"Listen up, Airborne..."

My first duty station was Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. I was assigned to the 20th Engineer Brigade and was sent to the 362nd Engineer Company (CSE). I was, and still am, very proud of the fact that I earned my pay as a U.S. Army Paratrooper in this fine company. My unit was known as "The Deuce" and we were very construction oriented. In fact, we were able to "sidestep" a lot of bogus military training (barring airborne operations) due to such a heavy load of construction missions. We never went to the field; we deployed. During my stay at Ft. Bragg, my unit was to deploy to many areas of the United States and throughout the world. I have had the pleasure of traveling to Ft. Irwin to train at the National Training Center (NTC), to Tucson, Arizona to build roads through the mountains on the Mexican border, to Asheboro, North Carolina to help build a camp for the Boy Scouts, and to various other blown-up hell holes around the globe.

To see what a C-130 full of paratroopers looks like, click the jumpwings.

From September of 1993 to January of 1994, my unit was deployed to Somalia for Operation Restore Hope. I don't recall restoring any hope, but I do recall being shot at a few more times than I thought was necessary, trying to stay alive in a couple of mortar attacks, and being a pretty scared private first class the majority of the time. It was, quite possibly, the most terrifying time of my life. While this was considered as a "combat tour" and I did know a couple of soldiers who were wounded in action, I didn't lose any buddies. I shudder when I think of how much the WWI, WWII, Korea, and 'Nam vets went through. High Points: Being a part of an excellent company and serving under Captain Kenneth Crawford. Low Points: Everything from the time we touched down in Africa until we took off 5 months later.

From January of 1996 to November of 1996, my unit was deployed to Bosnia for Operation Joint Endeavor. I don't recall restoring anything over there either, but we did our time. Another bad place to be, but mostly because the tour was so long. I did, however, learn several things during this deployment. Shortly before we left for Bosnia, I was promoted from the rank of Corporal to Sergeant. Though I had been an assistant squad leader in garrison, I learned about "NCO Business" - for real. I also learned that there are Sergeants (a rank) and there are Noncommissioned Officers (a leader). I worked hard each day to earn the respect of my fellow soldiers and to prove myself worthy of being called an NCO. High Points: Seeing Belgium, Austria, and The Netherlands. Low Points: Training in Hoenfels, Germany; Bosnian winter; the U.S. base camp in Hungary; being separated from my company's initial move downrange to take equipment by train and being stranded Croatia with a case of water, a case of MREs, 210 rounds of ammunition, and absolutely no way of knowing if I was going to be killed or not; Serbian troops/supporters; The Army's European Command.

"Listen up, Sarge..."

After Operation Joint Endeavor, my unit deactivated and I reenlisted for Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. I am currently serving as the Horizontal Construction NCOIC in Range Divison. My "hooah" days are in my past, but that's okay. I still serve my country, just in a different capacity. Instead of "standing up, hooking up, and shuffling to the door", I make sure that Initial Entry Training soldiers (basic training troopies) have the best weapons ranges in the Army. Not a glory job, but it's an important one. And like most soldiers, I can tell boring war stories with the best of them!!

I'd like to take this opportunity to dedicate this page to some very special soldiers: MAJ Kenneth Crawford, CPT John Drew, SFC Carlos Hamilton, SSG Tim Mitchell, SSG Kevin Tracy, SSG Humberto Pando, SGT Kurt Spies, SGT Tracey Odgers, SGT Jeff Longworth, SGT Thomas Nitti, SGT Sam Howard, SGT Alex Whiteside, SPC Brian Butson, SPC Kelly Cho, SPC Bradley Sorrell, SPC Matt Steward, SPC Jeff Byrd, SPC Miguel Gonzonlez-Vega, and SPC Rock Balancier. These men were men I could count on and trust, and I consider them to be some of the greatest friends I've ever had.

MURPHY'S LAWS OF COMBAT

My Favorite Military Links

The U.S. Army Homepage

The Ft. Bragg Homepage

Army Times Publishing Company

Military City.Com

Operation Restore Hope - Somalia

Operation Joint Endeavor - Bosnia

The Audie L. Murphy Memorial Web Site

Tribute to T/Sgt. Ronald Fleischer, World War II Combat Veteran, 3rd U.S. Army, 79th Infantry Division, 313th Infantry Regiment, European Theatre

Tribute To American Veterans