As a former Vietnam Veteran {67-68} I want to thank all those who served. Let's all remember those who didn't return, as well as those who serve now. They answered our great nations call, let's keep them in our prayers!
Karl

Karl,
Welcome home brother, I want to second your thoughts. We did what our nation told us they needed us to do.
Mike Ford, 36th Engineer Battalion (Const.), 34th Engineer Group, 20th Engineer Brigade, US Army Engineer Command, Republic of Viet Nam, 1970, and proud of it.

55 years since I arrived for my second tour and VN is still on my mind. Tracing the routes on google earth I once knew so well, the highway from Ban Me Thout to Ban Don and the back country trails for 40 km around that camp on the Dar Lac Plateau,
Ban Don (Trang Phuc)


the road from Kontum to Pleiku and out to Ben Het and on to the tri-border, Highway 14 from FOB-2 down to Pleiku, Highway 14 from Kontum up to Dak Pek - show a different country. I won't go back until the regime changes.

Thank you for your service. I have been to the wall and found too many names for friends and classmates who went but never returned. And a few who ought to be on the wall because they were much diminished in their return and short lives afterwards. Thanks for all who serve and served

Gene,
I've heard that Vietnam has become a tourist destination, I can't even imagine that. Upon my return, I was spit on in San Francisco and couldn't even get a cab. I'm glad some of those things have changed. For some time after I was ashamed, no more! I always remember those I knew who didn't make it back.
Bless us all!
Karl

Thank you all for your service

Thank you to all Vietnam vets, and all other vets, too. I served during the Vietnam War, but not in a combat zone. My hat's off especially, to all who "saw the elephant".

I will pray a special prayer tomorrow morning for all Vietnam vets.

kind thoughts and admiration to all who did their duty and served, suffered and sacrificed in all wars...

From a Vietnam era vet who was never in country: I salute all vets who were. Spending significant time in uniform in a college town in the late Vietnam years, I witnessed way too much disrespect for vets and for those in uniform. About the only place in town one could feel comfortable going to have a drink in uniform was the American Legion post. What a breath of fresh air it is to hear people say "Thank you for your service" when I'm wearing something that identifies me as a vet.

U.S. Army, 1 November 1967 to 31 October 1969. As a young guy trying to live on $131 to $145 a month with no quarters or rations allowance, I spent some time hitching rides and riding buses to and from stateside posts and home. I have to admit that I never experienced any disrespectful behavior from civilians, young or old. Maybe it was a West Coast thing.

This week I happen to be back in the small town where I grew up and graduated high school in 1967. It’s a solemn time of remembering those years and the turmoil. Grateful thanks today to all who served in Viet Nam. Standing in silence for Dave (Marine) who died there on a trail known only to God.

(from Rhode Island)
https://www.providencejournal.com/s...h-29-a-chance-to-say-thanks/70046067007/

Welcome Home!

101st Abn Div, 1968-69

Camp Eagle??

Some gave all, all gave some.

US Army,

Cam Ranh Bay, November 1967-December 1968.

1/501, LZ Sally-Hue to A Shau Valley

A Shau Valley was a bad A$$ place. A Shau Special Forces A-camp there was overrun in early '66. Air Force Spad pilot got the MoH landing his A-1 Skyraider on the short airstrip to pick up a downed pilot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_A_Sau

When I arrived in July 1966, I spent two weeks in 5th SFG Hqs in Nah Trang before being sent to Ban Me Thout, then on the Ban Don A-233. By chance the debriefing files on all the SF men who exiled from the camp where filed in a dust strewn cabinet where I was supposed to "work." The stories were amazing.

No mater what country you come from on this blue Planet War seems not far in the past and in many times not far in the future, it touches all of us in one way or another. I have always thought that these few lines penned by John Maxwell Edmunds described those who only come home in other peoples memories.

When you go home
Tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow
We gave our today.

Ernie

damascus,
That is really moving. It made me immediately think of my uncle who was lost on IWO JIMA, 19 days after I was born. He gave his today for my tomorrow. I can remember seeing my dad crying and asking him "what is the matter?" and he would answer " I was thinking about Dwight." We should think often about those that gave us their todays.
Mike

Yes, and pray for those who place themselves in harm's way for the sake of freedom today. Their sacrifice of time, at a minimum, and their lives, at the utmost, is not overlooked by me.

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." Orwell

Nothing like the times of Vietnam, but there are still some great young Americans raising their right hand for our country. I'm going to Ft Benning on Friday for my son-in-law's graduation from his 3 weeks of parachute training; he had a night jump last night. He's a 36 year-old Army Captain and a great young man with many other opportunities that didn't require this. I know my daughter and their two little boys will also be proud when he says, "Airborne!"
I'm sure several here have been through that training.
Last night in a text to his dad he said, "“Two jumps today. Two more tomorrow then done. On track for 11:00am Friday. This is kicking my ass but almost to the end…”

Spring, you have every reason to be proud. These days, an ever smaller percentage of the population raise their hands, swear the oath, and put on the uniform. I was an Army Reserve officer in the 90's, witnessing Clinton's cuts in the military. First the Active side, then both the Army Reserve and the National Guard . . . and we were supposed to make up the slack for the Active Army cuts. After Vietnam, the Pentagon brain trust swore that we would never again go to war without calling up the Guard and the Reserve. When Clinton ordered us to play peacekeepers in Bosnia--a relatively small mission in the mid-90's--the cuts on the Active side were deep enough that they couldn't even handle that without the Guard and the Reserve. An Army Reserve Military Intelligence battalion from the Detroit area participated in the Bosnia mission. Then returned home to learn that their unit was being inactivated. We needed them then, but we were sure enough we wouldn't need them in the future to get rid of them? Must make sense to someone. I couldn't see the logic in it.

Spring, from a "leg", please tell your son-in-law, that we appreciate his service.

L.Brown, During the post Viet Nam confusion converting the "Draft" Army to the Volunteer Army they did many things designed to make it seem they were keeping their promises. They held illegally constituted promotion boards to "pass over" officers after they had already "Riffed" the number they said they would limit the "Rif" to and wanted to make more reductions (at least courts intervened). When they couldn't support what decided to do, other times, they would set up a "test" and structure it to show what they had already decided was in the "best interest of the government". They converted many Military "slots" to "civilian" and changed "Construction" Engineer Battalions to "Combat Heavy", in order to improve the perception of the " tooth to tail" ratio. Instead of saving money over all, it cost more, but the additional costs were in different "appropriations". It was mostly smoke and mirrors. It is the same after every war.
Mike

Attending yesterday’s Army Airborne Graduation was very special, especially as I heard more about the rigorous path it took for these young soldiers, Marines, and sailors to get there. The class started with over 400 participants, all volunteers for this effort, and whittled down to only just over 300 that could finish. Sailors working towards BUDS, young soldiers just out of Basic, Special Ops guys from both the Army and Marines, with almost all being extraordinarily motivated and athletic, all worked together towards their goal of earning that Airborne medal and exclusive distinction. About 10% of the mix were officers and a few females earned it as well. Almost all were exhausted and pounded both physically and emotionally at the end. Many were headed immediately afterwards to US military bases around the world.
My son-in-law is currently in Civil Affairs, has spent a year away from home in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq, and also was on the 9/11 prosecution team in Guantanamo. He’s a federal prosecutor on the side.
Hearing the graduates chant the Airborne Creed in unison and their commitment to their potentially isolated level of combat was stirring.
It was a special day, while also emotionally rewarding to know that there are men and women like these that have volunteered to protect our country and stand the watch.











[video:youtube][/video]

Spring,
Congratulations to you and your Son-in-Law, a very well deserved and proud moment for both of you! The photos are very touching as well. God speed!
Karl

"Airborne"! All the Way Sir!
I got my Jump Wings in the spring of 1972--headed to the 82nd and FT Bragg, we wore the C*** Cap dress headgear with Glider patch until "they" made us switch to maroon berets! We DID NOT like them!

Great pictures. I lived about 150 yards from the 82nd's practice jump tower on Stonestreet Avenue at Fort Bragg in 1967. Many times I was tempted to go airborne, but I resisted that temptation. Now I am disappointed that I didn't sign up.

I had a 2S college deferment that was basically worth nothing, but I didn't sign up for service, took my chances, and somehow missed the draft with a draft no. of 14 in '69. All I think about when the subject of 'Nam comes up is how much contempt I have for Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara throwing young men to die into that worthless place, all the while playing politics instead of kicking ass. My heart goes out to those who went and came back, and those who went and stayed. Terrible waste of courageous humanity.
JR

Back when I was an Assistant Scoutmaster in a local Boy Scout troop, we would take the troop down to Charleston, SC, to spend a weekend on the USS Yorktown every year. One of our requirements was the troop had to view the film that was shown to all the ship's visitors. In that film is a segment showing a squadron of American dive bombers taking off from a carrier with only enough gasoline in the planes to go one way....not enough gasoline to come back. The entire ship crew was on deck saluting each plane as they left the carrier. I cried like a baby.....every time I watched it.

Was that the Tokyo raid when they managed to launch B-25 Mitchell bombers from a flat-top?

No, that was the naval battle of Midway going against the vastly superior Japanese naval fleet. If it wasn't Midway, it was during that time period.

Mike, I worked with Riffed officers in the mid-70's. They were given something like $10-15,000 as they went out the door. Since then, if nothing else, they've gotten more generous. I remember a Rif in the 90's and an active duty CPT who was assigned to our Reserve Center. The offer to him was $1500 per month until he hit age 60. Nothing after that. The other choice was waiting for the roll of the dice to see if he'd make major. He was a bachelor, took the money, and went back to college to get an MBA.

I remember waiting for my truck to be repaired, back somewhere between 2005-2010. I struck up a conversation with a National Guard NCO. Turned out he was in my original Guard unit (which I'd left back in the mid-70's when I found a more appropriate home in a Military Intelligence detachment.) I knew that my old Guard outfit had spent a couple tours in "the sandbox". I asked him how that was working out. He said they were losing a lot of young NCOs as a result, and was worried how the unit might do as a result should they be ordered to active duty again. The Army National Guard went from 400,000 to 300,000 under Clinton, and the Army Reserve from 300,000 to 200,000 . . . while being expected to pick up the slack for all the cuts on the Active side. All of that from cashing in the so called "peace dividend" when the Wall came down, the Soviet Union self destructed, and the Cold War ended. One of the CIA directors from that era remarked that while we'd manage to slay a very dangerous dragon, we still lived in a jungle world populated by a variety of poisonous snakes. One of which struck on 9/11.

In an April 1 Washington Post blurb about the AR-15, one of the charts showed that 8% of the population today served in the Military. 92% did not serve. What's up with that? Thanks for my service.

L. Brown.
It was $15,000, but they took $3,000 out of it for taxes. When the court said they had to do things correctly and give us a "re-look", if we went back in, we would have to pay the whole $15,000 back and roll the dice over getting some of the $3,000 back from the IRS. I was lucky enough that I was hired as a DA Civilian employee in the same job I had as a Cpt. The grade I qualified for was a significant raise in pay, and since it was overseas, assignment to field grade quarters. This is why I know that what they did during this time did not save necessarily save money "over all". I knew "bucking them" would "mark" me, and since I was Regular Army, I would have to stand twice as many promotion boards (Both RA and AUS) and after things calmed down, they would have twice as many chances to "get" me, during the 10 years I had left until I could retire. One of my friends was a Major with 17 years and 10 months on his release date (if you had 18 years, they had to let you stay until 20), his "re-look" allowed him to make it to retirement and made sense. It was in my best interest to not apply for the "re-look", and I ultimately retired, without regrets, as a civilian employee. The only mistake I made was not joining the reserves, before going back to Germany. As Regular Army, I couldn't "roll over" to inactive reserves, and it turned out that the Reserve unit there was only for current members to stay "current" and didn't accept new members. I believe you have the 60 years of age deal backward; Your friend ( and I , if I had joined the inactive reserves) would have had to wait until he was 60 before he could start drawing the $1,500, and that would continue for life( if he had been married, after his death, his widow would have been entitled to survivor's benefits of around half of that, plus raises).
Mike

I almost met the lovely Jane Fonda as she protested outside of the gate during our annual 82nd Airborne Division review July of 73. But it didn't happen as were were told that the protest was "off limits"... someone thought that there might be trouble???

I can recall some of those RIFs. The sad part was, soldiers that were paying their dues were discarded for contractors, that increased under budget games. Not neccessarily contractors who could defend the nation, but those whose job it was to cut benefits to troops, and put more on the plates of the deployed, wondering what their families back home would lose next.