FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Veterans of Company D, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, shared stories of military and life experiences during the battalion's second reunion held at Fort Carson, Aug. 2.
Veterans and families of the "Delta Dawgs" traveled from all over the United States to mingle, reminisce and tour their first home base. Some of them hadn't seen each other in more than 25 years and for them it seemed as if they had returned home after a long absence.
Gary Anspach said most veterans "particularly loved having a chance to interact with old buddies, having a good time together and getting a chance to see all the changes that have been going on over more than two decades."
The day started with a visit to the Mountain Post Historical Center.
"Educating Soldiers and Families on history is a vital component to military success," said Steve Ruhnke, the museum's curator, during his welcome remarks to the veterans.
The museum gave them an opportunity to see the displays with the memorabilia and artifacts gathered by the 4th Infantry Division from World War I to the artifacts from the capture of Saddam Hussein.
Their next stop was the Military Operations on Urban Terrain Site 60 where they received a post overview briefing by Dee McNutt, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson public affairs officer.
Mike Camp, range master for MOUT Site 60, provided a guided tour of the site, which included a walkthrough of the mock Iraqi village.
"The range was outstanding," said Paul Woloski, a veteran from Los Angeles. "In fact, very realistic with all the special effects, with the music, the way they had the building set up." It really helped Soldiers understand the context and the situation for their drills, he said.
The range afforded a unique hands-on opportunity for the visitors to experience the training available. Veterans participated in paintball gun training used to inject realism into Soldiers' training experience.
Lunch at the Stack Dining Facility provided evidence of tangible positive changes the Army has made over the years.
"When we were in, you had two lines, a regular line and one for short orders. Basically you went in once, you had your tray, you sat down and you were out. That was it," said Anspach. "You didn't have the opportunity to go back, or the selection they have here.
"Food was exceptional, much better than I remembered back in 1984-1987. Let me tell you, this is the Rolls Royce of dining facilities, really," said Woloski.
After lunch the group was off to the motor pool of the 1st Bn., 8th Inf. Reg., 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div. The visit ended at the battalion headquarters where guests received a comprehensive briefing with an overview of the mission and role of the battalion.
Before leaving, Rick Halverson, one of the reunion coordinators, shared his impressions on behalf of the group.
"Today was incredible, far better than we thought it was going to be," he said. "We are elated. I can't describe the gratefulness we have. … We are a bunch of guys who were vets, but we are just a bunch of guys. But we come here and we are part of something that is very important in our eyes. It is just great to come and grab that again, and feel it. You see the young Soldiers running around and that used to be us. As we say, we used to take the guard and it is nice to see that the guard is well taken care of by the (1st Bn., 8th Inf. Reg.) so, we are happy with that, too."
The Delta Dawgs hold reunions every three years. They all left Fort Carson looking forward to the next get-together in 2015.
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