United States Army, Active Duty 1984–1986. This chapter continues my REFORGER ’85 story after we drew equipment in West Germany and prepared for the long convoy to Bebra.
REFORGER ’85 and Operation Central Guardian
Exercise Campaign Reforger, short for “REturn of FORces to GERmany,” was an annual NATO exercise during the Cold War. The purpose was simple and serious: prove that NATO could quickly deploy forces to West Germany if conflict with the Warsaw Pact ever came.
Blue Team included Germany-based units under USAREUR: 8th Infantry Division at Bad Kreuznach, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fulda, and 3rd Armored Division at Frankfurt-am-Main. Orange Team included U.S.-based units such as the 4th Infantry Division (Mech), 5th Infantry Division (Mech), and 197th Infantry Brigade.
The Diary of a Soldier: January 14, 1985
Drawing our equipment from inside that huge mountain was hard work for everyone involved, and there was no time to stop to eat. The last vehicle was ready to go to the marshalling area at 0400 the next morning. The snowfall had stopped in the evening, but the temperature dropped drastically. I learned how to start a jeep for the first time: depress the clutch and toe the hidden starter button on the floorboard.
On day four, Monday, January 14, we left at 0300 hours — that is 3 a.m. — to convoy to Bebra.
We arrived at the warehouses in Bebra at approximately 1900 hours that evening. The trip was an adventure to say the least. The main body had joined us the day before.
The Overheating Deuce-and-a-Half
As we were fueling the vehicles in preparation for the convoy, we discovered a major problem with our deuce-and-a-half, the 2½-ton truck. It was overheating. The temperature was in excess of 240 degrees.
We carried the truck to the shop where third-echelon maintenance was performed by a crew from Kaiserslautern. The shop was on a nearby German Kaserne. They worked on the truck until about 0200 hours and, thinking they had it fixed, sent us on our way. It overheated before we got out of the gate good.
The mechanic pulled the thermostat out and threw it away without replacing it because of a lack of parts. No thermostat meant no heat in the cab of the truck. Lucky us.
Trying to Stay With the Convoy
We barely made it back to the marshalling area in time to leave with the convoy. SFC Stewart and SSG Lurvey were both very nervous. We had to leave two of Stewart’s people behind at the shop with his vehicle, which they were unable to repair in time for the convoy.
Four Stops Along the Way
At the third stop in Darmstadt, at a German Kaserne, the convoy left D-6 — Delta-6, that was us — and the POL fuel truck behind. SSG Watkins was driving the fuel truck and we were following him as escort protection. The vehicle in front got too far ahead, Watkins lost sight of it and made a wrong turn. We followed him.
The wrong turn resulted in a dead-end street with no room to turn around or maneuver the trucks with trailers. SSG Lurvey had taken over at the wheel earlier, as I had been driving for nine hours with no sleep in 24. He and Stewart were about to have a nervous fit.
We caught up with the convoy about 45 minutes later on the Frankfurt Autobahn.
From My Bench
If you enjoy military history, firearms collecting, or the books and gear that support this hobby, I keep a curated list of tools, books, cleaning gear, and bench items that fit the way I work.
Browse My Gear ListAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only link to products, books, tools, and accessories that fit the editorial purpose of Gun Collectors Club.
About Greg Cook
Greg Cook served in the United States Army from February 28, 1984, through February 28, 1986. His MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and this REFORGER series preserves personal memories from that Cold War-era service.