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Caution
the life
you s ve
m y
e
your
own
By
SP4
John
Ann Floyd
Assistant
Editor
Any day
of the
week
people
can
turn on
their
television set and
see
hundreds of deaths - caused by
suffocatl on, fire , automobile
crashes, rlfles, pistols, knives and
innumerable otherways.
But
death can
come about In qui·
eter, le
ss
theatrical ways,
as
well.
During
the
recent Reforger exer
cises, several soldiers died
"accl
·
dentally , either through
carelessness
or
through
other
fac
torsbeyond thei r control.
Although 56th Field Artillery Bri-
t
e
did
not
part
icipate In the
R•
•
) r
there
have been several
dllltles In the past year. The vie·
tlms had
several things In
the
common: they
were
male, young
(under
26)
and for the most
part,
single.
Alcohol
or drug use was evi
dent
In
some
of the
cases, but not all
of them. Lastly, a couple of the
deaths took place during the sol
diers' off-dutytime.
If anyof these soldiers were your
friends, or
If they
were
part
of your
family, these deaths
are
more
than
statistics for
a
file
or
tidbits
for
gossip. Dealing with a friend's or a
loved one' s
death is
a difficult thing
to do
and most people have to find
their
own
way
th
rough the mourn
ing period.
But
f
vou didn't know these
people then you probably
"watched
your step for a few days, talked
about the accident · with your
friends and forgot
t
These accidental deaths
are
not
that
uncommon, and
they
could
strike anywhere
as
hey did to these
young men:
A 19-year-old Private
First
Class
was kllled when
he
was thrown
from his Volkswagen
after an
accl·
dent.
He
was
notwearing a
seat
belt
at
he
imeof
he
crash.
wo other men, one 2:5-year-old,
and one
26-year-old,
suffered
mul
tiple head Injuries after hitting
the
windshields of their cars
efter
a
crash.
Another soldier was
k ltled
when
he lost control of his car, and It
rolled down
an
embankment.
One private died from skull frac
tures
after
he slipped
and
fell whlle
mountainclimbing at Garmisch.
Another soldier also fell to
his
death
while climbing a telephone
pole at he
dare of
some friends.
In Hellbronn,
one
soldier drove a
deuce-and-a~alf Into another
car
and kllled a Germancitizen.
Recently, a private who
was
acting
as
a ground guide, was
ki
lied
when
he
wascaught between a
trac-
tor-trailer
and
another vehicle.
Death Is not a subject most people
llke to
think about. They would
prefer
to
think about life, love or
going
home
-
t
hat's
only normal.
There's
no need
to
be
preoccupied
with death. With a little caution and
common
sense,
death can
be
an
ab
stract
thing and not a reality for you
and
voyr friends.
Pershing
able
/.;•
'
·
6th Field Artillery Brigade
October 1977
Vol.
13, No. 10
5 ppor11Ac
tile1/41st.1/ll st, 1/Mlh l'lel d Artllleties
and
lhe 2/ffll nfaavy
GANGWAY FOR
PEltSHING - A German soldi• guides o Bravo
Battery,
h t
Bottolion, 81st field Artillery erector
lou
ncher off the
barge after ltt cro11ing of the Rhine River. Story
and
photo, on
pages 4 and
S
(Phote by SP4 Couey)
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rinding Rhein River t .
By SP5 Ron GarNtt, Y84th Journalist
KARLSRUHE - Headquarters,
Bravo, Service,
and part of Delta
Bat
teries
of
the 3d
Battallon, 14th Field
Artillery tOOk
part In a recent three
day Rhein River
crossing
e,cerclse Involving American, French, and
German Army
units. · ·
Each battery - at a different location -
was fll'rled across
the
Rhein
Sunday
morning, September 18 on
ferries
befonglng
to German
'
Army
En
gineers.
The
batteries came back
across la t«
that
evening
oi,German
Army
swing bridges
under
blackout
conditions. The c,otslngs w,re ma~
quickly and
without Incident. . · ·
The men
and
vehicles B Battery, ~IMth erassed
the
Rhein w lh
the
help
of
he 2d Company,Swlngbrictge
Battalion
880, Karlsruhe.
·1/81st fflOW9I
out
By
SP4
Willis
Couey, 1181
t Joumalllt
NEU-ULM -
The men and women of PerStling's
Flnest,"
the 1st Bat
is
r talion, 81st Field Artillery,
crossed
the Rhein
River on birges
.
Sept9mber
- 19 20 on a
tactical movement
e,cerclsa.
:led
The German Army provided two large
barges,
each
powered
by four 2
ry.
horsepower
engines
for
thecrossing.
TheGermans directed the
toa
