Military Urban Legends

[Spr.Earl]

Didn‘t you know Frank Sinatra‘s buried there?
(Old Blue Eyes)

 

[alan_li_13]

No S***?
Come on, tell us more.

 

[stukirkpatrick]

On my basic course in Dundurn, we were told that "Chicken Heart" would get us if we went outside, and that it would rattle our windows at night...

Of course, we agreed with anything our Sgt told us

 

[1feral1]

Ah, Dundurn the ‘Devils Perch‘ (AKA the red and white checkered tower). The old cindercrete bldgs with the red roofs, the mess in bldg 69 (now gone). Places like Starfish, Survey Pt, Strathcona Camp, and The Pines. Many happy memories there.

Was speaking to a friend back in Canada the other day and he said lots of the cindercrete barracks are gone now. They were constructed back in 1933-34 as a work project for jobless men. The wood huts were all 1939-45 made, and most are now vacant fields.

40km up the road is Saskatoon, the Hub City. great clubs and pubs, lots of women too.

In 1997 I stayed at Dundrun for a Xmas Dinner, and to my suprise stayed in Bldg 75. It had been 4 yrs since I was there, and they even smelled the same.

Same goes with the regina Armouries, it smells the same also. Amazing how such smells can trigger so many memories.


Cheers,

Wes

 

[Dean Owen]

Originally posted by rifle_team_captain_13:
[qb] I heard somewhere that the old OD green canadian combats had bottons that were edible by boiling into a soup or melting or something like that, ne one heard that before? [/qb]

Some WW2 (CDN) Navy Uniforms had buttons that could be boiled and eaten.
Dean

 

[Dean Owen]

Originally posted by George Wallace:
[qb]

Originally posted by Zoomie:
[qb] Mr O‘Leary, the M113 story is pretty much the real thing. When I was staff there in the summer of 1997 we would routinely march the troopies out to five fingers and then continue the extra 500m to the burnt out hull - was great for AFV recognition classes.

The story about its "melt-down" can be verified by the apparent melting of its aluminum armour. I heard that a JLC course dug it up a couple of years before and that range control dragged the carcass to its current resting place. It makes a great flower pot. [/qb]

There are a lot of those stories around Pet. There are supposed to be a trench full of German tanks, brought back from WW II, buried somewhere. A guy in Chaulk River says he saw them being buried when he was serving, but doesn‘t know where it was.

There were the remains of a Valentine tank down by the 2 Cbt Engineer Reg‘t compound, that was finally carted away last year.

The M113 that you guys are talking about may be the one that Tpr Kevin Graham had burn on him. It was in the winter/spring of 1981 when the 8CH (PL) were hosting a bunch of Americans on an ‘Exchange‘. The Americans put the gallon can of Naptha inside the carrier, next to the heater. Of course, this was an APC whose heater worked, the can exploded, blowing the Driver (Kevin) and the American Crewcommander out of their hatches. They sat in a snowbank and watched it burn down to the tracks. Kevin was posted to Germany that summer.

Then there is the Keg of Beer that the RCHA ceremoniously buried during the Depression when the Camp went "Dry".

GW [/qb]

OK about German Tanks. The only WW2 German tanks brought back to Canada Officaly, were under the "Command" of Farly Moate (?) the author. He was the one that arrainged to bring back German items for the Canadian Gov. He had been an Intell Officer.

In the early 1980s ( 81-82) I was a Medic and was at the first live fires at Meaford. I remember sitting on the top of my box looking at the target tanks. There were many of them then. On the far "rim" I saw a tank with small road wheels, but could not place it. I went home and wnet through my books. It was a mark 3 Panzer.
The next time I was a Meaford was several months later. It was gone. I tok the chance and drove the uncleared road to the far side. I could still see ther drag marks from the area of this tank. I have since heard through friends that it is being restored. I wonder where the "KING TIGER" that Mowat brought back is. It went missing some years ago after a "fire"
All the items he was requseted to bring back are on file

Dean
Whitby Ontario

 

[DogOfWar]

I was told by some bright eyed green recruits in basic that the Chief in charge of the school had won the lottery and worked for a dollar a year just to make recruits lives miserable.

 

[axeman]

I heard an urban legend about Mr Rogers before, saying that he was an ex-US Marine Sniper who did a few tours in Vietnam, and the reason why he always wore those sweaters on the show was because his arms were covered in tattoos.
JOHN DENVER was a USMC sniper with 40 + confirmed . Captian Kangaroo was a door gunner . :fifty:

 

[stukirkpatrick]

According to imdb.com, the Mr Rogers legend must be false, but PeeWee Herman was a marine for a while, explaining his haircut

 

[commando_wolf63]

During my first summer (1981) while training at MTC at CFB Dundurn it was rumored that  some of the Regular forces guys from CFB Wainwright had camoflauged a duce and half somewhere out in the boonies after completeing their job they jumped into a second duce and went to the base for lunch. After lunch they went back to recouver the camoflauged vehicle but couldnt find where they had parked it.


I saw mention of  M-72's  there is also an explosive device called an M-72 that sits in the back of an ejection seat for the CF-114 aka Tutor the jets that the Snowbird team uses.  While on my SS tec trg course there was a question about the M-72 and what it was used for, being in a wise ar*e mood I put both defintions to the M-72 question  my sense of humor was not appreciated by my French Canadian Instructors  Cause they didnt specify what M-72 they were talking about. Their bosses made them give me double marks as I was correct on defining what purpose was it of the M-72

 

[jonsey]

I heard an urban legend about Mr Rogers before, saying that he was an ex-US Marine Sniper who did a few tours in Vietnam, and the reason why he always wore those sweaters on the show was because his arms were covered in tattoos.
JOHN DENVER was a USMC sniper with 40 + confirmed . Captian Kangaroo was a door gunner .  :fifty:

I heard that Mr. Rogers was a SEAL.

 

[atticus]

Just remembered another one.  Does anyone know the reason why we stopped using (at least in my regiment) those cam sticks with the two different greens on either side.  I heard that it was made with cancer causing materials.  anyone know if this is true?

It's because the old sticks are very bad for your skin and the new stuff that you squeeze out of the tube is a little bit more friendly to your skin.

 

[cpl forrester]

right heres one for u ww2 two British sherman tanks rolling down a street in France one of the commanders sees a tiger tank on his left flank trys 2 bring his main gun to bear but gets hit on the Left hand of the tank seeing the flames he orders everyone out.... the second tank sees the commotion going on cant see the tiger but instinctively fires a round up the street .....ca boom he hit a pillar of a six story shop of some kind.... the shop collapses rubble everywhere the commander on seeing this calls out to the men from the downed tank ! bloody hell can u see the bugger or what! he hears back !that was bloody lucky that! he again shoot !where the bloody hell is the bloody tank! at that they hear a tapping noise... the commander gets ready .....then he sees a jerry cap all black and dusty the German moves some rubble puts his hands up.........thats when he realises that the tank is under the shop!                                                                    cheers guys lol

 

[Sappo]

i remember watching band of brothers... there was a similar scene (kinda similar in that there were british and french tanks) someone else might remember which episode better than myself... maybe episode 2 or 3.


anyways, they are assaulting one of the towns after the d-day landings start from inland on their way to carentan I believe.

a few soldiers are crouched beside a building, and he signals for the approaching british tankers to halt... he runs up and informs the tank commander that there is a panzer 3 or 4, one of the big suckers hiding in a fuel depot just ahead and off the side a way.

the british tanker informs him, if he cannot see the german panzer he cannot shoot... under orders to minimize civilian and property damage.

so the first british tank rolls ahead, passes the corner of the house and blam... takes a round neat in the centre.

the second british tank rolls ahead right past the first one, blam another round dead on.

i think by this point everyone else breaks into the fight and the panzer or tiger rolls forward to engage.... taking out a few more tanks on his way.


not really folklore, not really needed here... just remembered it as being funny though

 

[Kunu]

To contrast with the carcinogenic claims of the old-style camo sticks, I had heard that the stuff was actually designed to be edible.  

Another (ya ya) very popular cadet urban legend was that back in the "hardcore" days of SLC (Senior Leaders' Course, at Cold Lake), those who couldn't take the heat would spray a whole whack of spray starch on the barracks floor next to their beds and jump from the top bunk, subsequently slipping and breaking their leg, resulting in a medical RTU.   :crybaby:

 

[cpl forrester]

theres is one like that over here in the regs ........................put loads of floor wax on the floor and get the older style buffer out stand on it and buff the floor this will result in a real shinny floor see ur face in it u could (not good if ur ugly) and then put ur boots on and Put polish on the sole of ur boots then jump up in the air land with one leg bent hay presto ur on medical leave with a doggy leg only thing is never do it Cox they know all the little tricks Cox so daft teat has already tryed it all that would happen is u will get put on a charge 4 millingering............lol

 

[cpl forrester]

not to self must not type cox when i mean coz*

 

[Dragoonian]

Just Joined the Forum and noted a post by Wes Allen. I do believe you taught my basic in '89 in Dundurn. You are correct LOTS of buildingas have been torn down. By April 2005 Bldgs 71,73,75 will be the only barracks left standing   a sad thing to see this gem (ok dust bowl) of a place go to waste. I have been working at Range Control since 1999 as one of the Range Control Sgts and there is no end to it. Such is life I guess

 

[CADPAT SOLDIER]

OK I see that this topic has been dead for awhile but.... I heard that back in the "good ol' days" Cadet used to get to throw a hand grenade or two. They put a stop to this when a cadet was killed by one of the grenades
has anyone else heard this is it true?

 

[SHELLDRAKE!!]

  Anyone who wants evidence of buried tanks and carriers on ranges, just look at Gagetown.Have you ever seen phase 3 students in a row with a prismatic compass.

  And the story of the drunk soldier on ex who decided he would take the chopper for a ride is true.He just forgot to remove the engine covers.