the things we had going for us were Pallister and Masloski; they were the kind of guys who did everything they asked you to do and that you didn't want to disappoint. Plus, we were just too stubborn to quit or muleheaded to let anyone else beat us.

Good times. I wish I could go back and relive those years knowing what I know now.