US Army Medical Unit Vehicles 1980's

[Brigade Commander]

For the last couple of years on one of my alternate routes to work I pass a residential property where they have a deuce-and-a-half with a white canvas tarp and red crosses on it. It sits toward the back of the property and usually behind some trees. It does get moved around sometimes but I have not been able to get a decent picture of it. Anyone know if this was valid for USAREUR in the 1980's? I assume it is a valid scheme just not sure when / where. Working on adding Red Crosses to the medical vehicles in all of my battalion medical units and the FSB Medical company. M-577's, M-113's and M-997's I have found enough pictures to get a feel for the field variations and what would be acceptable. Seeing the truck though gave me pause on how to paint the unit organic supply trucks. It does look sort of cool but trying to stay prototypical. At least as far as my research takes me.

Trying to get to the point where I feel ready to photograph all of the units in the brigade and then figure out how to get them posted. Also need a cat-proof area to lay out each of the 3AD / 3rd brigade's five battalions (2 ARM, 1 Mech, 1 DS FA, 1 FSB), the Engineer company, the GS FA battalion from Division and Troop K and Troop M of the 11ACR. Maybe one more big GHQ Order to cover the last supply vehicles. Fifty-five "company-size" storage boxes to lay out and photograph.

Arrrrrgh. The whole picture posting process seems troublesome. Well, we shall one day (soon?) see.

[panzergator]

Usual marking for medical vehickes in US forces is a white square with red cross. I've never seen the whole canvas painted white. Haven't seen any pictures of active service vehicles painted lije that either.

[panzergator]

I am looking forward to your pictures.

[rdenman62]

I know when I was in the army between 1980-1986
As a 91B and again as a 91C , I never ever saw a medical evacuation vehicle or transport painted white. In the artillery bn I served the first 3 yrs all we had were gamma goats. The medical section had a M561 cargo and a M792 ambulance. All artillery units only had gamma goats at ft hood anyways. I do know that the infantry units across the street from our motor pool only had M113. At 48th Medical BN they had duece and a half, gamma goats, jeeps. This was from 1980-83. After that time only combat arms units had track medical evacuation vehicles. Support units, artillery, etc had gamma goats and duece and half’s..

[redleg]

I've never seen any white canvas either, just the smaller red and white markings on green, camo, or tan. I asked my wife (Army Nurse Corps) if she remembers seeing anything like that at the Fort Sam Houston museum, but nothing.

Doesn't mean they never had them though. There are some odd local modifications made to equipment depending on the situation and location.

[Brigade Commander]

Thank you all. Confirms everything I have ever seen in photos but I wanted to confirm it with those who were there. I wish I could get a decent photo but from what I have seen the truck looks too new to be from WWII. Cab style I mean. I will therefore stick with the Red Cross over white square over green canvas.

It looks cool but the first thing I thought was: "Does that ever stick out from the trees."

[Brigade Commander]

I was going over how many medical vehicles I needed to put Red Crosses on and though I have four packs of GHQ's decals I did not make it to the FSB Medical company. More trucks and more decals to order.

If it is taking this to build a brigade I am going to have to rethink a division! But I do have a template. Hmm...

[panzergator]

I found it pretty expensive building just the cimbat vehicles in a division. Even for the H series, some things are hard to find. I'm still working ong the ADA and ENG battalions. I think including the support wheels will cost the equivalent of two division combat vehicle suites. You COULD just do one brigade slice as an example, but you may not be happy with that. Do you have the space to lay it all out and the patience to paint it all?

I have gotten sidetracked building the a post - Pentomic brigade, which is my own fault. I should prioritize finishing the division and separate brigade. And a few years ago, I decided I had to have a Brit unit, a German unit, and a French unit. Being a TO nut has dragged me off on tangents. You will do best if you focus on the US organization for a specific period.

I'm looking forward to seeing your collection.

[Brigade Commander]

I was going over how many medical vehicles I needed to put Red Crosses on and though I have four packs of GHQ's decals I did not make it to the FSB Medical company. More trucks and more decals to order.

If it is taking this to build a brigade I am going to have to rethink a division! But I do have a template. Hmm...

1-36 Mech has all all of its Medical platoon vehicles appropriately marked and is now legal. Next Weekend, depending on what work does to my schedule, should allow me to get decals on at least 2-67 ARM's and 4-67 ARM's Medical platoon vehicles. I am hoping to have enough of the different sizes of decals to also get 2-82 FA's and 1-40 FA's Medical Evacuation squad vehicles done. 54th FSB's Medical company will have to await the next order for the last of its vehicles and more decals.

[Brigade Commander]

I found it pretty expensive building just the cimbat vehicles in a division. Even for the H series, some things are hard to find. I'm still working ong the ADA and ENG battalions. I think including the support wheels will cost the equivalent of two division combat vehicle suites. You COULD just do one brigade slice as an example, but you may not be happy with that. Do you have the space to lay it all out and the patience to paint it all?

I have gotten sidetracked building the a post - Pentomic brigade, which is my own fault. I should prioritize finishing the division and separate brigade. And a few years ago, I decided I had to have a Brit unit, a German unit, and a French unit. Being a TO nut has dragged me off on tangents. You will do best if you focus on the US organization for a specific period.

I'm looking forward to seeing your collection.

I understand what you are saying but you get me when you say I may not be happy with that. I do need complete units. Unfortunately for me it is not a complete company or battalion that satisfies but a brigade at a time. Maybe once the brigade is looking pretty full I will finish up the last of the Pacific Fleet I need. Most that I already have are painted up. Just need to base them. Get the last of them done and I can look back on the fleet with, dare I say it, a bit of pride.

I at least am maintaining a bit of focus. I have not done a single foreign unit yet. I will eventually model the three Australian cruisers that operated with the USN during the Solomon Islands campaign. Unfortunately for them. They got, as the Brits would say, "A bit knocked-about." sailing with us. We were still in our "What is this all about." phase and trying very hard to lose every ship we could. Pointed out what not training very seriously does against an opponent that does. But with your having served in Germany I get wanting to have the foreign units. You spent a good part of your life working with them or planning how they would assist (or not with the French) and it is natural to want them "on the table" with your unit. Plus it would just look cool.

I will see what I feel like in January when I make my, hopefully last, order from GHQ for this brigade (mostly for all three companies in the FSB) and the Shapeways order to fill out the six rough-terrain forklifts and the 2 1/2 cubic yard loader and the heavy-haul lowboys to move them. The forklifts for the Ammunition Transfer Points (ATP) and the loader for the Forward Refueling Point (FRP). Then I will feel like the FSB is starting to look good enough to be seen in public. Not complete maybe but seen in public. A bit OCD about having every unit comparatively complete before being seen by anyone. I should stop wondering why retirement is looking less and less likely. I would lend you ADA, I have too much, but it is too new for you. Well the Vulcans are not but the HMMWV Stingers are. Technically they probably are for me as well. C'est la guerre. The French always have an excuse for everything. I should stop because, like us, they are just plain complicated. Nothing more.

[panzergator]

I am old enough to remember when DeGaulle ordered all US units out of France on a very short fuse. There was still a French unit in Kaiserslautern and another at a post near Baumholder in the '80s. My wife and I liked to shop at its commissary occasionally. Field exercises were usually marked with dead AMX32s lining the road.

Part of my problem is that I am more inclined to spend money on combat vehicles. It isn't that I don't appreciate support vehicles. I spent two years as a tank battalion maintenance officer and my secondary specialty was logistics. It's that primary Armor specialty that draws me.

I suppose our OCD is dependent, to some degree, on our inclinations. Depending on the length of life, money in retirement and the development of 3D printing skill, there will be more trucks.

[redleg]

I would love to do every single vehicle for my units. I got pretty close to that with my ACR squadrons, but since then I have been just doing combat vehicles. Maybe someday I will stop coming up with great ideas for units to add to my collection!

[whoa Mohamed]

91C Medic here.
BAS 1/77 FA 1st Cav Div. 1983-84
M577 BAS
With trailer for NBC inflatable tent ( heat and AC)
Usually occupied by Battalion and Brigade Commander ‘s when they wanted to get away from it all.
1 M151 Soft top ambulance
1 M151 hard top
1 2 1/2 ton truck with canvas ( not painted white).
3 M113 ambulances for Evac section.
The medics never actually got to use the one one threes usually they were taken by the Battery 1st Sargent s and the medics rode in the battery FDC tracks.
Whether this misappropriation of equipment would have been resisted in War I can’t say. All victors did have Red Cross on them.

[Brigade Commander]

91C Medic here.
BAS 1/77 FA 1st Cav Div. 1983-84
M577 BAS
With trailer for NBC inflatable tent ( heat and AC)
Usually occupied by Battalion and Brigade Commander ‘s when they wanted to get away from it all.
1 M151 Soft top ambulance
1 M151 hard top
1 2 1/2 ton truck with canvas ( not painted white).
3 M113 ambulances for Evac section.
The medics never actually got to use the one one threes usually they were taken by the Battery 1st Sargent s and the medics rode in the battery FDC tracks.
Whether this misappropriation of equipment would have been resisted in War I can’t say. All victors did have Red Cross on them.

Thank you whoa Mohamed. Appreciate the detail. Interesting about the M-113's. 1st sgts. Cannot do anything with them.

Did not realize the Medic units in the FA battalions had M-577's for BAS. Everything I have seen only showed an Evac squad with wheeled ambulances and nothing more. I kept trying to figure out where their Treatment came from then. FSB from the brigade they were assigned to for the DS bn and from the MSB for the GS bn? Now I know they had their own proper Medical plt as well. Real world beats internet anytime! Looks like I have more equipment to add to both FA battalions.

Also appreciate the confirmation of the canvas cover on the supply truck. It seems no one has seen the white cover, except the one that someone has out back of their house. Hard to imagine someone would spend the funds for a white canvas cover that large if it was not used "out there" but no accounting for people.

[redleg]

By the time I went into the Army the M113s were gone from the FA battalions and now I know why - the first sergeants stole them all! I can't say I'm surprised!