Funny thing about this...... I was told by some major (I was a bravo co. medic, 3rd platoon) that I was to stay by Gen Trobaugh's side after landing. I was one of the first 3 guys off the aircraft (first bird with Oly)and peeled off to the side of the ramp waiting for Gen, Trobaugh to get off. After everyone exited, the bird started moving and the ramp started closing, General never got off. I saw him looking out the opening of the ramp doorway. He I was standing out on the middle of the airstrip, alone. I quickly realized he wasn't getting off and I hightailed it to the side of the airstrip!!
History has not treated the decision to land kindly, and perhaps deservedly so. I landed in C-141 #1 with the general, and I'll say that it was quite a goat rope for sure. Hindsight is always 20/20 of course.
This is one of my favorite shots of the air strip.
Guest
13-Mar-2012 00:26
@ Trobaugh..... DUH! Far beit for a Airborne unit to make a combat parachute drop...His Armored Cav took over.
Whats up with the DA putting a 54yr old Leg general thru JS and putting him in charge of an Airborne Div.. Had that been MG Lindsey we would have exited that AC @ 500ft agl
keith nightingale
27-Apr-2011 16:40
Shows the difficulties of the log effort and the airfield. It had a capacity of one acft at a time until the apron was cleared and fixxed. On D One, the arty was located next to the strip and planes couldnt land if arty was firing. Took about 45 min per bird once on the ground before the next could land. MG Trobaugh, in retrospect, said he should have jumped the troops in and took its casualties-they would have all been together a lot sooner.
