98Z5V Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 Tonight, men, all across America... Back in 1989... There were planes in the air right now, as I type this, at this time. 9:13pm local AZ time. Already in the air, for the most impressive Invasion the United States of America has ever conducted. If it's a small force, it's called a Raid. If it's a large force, onto a country, then it's an Invasion. There were alot of people on their way, right now as I type, for the Invasion of Panama, 1989. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNP Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 Probably some serious badasses on those planes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted December 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 (edited) 33 years ago, tonight, brother. I was in 7th Infantry Division (Light) then. No better combat infantry division to be in. Ranger-heavy, in all leadership positions, all the way through. Had to be Ranger qualified to hold a leadership position at E7 or above. 70% graduation rate from Ranger School. Badass place to be assigned to in the mid and late '80s, and I loved every second of it. I went to the Division Pre-Ranger Course, smoked the fuk out of it, came out Honor Grad and Land Nav Award. Division CSM was at the grad, and I was in front of the formation as the Honor Grad, he asked "SGT Hartley, what do you want me to do for you?" My response: "CSM, I want the very next slot that Division gets, straight to Ranger School..." His answer was simple. "DONE." 2 weeks later, I was at Fort Benning, in Ranger School. Smoked that fucker, too, straight through, no recycles. Damn near had Honor Grad from that, but some cheesedick LT beat me out by mere grading points, overall. That's some back-to-back hardass schools that are hard to pull off, with time in between. I had NO time in between. Suck it up, peaches, you asked for it - you better back it up... FML! My Brigade Commander at 7ID(L) was COL Linwood Burney. If you read the book about Hamburger Hill, Viet Nam - part way through that book he was "1LT Burney" and the rest of the way through the book he was "CPT Burney." Battlefield promotion, during the fight at Hamburger Hill. That is the baddest motherfucker I've ever been in the presence of, in my life. Been around a couple bad motherfuckers while on this rock - but never anybody like him. He LOVED his NCOs. He HATED his officers. He rode his Officers like a Circus Pony, HARD. He always praised his NCOs, and would help them in any way possible. Anytime we had a Division Run, 2nd Brigade would run another 7 miles, after the end of the Division Run... Because, COL Burney. He wanted to run until all his Officers fell out of the run. Hard motherfucker. I learned so much from that man - and I was lucky I was an NCO, not an Officer... That guy is Sun Tzu, reincarnated... COL Burney - he was 101st during Hamburger Hill, so that's up there, that was his Combat Patch - SSI-FWS (Shoulder Sleave Insignia - Former Wartime Service) - his Eagle is on him in this pic, during his Brigade Command at Fort Ord - that's the pic of him that was in Brigade Headquarters, as the Commander: After Panama - tonight, 33 years ago... My SSI-FWS (Shoulder Sleave Insignia-Former Wartime Service) was the 7th ID(L) patch, for many years. I added a couple more over the years, and have been blessed with good people, in lucky situations. I've earned the "Light Infantry Trifecta" over the years. 7th ID(L), SF and RGR Bn. I know this will come up, so I'll post it now. Edited December 20, 2022 by 98Z5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNP Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 What 308 is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted December 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 (edited) Rem 700 AAC-SD, with the Battle Arms BAD-DBM - before I moved it all over to the MagPul stock. EDIT - snatched it out of this oldass thread: Edited December 20, 2022 by 98Z5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted December 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 Found this one - it's from last year, so 32 years then - never found it when it came out: https://www.army.mil/article/252920/7id_history_operation_just_cause_32_years_ago_today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNP Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 https://www.coffeeordie.com/operation-just-cause-rangers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted December 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 I airlanded at Tocuman, after the Rangers fucked that whole international airport up. Then did the Relief In Place for the Rangers at Rio Hato airfield. I got in big trouble at Rio Hato, made CNN during a newscast back in the day. I have a video saved somewhere on al old computer hard drive of my major fuk up on Big Time News. I was "the hotwire guy" for the Brigade. Need a vehicle? Go get Hartley - tell him to get us something. At Tocuman, I hotwired one of those little baggage train tractors, so we could move all our shiit. That started it. Later, I had to hotwire I M1008 that took a rocket - "JUST MAKE IT WORK AGAIN!!!"... "Roger, Sergeant Major, done." I had to hotwire a fucking ice cream truck that was abandoned - and I used that bitch for resupply runs, for batteries and water runs. That was an epic one. Once I found Noriega's stash of personal dirtbikes and Honda Pilots, at Rio Hato... I was on fire. I hotwired dirtbikes so the guys could ride them - but my prized possession was hotwiring that fucking Honda Pilot. One I lite that thing off, with a broken throttle cable - I tucked My M16A2 inside, got in, feathered the throttle - AND HAULED ASS!!!m STRAIGHT DOWN THE AIRFIELD, WIDE OPEN THROTTLE!!! Since the throtle cable guide into the carb was broken, YOU JUST COULDN'T LET OFF THE GAS! And, I didn't... COL Burney was giving a press briefing to CNN - and I'm RIPPIN' DOW THAT AIRFIELD right behind the cameras... On live TV. FML, afterwards. I was called in, chewed up one side and down the other by the Bde CSM for it. COL Burney comes in to KICK MY DICK IN, FOREVER... and says, "SGT Hartley... that was YOU on the airfield on that thing?... Haven't you been hotwiring all this shiit so far, by yourself?..." "Uh, yes Sir! The luggage cart, blown-up CUCV, the Ice Cream Truck... YES SIR!" I got over... BIG. TIME. COL Burney let it go, right then. Moral of the story, men - have a skill. That others need, and can use... My CPT was SO PISSED OFF AT ME... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNP Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 We need to find this video. I was just thinking about that story when looking at other Just Cause pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unforgiven Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 (edited) Wow 🇺🇸🍻🍻🍻🍻 We are all very proud of everyone involved.🧐 Edited December 20, 2022 by unforgiven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magwa Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 And I can tell from the way you tell the story you had a Fukin oustanding time doing it..... 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted December 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2022 (edited) 12 hours ago, Magwa said: And I can tell from the way you tell the story you had a Fukin oustanding time doing it..... 🙂 Yeah, brother! The supply CPT was more of a friend. All those dirtbikes were taken from Noreiga's beachouse at Rio Hato. Since he was the supply CPT, he was in charge of all that seized shiit. He told me anything I could get started, I could use. Except, there were no keys to anything... Heheheeee.... No problem... He told me I was never gonna get that Pilot started. When I got it running, he told me to go RIP THAT THING! And I did, straight down the damn airfield... Edited December 21, 2022 by 98Z5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magwa Posted December 21, 2022 Report Share Posted December 21, 2022 LMAO what a Great story and memory...... awesome $hit....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unforgiven Posted December 21, 2022 Report Share Posted December 21, 2022 Glad you made it home brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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