Military "Cattle-Cars"

[StreetbikeDepot]

Ohhhhh the days at FT. Leonard Wood .....watching the Army and Marine guys pile on and off those cattlecars (if they weren't marching)......while we sat back in our air conditioned buses and laughed at them (Air Force)......good times!

 

[oifvet]

Talking about cattle cars, when I arrived in Camp Eagle in Vietnam, after leaving Camron Bay. We, (about 45 guys) rode (unarmed) up to Quan Tre in a stakeside flatbed, what seemed to be about 50 or more miles. It was a tractor-trailer comfiguration. At the time it seemed scarry because of the risk of being attacked. Alll along the way was burnt out Deuce's, Hueys, and an asortment of destroyed equiptment, making for a very unpleasant ride to our next unit.

That's one of those moments in a person's life that no one else can even begin to imagine. Someone could watch a movie or video of that and still never get it.

I'll bet you really did some thinking/reflecting on that trip. Did you think that at any moment you would wake-up in your bed back home and realize it was all a dream?

Amazing.

 

[fireball]

go hot229 and cbvet brought it all back. Of course my transportation didn't have the niceties of chain link fencing to cover holes. Ft Indiantown Gap, Dix, ft. stewart, rucker and ft benning . Basic flatbed with sides and some seats, wood. Once in Nam we were living went everywhere by air. And all the trucks were driven by someone who didn't speak english which dramatically added to the time if you got lost.

It was the dismal feeling of it not being fun once you got there that made the rides so terrible. Occasionaly someone would joke or say something but as a whole, everyone just sat/stood there with a blank look on their faces.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I remember sleeping (or what was close to it) in those while being shipped to and from the ranges. 80lbs of rucksack in my lap and smelling of "blood, sweat, and tears" as the DS said.

 

[fasttruck]

Ft. Dix in 1970 had its compliment of cattle cars, usually pulled by a ford 4x2 tmp tractor. As in some of the pictures, the air horn was mounted on the front of the trailer and apparantly operated it with a solenoid powered through the spare or blue circut in the trailer harness. None of the tmp tractors had an air horn. In rvn 12t s&ps assumeed the role usually with no protection for the passengers from the rain. Also remember cattle cars in ft. Polk with ih cab over 4x2 and 6x4 tractors for power.

 

[cjcottrill]

Small world STEELANDCANVAS I too was at FT ORD in '74 for boot camp. Charlie Company 5th platoon.

 

[royaltiger1945]

I remember riding in the cattle cars at Ft. Leonard Wood in 2002. Ours had wooden benches down the center and sides in addition to the poles. Weren't allowed to use the benches though. They were pulled by GMC Topkicks. There were only 69 recruits in my platoon. All training to be 12Bravo (Combat Engineer).

 

[mlwats1@hotmail.com]

a cattle car was faster than walking, moo me there fast so the ac works

 

[tx399999]

When I was At Ft Benning we used them the few times we weren't road marching. They had the seats but we stood on them to make room for more. I could lift my feet off the floor and not move.

 

[wb1895]

The Army was still using them in 1998 at Ft. Benning when I was there. We thought it was a privilege to ride on them.....Being in the Infantry we walked everywhere 99% of the time.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

My most recent encounter/ride with/in a cattle car was this past June 2010 while passing through Liberty International Airport at Newark, New Jersey. The rig was cleverly cammo'd as an Enterprise Rent-A-Car Shuttle Bus and there were about 50 souls and their luggage stuffed/packed inside (volunterily!!!).

I was even more impressed with the driver's intimate knowledge of EVERY POTHOLE between the terminal and the Enterprise Lot..... AND his skillful ability to hit EVERY dang one of them ! ! ! ! His talent was the antithesis of "Evasive Maneuvers" . I was reminded of why I left NJ.... they are completely inept at maintaining drivable roadways.

I sure was glad to get back to TEXAS after two-trips on the CATTLE CAR EXPRESS

 

[MSgt USMC (Ret)]

I remember those **** things. In boot camp (Parris Island 1981) the DI's could pack a whole Platoon in one. They must have told the driver to slam on the brakes at every stop and take corners as fast as possible.

A former DI I knew told me he could get his entire Platoon in one and once he got on he could extend both arms and turn 360 and not touch one recruit. Cattle had it far better than a platoon of recruits ever did.

I have a picture of one from Camp Geiger in 1982, I'll try to post it up.

 

[hndrsonj]

Just found one of these, dated 1945. Steel bottom, wood upper and canvas top/bows. I'll try to get some pics next time I go back...

 

[Lust4GreenSteel]

Parris Island and Camp Geiger 1966. Somehow, I seem to have suppressed many of those memories. I do remember being squeezed into cattle cars, but don't remember the details of the interior.

 

[jeepsguy]

Rode in them at Fort Jackson in 1969. Graduated from B-9-2, 10/69.

 

[Shoprat 19th Engr]

I do remember riding the cattle car in Fort Leonard wood in 1976 from time to time mostly walked from the barracks in the morning and rode back in the afternoon

 

[shadow1]

I remember them cattle cars down in Ft. Polk, La back in 1975. Jammed packed with newbie's.

 

[gottaluvit]

I do remember riding the cattle car in Fort Leonard wood in 1976 from time to time mostly walked from the barracks in the morning and rode back in the afternoon

We did the same at Lost In The Woods in August '84. Humped in A.M. and squeezed into these for a ride back to the barracks in P.M. It was just lovely all up against your smelly, sweaty comrades.

 

[m38inmaine]

Just found this post, I remember being stuffed in these in 1985 and 1986 at FT Leonard Wood MO during basic training and AIT. I also recall the DI having plenty of space at the door while the rest of us sweating our buts off stuffed in like sardines.

 

[SLOrazorsedge]

We had them at Ft. Lewis, WA at boot camp 1970. Largest deployment of combat troops for Viet Nam