Finding Your Azimuth
Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day
--Kodachrome, Paul Simon
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken
--Sonnet 116, Shakespeare
He goes out at night with his big boots on
None of his friends know right from wrong
--Re-Humanize Yourself, The Police
_______________
While Ranging through South Georgia on the way to Ft. Benning, and old friend popped up out of nowhere -- the Cusseta radio towers. There are two of them now. In 1968 there was only one.
All infantrymen know these towers because they are generally in the SE corner of Ft. Benning. Most of our training was to the west Jamestown Road, a dirt road in those days. The instructors always told us to look for the towers if we got mis-oriented, shoot an azimuth on them, and go to the Jamestown Road where somebody would be there to pick us up.
It was always very simple, and no one got left behind.
In addition to the joys of training, Ranger also enjoyed shooting pictures. They always told the truth, didn't they? This week, we hear Kodachrome is become a relic, banished to the dustbin of photographic history. Will our true colors ever be the same?
Once we left Ft. Benning, things were never that easy again.
All infantrymen know these towers because they are generally in the SE corner of Ft. Benning. Most of our training was to the west Jamestown Road, a dirt road in those days. The instructors always told us to look for the towers if we got mis-oriented, shoot an azimuth on them, and go to the Jamestown Road where somebody would be there to pick us up.
It was always very simple, and no one got left behind.
In addition to the joys of training, Ranger also enjoyed shooting pictures. They always told the truth, didn't they? This week, we hear Kodachrome is become a relic, banished to the dustbin of photographic history. Will our true colors ever be the same?
Once we left Ft. Benning, things were never that easy again.
Labels: Cusseta, losing one's way, orientation, orienteering at Ft. Benning, safety
posted by rangeragainstwar at 8:53 AM
12 Comments:
Billy's joined the National Front
He always was a little runt
He's got his hand in the air with the other cunts
You got to rehumanize youself!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxESvUdIUuE
Thanks for the YouTube. It's one of my favorites from that album.
Kodachrome's demise is too bad. Digital cameras widen and flatten too much unless you've got an awfully good one. Reminds me I need to put a few hundred slides on DVD.
Gordon,
I remain ambivalent about digital. It can seem a tad -- phony.
Your task sounds daunting -- good luck!
Not daunting. Costco.
Ah. As my father would say, clever these Chinese.
Ah, sooooo. (wink)
"SE corner of Ft. Benning"
"Jamestown Road"
Is that on the back side of the airfield? I remember some road back there between the airfield and the river that I liked to ride my bike on because I could really open it up and not worry about being harrassed.
On another note I was in Communications Command while at Ft Benning and got to go into the control tower one time and watch a drop on radar. You could actually see little blips dropping out behind the big blip of the C-130. I'll leave it to your imaginations to imagine how the air traffic controlers described it.
Terrible,
Nope you'er misoriented- Cusseta is on the outskirts of post and Lawson AAF is more or less on main post. More or less.
I commanded a CO in jump school, 45th Co, and it overlooked Lawson Field.
My main memory of Lawson was C 5 A's bringing loads of VN babies and them being handed out to new adoptive parents . All without much organisation.
jim
Such a great article it was which While Ranging through South Georgia on the way to Ft. Benning, and old friend popped up out of nowhere the Cusseta radio towers. In which The instructors always told us to look for the towers if we got mis-oriented, shoot an azimuth on them, and go to the Jamestown Road where somebody would be there to pick us up. Thanks for sharing this article.
Jenna,
welcome and i'm glad you homed on our beacon.
jim
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