3 of the toughest and bravest I knew.... Gary Quigley, Scott Holden an Tim Seibert

By the way this is my wife Denise and son Joey

Today was a beautiful day here at home.The fall is my favorite time of the year.I spent time with my wife hitting flea markets, looking for antiques and talking to people. You meet some interesting Americans with different ideas and prospectives.

Hanging out with Cherokee Parks , NBA player, and a friend, no it wasn't Holloween. At 6'11" he made me feel short

In my younger days this really was our security, along with the chickens cackiling

My son Joey and me

What Ilike to do with my family when I'm able. In the woods and together

What we (I) stand for, lots of citizens complain about our country, they probaly have never been to another country to see their standard of living

Found stuff the Bad Guys were hiding in Iraq, it wasn't a bad hair day just cold, rainy and miserable.However the adrenaline rush kept me warm.

The 3/187 Unit Crest, the words mean "Let Valor Not Fail"... and the photo of the 101 and that "Scream' in Eagle"

There is a special bond between those you serve with!

The Torii, Japanese for Welcome, "The Rakkasans" use this as their recognition symbol

My name is Mike Swords. Some friends call me Big Mike.
I reside in Clarksville, TN home of the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Screaming Eagles.
Clarksville is a short ride Northwest of Nashville, TN.

I was born and raised in southern Ohio, The Ohio State Football Buckeyes is my favorite sports team. The Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees are my favorite baseball teams. The Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals are my favorite football teams. The Cleveland Cavaliers is my favorite NBA team, however the NBA is not what it use to be.

I recently retired from the US Army after 20 years of service as an Infantryman.

I attended college in Ohio 3 years prior to joining the Army.

My first duty assignment was Infantry Basic Training in Ft Beginning(Benning), GA which lasted 16 weeks.

Next stop Planet Ord, Ft Ord CA for 3 years. I had NCO's that were Vietnam, Grenada, and Ranger battalion experienced. They taught me well. A different Army then, than it is now.The 7th Infantry Division(light) was a larger version of the Ranger Battalions. Some of the best and toughest training I experienced was with that Division. I was a member and team leader in HQ's 5/21 Scout Platoon.

My next stop, Ft Campbell, Ky. At the inprocessing station everyone was worried about going to a specific unit, "The Rakkasans." Why were they worried I asked? "They live in the field", "always do things that are difficult". Well I had came from the 7 th ID, and you couldn't get tougher.

I ended up in the scout platoon of 3/187th Infantry. Again, I was a team leader, this time in a very inexperienced platoon. I was also the bike and sniper team leader. We had motorcycles we would sometime use for missions.

Well we traveled to Saudi Arabia as Desert Shield/Desert Storm kicked off. I had a tight nit, cohesive team that now was very experienced. The work and capabilities of our Armed Forces is truly amazing. I witnessed boys grow into men, and grew in other ways myself.One of my greatest personal moments is that I got all of my men back in one piece, like I promised them.

I returned back to Ft Campbell and became a Squad Leader and Weapons Squad Leader in Choppin Charlie 3/187. I later became Platoon Sergeant.

My next stop was "The Old Guard", The Army Honor Guard. We were not just toy soldiers! I actually deployed as much there as my other assignments. It was a very interesting assignment. I met very many famous and influential people. I served a short time as a Congressional Escort traveling worldwide.I served as a Squad Leader and Platoon Sergeant.

My next stop took me back to C co.3/187 and I took the same platoon I had when I left previously. All the faces were new. I spent some time here and went to the NCO Academy as Senior Instructor.

Next stop, Korea. I was a Equal Opportunity Advisor during this time. I also spent a little time as First Sergeant. I was with 2nd Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade.

I returned back to Clarksvillle as a Army ROTC Instructor/Operations at Austin Peay State University. Here I coached and mentored college Cadets to become Army 2nd lieutenants, a very rewarding experience.

My Army experience was very rewarding. I saw and did things that I would never see or do anywhere else.