I’m on a run of WW2 books right now but I’ll pick this one up next time I’m at the bookstore and bump it up my list
Vietnam War ended 50 Years Ago Today
- Thread starter CyValley2
- Start date
Yep, WWII. It's like a Black Hole, it draws history oriented Americans into its vortex beyond an ability to resist. I'm with you on that.
Same here. They had no say they just went where they were told. Ridiculous what they had to come home to.
My dad was drafted in 1964 and served in Vietnam from September 1965 to June 1966. I'm thankful he wasn't assigned to a fighting unit and wasn't traumatized. He was in an engineering unit building camps, roads, laying water pipelines, etc. He said he could hear the fighting from a distance. One night a patrol brought in a dead North Vietnamese sniper. Turned out it was a guy that would be in camp during the day selling pop.
My oldest brother fought in the war. We never talked about his time over there in depth. said he got to travel via a C-130 with his back to the windows. he said the country was beautiful, but the Monsoons were bad. Hence the song by CCR, "Have You Ever Seen The Rain".
I never got closer to serving than Marine Corps OCS in the summer of 1974 (Nixon resigned that August).
Boy, I recall riding a CH-46 into the mountains of Virginia, loved the ride. The rear ramp came down, I ran down the ramp, the rotor downwash knocked me head over heels. The heavy M-14 I carried slammed into my shin, wow, ouch. Pretty minor crap when you think about the kids who went to Vietnam.
I have two major regrets in my life. One of them is that the following fall, for personal reasons, I didn't return to the U of Iowa, which automatically dropped me from the USMC OCS program. Gotta stay enrolled.
There were 2100 or so OCS candidates that summer at Quantico. Only 3 of us scored a perfect 300 score on the PFT, which seemed to be highly appreciated by our DIs and company and battalion commanders. I was excited to be one of the three because I had worked so damn hard to achieve that level. Of course, there were other important evaluations involved.
I learned later in the 10-week training period that my brother and sister-in-law had twins; one of them died in a crib death. I was Kimberley's godfather, they asked me to attend the funeral.
At first, the Marine commander of the OCS program did not want me to go home. I told him I considered it my duty to my family. Col. Megarr (later a major general) sent his personal car to take me to Washington National Airport and on to home.
I have the utmost respect for the Marines who have served our country. I revere them. I only wish I could say today that I am a Marine.
Please, pardon my personal recollection. I have never before publicly written about my experience. Today, on the anniversay of the fall of South Vietnam, much of this in my personal experience came to mind.
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For 20 years I worked with a guy(he retired in 2012) that grew up in a middleclass neighborhood in Omaha. His cousin was his same age, his best friend growing up and they lived across the street from each other. Both went to the war. Sadly, his cousin didn't make it back. I always thought about the contrast, to grow in middle class midwest America in the 1950s and early 60s, naive and innocent like these guys, and then one day they are in southeast Asia fighting. It must have been so hard for him to lose his cousin. He probably dealt with a lot of guilt that he made it back. After the war he struggled with alcohol for a number of years. He got sober in 1983 and has been sober ever since.
This is why the Ken Burns Vietnam series resonates with me, the interviews with men who were young soldiers in Vietnam. Eyeopening, chilling, they describe fright in a way that communicates to us who were not there.
I seriously thank you for letting me say what has been on my mind for decades.
Felt like I was reading a story from a well known magazine (when people did that).
I feel like your story is publish worthy.
I caught the traveling Vietnam memorial when it was in Iowa. Had no idea how emotional that would be.
I love the Ken Burns series, it's riviting. I just started the Turning Point Doc series on Netflix. It's good so far.
I subscribe to Netflix, but I have not heard of the Turning Point Doc. I'll look for it.
You served your family and the USA, semper fi.
As an 80s/90s kid I look back now at how many movies and shows revolved around VN or at least referenced it at some point.
It was like everyone was still processing through those mediums.
It was like everyone was still processing through those mediums.
My dad credits ISU for saving his life. He was a full time student during the 69 draft. 10th number called but since he was a student he got deferred until graduation. In 71 he married my mom, graduated, and enlisted in the marines. Since he had a bachelors degree he was put into a Marines officer program on a road engineering team post basic training. Which meant he never saw battle. Had he not been a student since his number was so early he would’ve had to reported within weeks. Their stories of getting drunk as hell during the draft are something else!!!
My dad lost two of his close friends growing up to the war. One was killed in his third week there. The other committed suicide in 94 after years of battling PTSD.
My dad lost two of his close friends growing up to the war. One was killed in his third week there. The other committed suicide in 94 after years of battling PTSD.
I don't think I can go any deeper in my own situation, but thank you for your service!
Edit: This beyond what I thought I would say in this thread, but for those of you who are looking into friendly fire, it was common place in Vietnam.
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We were all thinking we were building a better world back then, until it came to death and destruction; then reality became apparent, it was anti-colonialism force we were facing. Hope you continue to do build that better world.
