AAAO! New Year's Eve, Paris, 1989

Nate Smith is a National Guard LTC these days, living in Colorado and commanding an Infantry battalion that's part of a mostly active duty brigade. But back in 1988 Nate had only recently moved from Paddy's Gang to another Infantry job up at 2nd Brigade Headquarters.

At the end of December '88, with neither OPORD nor a hotel reservation, we piled into his Chrysler econobox along with our fart sacks and some snacks and headed off from Baumholder to Paris for the New Years celebrations. Made the customary somber detour to the US war graves cemetery at St Avold, and then rolled on to hit the bright lights of Paree just on nightfall in the Quartier Latin. Spent most of the night in the cafés of Saint Germain des Prés, not far from Hemingway's old place down on rue du Cardinal Lemoine. Out on the street when midnight arrived, the girls were kissing strangers like it was the liberation all over again. . . .

We headed up to Normandy the next day on a lightning trip (like Patton had previously made in the opposite direction, although we may have done less damage along the way), slept rough in what had been the drop zones for the 101st Airborne and visited Omaha and Utah.

Of course, Utah is where the 39th Infantry Regiment landed during the Normandy Campaign. And Greg Lukanuski's uncle is listed on the monument there at the beach -- that is, the 4th Infantry Division memorial if I recall correctly. More on that later, I hope.

When I was clearing S-1 for my European out, I ran into a tall black guy who was also leaving the Army but going to Paris instead. What a story that must have been! All these years I've wondered how he ended up. And some day I just might find out, too.

By the way, you can add you name to the roster while you're here!