What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

[Matthew Semple]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri in January and February, 1967. The "event" was U.S. Army basic infantry combat training.

That got me thinking.

Mine would be Puntas Arenas, Chile in August 2003. The event was a port visit on my first deployment. It was minus 23. I have no clue what it was with the windchill. I still don't know why we left the warm comfort of the ship to get dinnner in town.

[Nighthawk]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

125th Appomattox. We drove through a whiteout going through the Shennandoah Valley, and then after we got there, it snowed almost all night. There was a brigade snowball fight in the morning. A real "moment" for me.

[Rmhisteach]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Shiloh '87 - remember snow, and shoes freezing in the mud.
Tatical in Kentucky in 1996- It was so cold that we heated up rocks .I remeber one guy sleeping while sitting indian style .
Ft. Donelson 2005 was pretty cold espically for the boys from the deep south wthat did not have coats.

[MO-Pard]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Prairie Grove......(2008?) No tent, next to fire, Fed sack coat, Great coat, blanket.... woke with sun coming up and made trek back to vehicle to drop off some stuff about 6 am., (yes, mainstream event). Car therm at that time said 18 degrees.

But as many said, the last night of the freak Piney Woods Storm. What started as a rain and a fairly nice day, introduced steady rain and falling temps. In historical terms and logistics, this would have been deadly. CS was miserable, but felt bad for the feds and animals. (God, I hope the Ground Hornets, (or someone,) does another event like this. (And hopefully without the deteriorating weather....)

Great memories, though miserable.......... but these have provided the best memories and realization of the soldier experience.

[lambrew]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

As Pat said, Backwaters was cold and very wet. Lost Tribes was also quite cold at night as I recall. Good times, good times.

[Huck]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

125th Appomattox. We drove through a whiteout going through the Shennandoah Valley, and then after we got there, it snowed almost all night. There was a brigade snowball fight in the morning. A real "moment" for me.

I remember that one......That was more wet for me than cold.....

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

As Pat said, Backwaters was cold and very wet. Lost Tribes was also quite cold at night as I recall. Good times, good times.

Lost Tribes got quite chilly, but not too bad. At that time, I had only finished the cape to my "Archibald Smith" overcoat. I packed it with me, even though I was portraying a Fed officer. Man, did that little cape keep me warm!

[Jimmayo]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

125th Appomattox. We drove through a whiteout going through the Shennandoah Valley, and then after we got there, it snowed almost all night. There was a brigade snowball fight in the morning. A real "moment" for me.

Glad I had a tent for that one. Woke up about 3 AM Sunday morning and was glad the rain had stopped. Looked out and all I could see was snow falling. You can see some of the snow in the picture. While that was not the coldest it was the most varied. Lots of Rain Sat, then snow, then Sunday turned out great.

As far as cold and uncomfortable one of the early 1980s Sailors Creek event has that honor. Used to be Sailors Creek was what is now called a campaigner event. No sutlers, no tents, no portajohns, no state park rangers and only the local church set up on Sat morning to sell biscuts before we marched out of camp. It rained all day. Most of the yankees went home and we got seperated from the rest and never had a Sat battle. Finally came out of the woods around dark at Chuck Hillsman house soaking wet. As usual it turned cold when the rain stopped and we spent the night in a abandoned house with the rats. That was my first spooning event, wet and cold. The morning came clear and sunny. On the march back to the creek people were coming out of fields, hay stacks and anywhere else that they went to get out of the weather the night before.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Lost Tribes got really chilly. It didn't help that we were rousted out of the mill, but that cellar made up for it.

[Pious Jeems]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

"Franklin '89 has always been a benchmark to me. Winds howling out of the north at a steady 15-20 mph and air temps about 12-15 degrees." and Pogue, I came back for more! Could not stop shaking that night. A couple of winter drills near Oxford Ms. Franklin 125th will always stand out in my memory. I cannot remember what I wrapped around my head so my ears didn't freeze. I warmed up when 1st Sgt. Marshall Jones chewed me out in line after we crossed the ditch ready to head up toward the Carter Gin. I was at right shoulder while everyone else was at shoulder.
LBL, for some reason comes to mind, remembering the ground sucking the warmth out of my side near the ground, roll over and bang again.
Of course one of the tacticals at Ft. Campbell when I got the name of Lt. Poptart! It's bad when your spooning partners roll taking all the covers to allow one to awaken in a state of stupor.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

I seem to remember the 130th Stones River as being pretty bloody cold.

[Utley]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Franklin 1989 - 7 degrees

[Ike Gatlin]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Amen Brother Utley... I always remember the snot freezing on the end of my nose.

Ike Gatlin

[SUVSCV]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Shiloh 125th for me. No straw. No fire. No pard (he was sleeping in his SUV!).


Stan Buckles

[unclefrank]

Re: What's the coldest you've ever been at an event?

Last night of the Piney Woods. Wet and cold.