M88's headed Home for Rebuild

CARNAC said:

Note who originally posted this. We are shortly coming up on the one year anniversay of David's death.

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Still hard to believe/accept. . .

Anyone know how Davids wife and sons/daughters are doing?

FMJ said:

Still hard to believe/accept. . .

Anyone know how Davids wife and sons/daughters are doing?

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I talk with his oldest son everyday. I make it a point. The family is fine. The Army took care of his widow. They miss their Dad and I know that this morning was hard on them like his birthday and Father's day. Thank you for asking.

When I looked and saw this post and who was the originator I felt kinds strange. Last Christmas we pm'd each other about our families and how much he was looking forward to be coming home in less than 30 days.

Merry Christmas guys. Life is short so treat your family like it is your last christmas on earth. It well could be.. Dudley

Couldn't agree more with you. He definately is missed here and it is hard to believe that David is gone. Makes you really appreciate what you really have during the holidays.

all in all, It would still be nice to have an 88, That's how I got my M-62, explained to the wife what towing the M-54 would cost. Though I'd settle for the old Sherman variant retriever sitting sinking into the ground at Winer Motors in Akron, Ohio. Me and a couple dozen others havn't been able to get them to turn loose of it as a sale item, or for static display in a museum.

Nice post and please put more as they come available

I saw who the OP was and it brought back a painful memory. Still miss David...

Very good pictures, as we'd come to expect from him.

88's #1

I was crew chief on a 88 3 years , it;s the caddy of armor. lottery money would buy one for me. when you look back you say, man I wish I was still there playing on the 88. It was sweet. Would deff. own one.

Talk about the ultimate recovery vehicle!

They were used to recover vehicles in the back woods of APG to recover what ever some army vehicle operator get stuck during testing.
and ive heard power washing vehicles coming home in the summer is one of the most dreaded jobs

I saw a vehicle of this type (or very similar ) this week when I went to Ft. Polk to pick up some wheels and tires for Maddawg308. Also passed by a marshalling area where a unit was apparently getting ready for an exercise. Saw M1's, M109's, MRAP's, Bradley's, Humvees, FMTV's, and even M113's (most of these were setup as ambulances).

All painted desert tan, seemed odd at Fort Polk.

LC

All painted desert tan, seemed odd at Fort Polk.

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Polk is prob being used a a Mobilization point for Nat. Guard or Reserve Soldiers.

Their vehicles are painted for the Theater of Operation they will be deployed to.

Or it could be an active duty unit stationed a Polk that is headed over there.

wreckerman893 said:

Polk is prob being used a a Mobilization point for Nat. Guard or Reserve Soldiers.

Their vehicles are painted for the Theater of Operation they will be deployed to.

Or it could be an active duty unit stationed a Polk that is headed over there.

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Yes, it figures. I only said that because I remember everything being OD there when I was young.

When I was a kid, our family and some good friends went to Ft. Polk once for Armed Forces Day, as they were having an open house. This was around 1970 or 71, at the height of the Vietnam War.

There were weapons and vehicle displays, and even a mock up of a Vietnamese village.

They had also set up mortars with dummy rounds, and had bird houses downrange. I got to drop a shell down the tube and the round landed right on one of the bird houses.

Funny how I can remember some things from over 40 years ago, and yet I forget things from last week.

LC

M88 are the cadillac of all track vehicles. they do ride really smooth!!!

Mrap

An MPAR with dual rear wheels???? That is a first for me.

Justin Wehring
979 997 3112

M88's have got to be my favorite piece of heavy metal....that isnt a rolling cannon anyway lol...That big ass diesel engine sounds soooo cooool and when they drive by you know its an 88 by the way the earth shakes

....the roar they make always reminded me of a deuce on steroids

emmado22 said:

Whats even more amazing is when you get the HERC's.. They look brand new, but are all on 30+ year old M88 and M88A! chassis... They do some great work at the rebuild facility.

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More like 40 plus years, in fact my vehicle in Korea 9B4425 (serial) was in service for one or two years before I got it and that was in 1963. For that matter so were the M113's we had there too.

I was a recovery instructor at the Ground Mobility Division. I was luckly enough to conduct training on a M88A2 with the serial # H0001. What a great time.