Truckin

 

We towed those shop trailers with M-52A2 5-ton tractors.  These were 6X6 with power steering and very little else.   They had canvas tops that we later replaced with fiberglass. Multi fuel engines made it easy to keep them fueled.

 

The entire platoon had to be licensed to drive these for unit readiness. After the classroom work the road test was driven around Simmons Army Airfield.  Naturally, we started a bet on who could complete the circuit the fastest.  I’d be pulling trailers since I was twelve and was confident that I was gonna win.  The back side of the fence road zigged in a multiple S shape.  I was grabbing gears as I hit the first turn. The second S had a telephone pole in the corner. I grabbed another gear and finished the quickest. The E6 conducting the test jumped out of the cab white as a sheet, yelling, “You fail. You almost took out that pole!”  I replied that I missed that pole by a good 5 feet and that we should walk back and look for tracks in the grass/gravel.  There were none and so he grudgingly passed me.

I loved that truck and preferred it over deuce-and-a-half’s or jeeps.  That truck also got me my second challenge coin.  I was ordered last minute to be a driver for the annual ROTC gathering. My platoon’s deuce was red-lined and everything else in the motor pool was signed out. So I just took my 5-ton and showed up at battalion. (failure is was not an option) The Battalion CSM that I was supposed to drive chewed me a new one.  After taking my verbal beating, I explained the situation and he climbed into the cab.  That day we followed tanks, pulled out stuck 10-ton tractors with their load attached and a recovered bottomed out hummers. We went everywhere without a hitch.  That evening the CSM said to forget the jeep and make sure I came back in the tractor. The last day I also managed to man the radio during the live fire demo and called in artillery and air. At the end of the week I got a handshake and the coin.