Major Readiness Test of the Army National Units assigned to the 30th Infantry Division (Mechanized) to determine if the NG with additional equipment, funding, and training periods above the standard then in place could be ready to deploy to combat in six weeks time.
Venue...Fort Stewart south of Savannah in Georgia....August....HOT, lots of Bugs, Snakes, swamp, just the kind of place the Army loved.
Regular Army Inspection Team going through the Unit's as we arrived (mine the Division Aviation Company (UH-1 Hueys and OH-58 Kiowas).....Inspector with Unit TO and E in hand (Table of Organization and Equipment List)....going down the line of vehicles....encounters the spare Pilots lounging as only Army Warrant Officer Helicopter Pilots know how to do....not impressed the Colonel doing the inspection. Cued up snarky attitude of said Colonel when he discovered a non-TOE vehicle (per the Regular Army TOE) and insisted to know just what the truck was carrying.....response....that is our Shower Truck (locally modified with Immersion Heaters/Water Tanks, Shower Heads on each side complete with fold down wooden Pallets for the prevention of mud there of. Colonel not amused.
Then the Colonel encountered another non Reg Army Truck....this one with a generator with bulk fuel tank....and eight once coin operated Coca-Cola Canned Softdrink Machines....four for Soda Pop and four for Beer.
At which point said Colonel had the kind of Snit fit rarely seen in our Division Area.....and when reminded of the US Army Regulation that stated a Unit Commander was authorized to alter his Unit TOE to fit local requirements....the Colonel got very snarky indeed and asked just what the hell we thought we were doing bringing that....that....finger extended and quivering at the offending vehicles...to the Readiness Test!
When from in the ranks of the ranks of the attending Warrant Officer Pilots was heard....."Silly SOB (abbreviated for politeness)....does he think we are coming to the Field without our Showers and Cold Beer?".
The impact of that statement was one of the highlights of that six weeks in the wilds of Fort Stewart!