European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 9 humor helps allies handle differences by Don Tate staff writer picture this helicopters with howitzers Slung under their bellies swinging Over the portuguese soldiers leaping out of West German charging Over to italia made manhandling Wheeling them through the mud into firing hurriedly unpacking 105mm High explosive rounds made in in 14 minutes the portuguese gunners brought by the German choppers using the British shells in the italian guns Are ready to shoot a mistake cannot be easily live rounds Are splitting the the music of big Large overcoming differences of language and creating coordination put of is not the simplest chore when six strangers sit Down for much less when competitive men of six armies come some of which were at each others throats in a world at the ardent ground 85 exercise in Santa they did it with body a torrent of fractured and perhaps the most effective Universal language Good artillerymen from americas Belgium sturdy Italy rugged Mountain troops and others from Germany and Portugal talked at each other in strange tongues but said the same soldierly in the americans Call it digging the mucking the so neatly Cool and hardly seemed to dig or even get dirty in their american vehicles got stuck in the British vehicles got bobbed even Friendly soldiers tend to think of each other in what everyone expected the italians to go around saying a lot was mama Mia mama Mia what the italians went around saying a lot was Maama Maama an american complained that a briton kept calling him so he called the briton because you people eat a lot of dont you he replied the we we dont eat much spam anymore so can Back in the no Battles broke out Between but there was some Point of Contention Over who could drink the most germans or heaven there is no went the so drink it while youre they drank no one was seen waving the White one British artillerymen took Issue with British the brits tend to sing when they explained Brian an american member of the multinational military police Force working the so the airborne was singing their airborne and the artillerymen were singing their artillery there followed a Small a minor men came flying that old clerk Jerk stereotype just Doest not in this Peder Cox photo for by 4 James Doddemeade portuguese soldiers participate in the ardent ground 85 exercise involving troops from six out of a few went to the 13 or was helping March the others Down the whats that yank doing Here a Brit i my get on Down the other than Ching British soldiers were the funniest people he ran  Bend Over backward to make you feel Only its hard to understand they talk so and Lay on the heavy everything is in bloody and thanks and were All getting along i scuse cant Yew speak English in the italians know How to Brown Beans and beef in one called chocolate and other Sweet one Days ration totals More than nearly twice that prescribed for an american in the and that not counting the italians carry canned red and White wine As part of their Field and a Small wine tastes not so Good in can As in said a laughing italian but we Are Brave we drink it portuguese also drink wine As part of their Field does it Hurt their shooting no said a portuguese and in Case his listener haunt he repeated problem to shoot at of of some of us even drink the that what americans drink while shooting straight Uncle Sams remains the most democratic of military with less physical and psychological distance Between the american officers and enlisted men shared the same spartan the same primitive Field the same portable and in some cases slept in the same Muddy the elements have a Way of reducing men to their said Bill Leszczyna of shooting styles but the american component of the Delta 4th 325th inf airborne combat team out of had no doubt who was the the rest will hate me for said but i can Tell you right hands Delta is the most accurate Battery with tubes on the line out the Man called deltas chief of Frank a Veteran of Calls it the Best six guns Hes Ever seen in any when i leave ill be going top gun Crew in Delta is led by staff Joe Schwener of the Battery is commanded by Robert Dow of Long special Effort by support group ensures armies work efficiently by Don Tate staff writer clerks and rear Echelon sometimes there called but when youre rolled out at 2 to go slogging once More into the its hard not to be a Little bit Bellows a troop poking his dripping head into the weve got another Deuce and half stuck out there out there in the miserable night mired up to its wheel tops in portuguese All night Drivers getting bogged Down in strange staff Carl Wright unzips his sleeping pops upward As though on a climbs where and he pulling on his grabbing his throwing on his rain in two minutes Hes get the lets that no Yerkish moaning and no Cle Kish shrinking from another trip into the Cando working with the British and their prepares to haul out the latest Wright is part of the the National support the Only unit of its kind in the the support based in integrates with other armies and works in am exercises through extending As far As 250 Miles above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway to 250 Miles East of Moscow in Eastern Peder commander of the a former infantryman who knows what it Means to be out with troops screaming fix it fix it when a gun or machine Breaks or where is it where is it when Chow or virtually anything arrives grins and says he used to do a Little hollering that old clerk Jerk stereotype just Doest not in this our Guys mix with their says first Bill known As of roaring but does it really work Hes like handing 01 ammo to All those different int that a bit hazardous it insists it takes a special and that what everyone Here gives it special we give each other a lot of but its Friendly i out