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Sergeant Randomly Bcimjted With Minx*He'd Almost Rather Have a TanhlessBy Pfc. JOHN GRIESEMERG R AFEN WOEHR, Germany (Special) — After three years, S.Sgt. Jesus M. Mojica, 3rd Sq, 3rd Armd Cav Regt, has been reunited with a friendly enemy.Arriving from Ft. Lewis, Wash., for the Car Crew IV training exercises, Mojica was randomly assigned to the same M60 tank he had when stationed in Germany in 1968.But the reunion was bittersweet,“That tank has always been a jinx for me,” said Mojica, the tank’s commander.“For some reason I just could never get it to work right. I was always wrestling with minor repairs.”In honor of Mojica’s assignment, squadron troops nicknamed the tank “Jinx.”The years had wrought afew changes in Jinx, but Mojica recognized his nemesis when he first climbed inside. There, he saw his name which he had once painted on the tank’s computer console.His only thought was, “Of all the tanks in all the world, I had to get you!”Mojica, a native of New York City, rode in Jinx when the squadron was formerly stationed in Germany. In 1968the cavalry unit was reassigned to Ft. Lewis and Jinx and Mojica parted company.Mojica then went to Alaska, where he became a test NCO at Ft. Greely. Last September he was reassigned to the 3rd Sq.When his partnership with Jinx was renewed, Mojica half-heartedly tried to get a different tank.“I was sort of happy to seeJinx,” he iaid, “but I told my commander that T just couldn’t get along with that tank.”Mojica grudgingly admits maybe the quirks in Jirfx’s personality aren’t entirely the tank’s fault.“After all,” he said, “when I was in Alaska, I flipped two trucks over at the very same spot on a highway. Maybe I should have the nickname.
Newspaper Details
European Stars and Stripes
Darmstadt, Hesse, DE
Fri, Jun 11, 1971
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Robert V.
USA 15 Jul 2024
Other Publications Near Darmstadt, Hesse
Allgemeine Kirchen Zeitung
European Stars and Stripes
