More 511th History: Being Punished for Planning Ahead
19 July 2025 • by Bob • Military
Here's another in my long line of 511th-related stories that I documented at one time or another.
Obtaining necessary items from supply was critical to carrying out our mission, and over the years we had a modicum of success with getting the clerks in supply to do their jobs and order what we needed. Throughout my first two years I learned how to anticipate what I might need in advance, and I would frequently requisition items from supply several months before I might need them, which often paid off handsomely. One item in particular that I always made sure our squad had an ample supply of when the 511th deployed to the field was "D" sized batteries, which the EW teams needed to run the AN/TRQ-30 radios by night. (The TRQ-30s consumed 12 batteries at a time.) Of course, "D" sized batteries were also used for our flashlights, so it was nice to have lots of spares.
But that being said, I vividly recall a deployment when the rest of the 511th hadn't bothered to plan ahead. When the time came to head to the field, a bunch of people ran to the supply office, where they were promptly informed that supply wouldn't have any batteries for several weeks - long after the deployment was over. Of course, a lack of batteries was insufficient to prevent the 511th from heading out to the field.
After our squad had arrived on site, word somehow got back to CPT Quinn that "SGT McMurray had a huge stash of batteries that he wasn't willing to share." Armed with that knowledge, CPT Quinn personally dropped by our location to put an end to what he perceived as my "greediness." When he showed up, he asked me to produce every battery that I had brought with our squad. I pulled out a couple boxes of brand-new batteries that I had requisitioned through supply, then I pulled out a large box of loose batteries that I had personally spent an hour checking with a multimeter before the deployment.
I proceeded to explain that - unlike the other squads in the company - I was constantly preparing for our next deployment. I always requisitioned new batteries months in advance, and I personally inspected every battery after we returned to garrison after a deployment. (Any battery with 1.5 volts was good enough to keep, and anything less was tossed in the garbage.) I also explained that the EW squads needed more batteries because of the TRQ-30s' unrelenting appetite for batteries, and I pointed out that many of the squads who were complaining about their lack of batteries generally wanted batteries for their personal boomboxes, which had nothing to do with the mission.
Nevertheless, CPT Quinn did not applaud my resourcefulness, and he confiscated half the batteries that I had faithfully accumulated over the months prior to this deployment. I tried to protest and say that a few nights without a flashlight might teach the other squads to plan ahead in the future, but my words - as usual - fell on deaf ears.
In case I haven't mentioned it elsewhere, CPT Quinn was kind of a jerk about these sorts of things.
PS - My devotion to planning ahead for our next deployment was due to having served with LTC Lesser, who taught the 511th to remain combat loaded at all times and ready to deploy at a moment's notice. CPT Quinn, however, did not share LTC Lesser's foresight and devotion to the mission.
Tags: 511th-MI-Company, Military