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Subject: 509th Airborne, Vicenza Italy
hailhero    9/28/2007 4:06:23 PM
Has anyone here served in the 509th/Nickle "0" Nasty? back in the 1980's?
 
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longrifle       9/29/2007 9:15:46 AM
No.  I rotated to Vicenza from Ft. Bragg with 3/325 in 1986.  There were quite a few men in 3/325 at that time who had been Oh Niners though.  My battalion commander at that time was LTC Ronald Rokosz.  I think he might have been the battalion S-3 in the "Nuke 'em Needham" days of the Oh Nine. 
 
It was still the Airborne Battalion Combat Team in my era.  A different regimental designation but the unit had the same organization and "feel."  The infantry brigade was still years away.
 
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skeet5413    I WAS THERE   3/28/2009 1:28:55 AM

Hey man, yes I was there. After a tour at Ft. Bragg, NC 1977-79 I was assigned to Alpha company with the 509th Airborne Battlion Combat Team. I was there until 1982.

 
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skeet5413    I WAS THERE   3/28/2009 1:35:12 AM

Hey man, yes I was there. After a tour at Ft. Bragg, NC 1977-79 with the 2nd 325th Infantry I was assigned to Alpha company with the 509th Airborne Battlion Combat Team. I was there until 1982.

One of the best tours I had in the Army was in Vicenza, Italy--I really enjoyed being a part of an elite unit of fine soldiers.


 
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sgtgreek    the GreeK   4/9/2009 2:57:30 PM
I was there from "76-81"....Anybody out there???
 
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1punisher2    punisher   4/19/2009 8:39:01 PM
GREEK ITS RICK BICKERS C. CO.1/509th  ABCT. CO'S R.T.O. AND    YOURS  /, . I WAS ALSO  IN  BAD PAULS ROOM - MATE IF YOUR NAME IS KASTANIS THE GREEK I KNEW ALSO OLE  IKE JACKSON ,  N REMEMBER SANDI GORDON  LINDA AND THE YELLOW SUBMARINE  CAR AND   GOOD OLD SEPTEMBERS BAR... BEEN ALONG TIME. GET BACK . [email protected] later ,RICK ALIAS(DICK)
 
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Falconboy    09 - 4/325th   7/17/2009 2:50:55 PM
I got to Vicenza in 1984 just as the 09 was folding its colours - Needham was still there and his batt runs always dogging out D batt. LOL!  I was in Bco.  with Capt. Pritchet, 1st Sgt Duke, Sgt Delph, Sgt Dollota, Sgt Burns, Ssg Patterson, Vimini, Murph Steen, Toby Lucas, Mike Trombone, Gidney, Higginbothom, Neeley, Ken Black, Adams, Minney.  Great times at Asiago, Pasubio, Marcesna, Graffenvia, Hohensfelds, Njimegan . . . really miss those days, it was a great unit
 
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bug       8/7/2009 3:39:14 PM
is this john kastanas from c,co. that we called the greek
 
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Mountain    Mountain   8/26/2009 2:40:32 PM
I hit the ground in Vicenza in '73, just reactivated.  Lots of Dog & Pony shows for NATO brass, big time alert status due to the Israeli / Arab conflict of the day.  Competition for Belgian Camando school.  Lots of troops cycling in from Nam.  Wild times....  C co 1/509th  was the most bad ass outfit that hadn't yet seen combat in those days.   Wild times
 
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Mountain    Mountain   8/26/2009 2:47:21 PM

In 1973, as the division's 1st Brigade jump status was ending, a new unit with the designation of 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry (bearing the lineage of WW II's Co C, 509PIB) was activated to form an Airborne battalion combat team (ABCT) from elements of the existing Airborne forces within the brigade. After a brief training period at Rhine Casern barracks in West Germany, the unit moved to Vicenza, Italy, as a separate Airborne Battalion Combat Team and composed of a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), a combat support company (CSC), three light infantry companies and one 105 mm towed field artillery battery, commanded by LTC Ward M. Lehardy. The colors of 1-509th and 2-509th were reflagged as 2-28th and 2-87th. Shortly after its arrival in Italy, 3-509th was reflagged as 1-509th.

On 1 July 1975 the lineage of Co C, 509PIB was reactivated at Fort Rucker as the separate Co C (Pathfinder), 509th Infantry. The company was created by reflagging the existing 5th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder), which had served at the post since 24 June 1963. (A pathfinder presence at Fort Rucker can be traced back to about 1960 with the activation of the Pathfinder Team, Company A, 2nd Battle Group, 31st Infantry, to support the Aviation Center.) Contrary to some erroneous accounts, C-509th was not created by transferring C-1-509th from Italy to Fort Rucker. There had already been a pathfinder presence at Fort Rucker for 15 years. Even if the 5th Infantry Detachment had not existed, the Army would not have reduced the strength of its only forward-deployed Airborne battalion in Europe when sufficient manning was available in CONUS. Additionally, the organization and manning of a line Airborne infantry company is different from that of a pathfinder company conducting training support.

 
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Kittelson    CSC 1/509   9/1/2009 10:21:28 PM
Here is a shout out to the original guys from 1/509 ABCT
 
My name is Kittelson. I was in the RedEye Section of CSC from Jan 82-84 
I would like to catch up with Geldres, Roberts, Waldvogel, Toal, 
 
I am also looking for Mark Patterson of the Tow Bunnies
 
All the way
 
From San Antonio, TX
 
Darrin "Kit" Kittelson
 
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