The United States Army is truly an incredible organization. I am proud to have served. I want to share some of the facts and information about it. ArmyFacts.com was created for 3 reasons; pride, curiosity, and respect!
About USArmyFacts
Welcome to the site and thanks for stopping in! This site is about interesting facts and information about the United States Army. The idea for this site came into existence, initially, for personal reasons but as I continued to develop the idea I realized that there are probably a ton of people out there with some of the same thinking as me. That’s when the concept of USArmyFacts.com was born.
This website will eventually become a massive collection of interesting facts and information about various topics pertaining to the United States Army. We’ll discuss topics regarding Army branches, ranks, units, vehicles, and weapons. And, we’ll discuss categories such as Army equipment, organization, and people & events. With the USArmyFacts.com website, we will get into all of that!
About the Author/Creator
Hi! My name is Sherman Rivers and I am the creator of the USArmyFacts.com website. Those who know me closely call me “Doc”. I’m sure most Army veterans would assume that I was a medic and that was where the nickname came from but this isn’t the case. I earned the nickname for being a “deep thinker”, lol. In other words, I tend to analyze things and ask questions. I’m rather proud of that now, lol.
The United States Army helped me to become a mentally tough and physically capable man. For that, I am eternally grateful!
Background
I was born in a military hospital at Ft. Hood, TX. At that time, my father was assigned to A co 75th Ranger Regiment. I grew up as an Army brat for the first decade or so of my life. Third born of four, the early years were spent moving from place to place and meeting then leaving new friends. It was an interesting childhood.
As typical for military children, I found myself making and leaving friends and moving in and out of different houses during those years. The silver lining was being exposed to new and different things. Looking back, I appreciate that.
We settled in Florida when my father retired from service.
In high school, I joined the wrestling team and I played football. Wrestling was the sport that I invested most of my energy into. I loved the fact that it was a team environment yet each participant hit the mat on their own and give their best individual effort. I learned that your greatest opponent on the mat wasn’t the other guy, it was yourself.
This lesson would serve me well during my experience in the Army. No matter the size of the unit, it is made up of individuals and, in order to perform its best, each one of them must give their best.
As I approached the end of my High School years, I remember having a desire to leave the place we settled in, I felt trapped. I graduated high school in 1991 and immediately set off to see and do something different.
Military Experience
I processed into the Army at the Tampa MEPS center in Tampa, Fl and then went to Ft. Polk, LA for OSUT training. As an infantryman, I was expecting to be sent to Ft. Benning but, to my surprise, I was part of an alternate training called Lone Ironman that was conducted on North Fort Polk every 2 years or so.
After Completing training at Ft. Polk, I reported to Ft. Benning for three weeks of Airborne School. It was an honor to have my airborne wings pinned on by my father.
He served in Special Forces (Green Beret) during the Vietnam War and was Jumpmaster. He retired after 22 years as a First Sergeant.
Thank you for your service, Pop.
Once I completed Airborne School, I had two weeks of leave and then reported to Ft. Bragg, NC. At Ft. Bragg, I was assigned to B co 2/505 PIR of the 82nd Airborne Division. I still have vivid memories of leaving the reception center and arriving at my unit as a “cherry”.
This is when I began to become highly proficient with the weapons that I would employ during my time in the infantry. I’m proud of the fact that I qualified for the Expert Infantryman’s Badge and the Air Assault Badge (at Ft. Campbell) while I was still at the rank of Private First Class. We used to call that the “Tower of Power”, lol. I have found memories of the 82nd and am proud of my service in that historic division.
Upon reenlistment, I switched my MOS from Infantry to Air Defense. I completed my training at Ft. Bliss, TX and then reported to Ft. Lewis, Wa and joined A Btry 5/5 ADA. After a tour at Ft. Lewis, I was stationed at Camp Casey, Korea, still assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division with C Btry 5/5 ADA. Both of these units were Short Range Air Defense units in which I served as a crewmember, and later Commander of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
From there I began my transition back to civilian life and ended my career after around 7 and a half years of service as a Staff Sergeant. In total, my career included serving in 3 different units as part of two different Army divisions.
Looking back and learning more about the units that I served in and their current status was part of my motivation for creating the USArmyFacts.com website.
Education
I graduated from high school in 1991 and, as I mentioned previously, immediately left for military service in the Army. Many years passed by before I found myself back in the classroom outside of military training. Later, I obtained my Associates and Bachelors degrees in the field of business. I rounded of my secular education with a Masters of Business Administration degree.
Around 2013, I developed an interest in various areas of metaphysics. I was fortunate enough to find a program that taught the subject in a grounded way. This led to my eventually earning a non secular Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Metaphysical Science.
Studying Metaphysics was probably the most valuable education that I have received outside of my military training. It dealt strongly with concepts of the mind such as belief and logical thinking. This has been invaluable to me! No doubt you’ll see references to some of these concepts on the USArmyFacts.com website.
3 Reasons
My reasons for creating USArmyFacts.com are threefold. I am proud of my service in the United States Army as well as that of my family members. I was curious about Army history that I did not know as well as some of the changes that have taken place since I left the service. Lastly, it’s about my respect for those who served before me, with me, and for the current and future soldiers of America.
Pride
First, it gives me a feeling of satisfaction when I look back at my military achievements. It also gives me great pleasure when I think about the achievements of my friends and family who have served and their accomplishments. We have done things that most people either can’t or are unwilling to do. We’ve pushed through and conquered many challenges.
Curiosity
Second, I have a strong desire to know more about the Army and learn more about the people and events associated with it. I’m finding that there are so many strange, little known, and unusual facts. That was a KEY motivation in creating USArmyFacts.com! What are some of the things that you are curious about?
Respect
Lastly, I have a feeling of deep admiration for past, present, and the future soldiers for becoming better versions of themselves by enhancing their abilities, qualities, and achievements. They have and continue to display a due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.They are a huge part of what makes America great!
Welcome!
So, again, welcome to the site! Feel free to poke around and offer your comments. Also, if you’d like to see a topic covered, feel free to send me an email at USArmyFacts.com@gmail.com so that I can research it and add it to the site.
Welcoming conversations about virtually anything that will fall into the following categories;
- Equipment
- Organization
- People & Events
Writing about the United States Army has become a passion an I plan to continue for many years to come. There is literally so much material to cover. I hope you enjoy the content as much as I am enjoying creating it. Welcome to USArmyFacts.com
Thanks for checking in!