Thread: Where were you 51 years ago today?

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I was in Okinawa and though it was Friday in the States it was Sat. morning there.

Rip- JFK

4th grade,St Anastasia,Pa. Nun,s sent everyone home early(walking distance). Pete

10 Yrs from being born.. Heck my dad was only 17 yrs old I think. If he was still alive he would be 68. God I miss him. He did tell about the day it happened and they stopped school and some of the teachers were crying.

My father served in USAF as did I and my son is stationed in Arizona now in his first year. USAF FIRST THERE!!!! AIM HIGH!!!!

A Junior in high school!

I painted my first car and built my first engine the next year!

One year after that I started spitting up blood from ulcerated lungs. My doctor wrote a letter to the draft board, and changed my draft status. I was relieved not to go to Viet Nam. I doubt I was mentally strong enough for that experience. I'm sure I would have PTSD like many friends now do... but I have felt guilty ever since! {:-(

Thanks to our vets! Forever Grateful!

In school. They quit having classes and all of us were gathered around the TV trying hard to believe or make some sense out of what had happened......

I was a senior in h.s. in auto shop class just finished putting a cad, motor in my 54 chevy was out side making some adjustments and listing to kfwb rock and roll they cut in the middle of a song and announced kennedy had been shot I went in the shop and told everybody about it and they thought it was a bad joke....ted

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

A Junior in high school!

I painted my first car and built my first engine the next year!

One year after that I started spitting up blood from ulcerated lungs. My doctor wrote a letter to the draft board, and changed my draft status. I was relieved not to go to Viet Nam. I doubt I was mentally strong enough for that experience. I'm sure I would have PTSD like many friends now do... but I have felt guilty ever since! {:-(

Thanks to our vets! Forever Grateful!

It's called "survivor guilt syndrome" and I struggled with it for years until a couple of combat vets got me straightened out. Don't feel guilty, it'll drive you nuts and can turn you into a drunk. I have first hand experience on the latter and have been sober for over 20 years.

I too appreciate ALL of our Service Men and Women - - - God Bless Ya !

As far as where I was, I was in a traffic jam, in our car pool headed home but due to a wreck on the San Jacinto River Bridge, no one was going anywhere soon. Hundreds of cars were parked with their engines off and lots of people got out and visited because of the Texas humidity and no car runnin meant no AC. Of course every radio was tuned to the Assassination Broadcasts which were on ALL Stations. Altho there had been a wreck up ahead of us, it was an eerie, quite and somber moment standing there waiting to go home and turn on the TV. Good Post, Ken - - - THANKS - - - - Em

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

It's called "survivor guilt syndrome" and I struggled with it for years until a couple of combat vets got me straightened out. Don't feel guilty, it'll drive you nuts and can turn you into a drunk. I have first hand experience on the latter and have been sober for over 20 years.

Ken,
That's excellent advice. I got my draft notice in early '68 and was lucky to get into the US Navy vs the draft when (unknown at the time) they were pulling in anyone who breathed for the Tet Offensive of '68. Ended up in Corpus Christi, TX at a NAS where there was a huge ARADMAC facility rebuilding helicopters that got trashed in Viet Nam. A good friend from HS went in enlisted, made Warrant Officer, and then got a field commission flying 'copters through three tours. I've talked to him on several occasions, expressing that I get very emotional about Viet Nam, and the number of good men that were lost while I served in a stateside facility where we trained pilots. He expressed the same sentiment to me, not to feel guilty about the fact that I didn't go to the front of the conflict, but to be proud that I served rather than finding some optional way out. It was a hard time for a lot of people, and I've come to grips with the fact that (for me) the Good Lord put me where I needed to be at the time, and I served well in the job that I was assigned.

Stationed at Camp LeJeune, N. Carolina, my last duty station.
(I also did a tour on Okinawa) I got out before Nam, but always felt I should have reenlisted.

Rich

Naval Air Station, Memphis, Tennessee

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We were on float, reinforced combat battalion, in March of 63 heading back to the Philippines from Taiwan when were were diverted to 'Nam to supposedly to help calm the populace for whomever was the dictator at the time. We got close enough to see land, but never landed. Went back to 'pines and then back to Okinawa with a stop at Honk Kong. In June we went back to the States and in May of 65 the battalion was reformed and headed back to Okinawa some 3 months early. I was due to get out in Sept. and didn't want to reenlist so I moved on getting out in Jan of 66 from being extended for 3 months. The outfit I left was, I believe, made the first combat landing since Korea. I lost a friend or two and had trouble dealing with those that returned feeling guilty that I hadn't been there with them. I too served honorably and today I don't have any regrets.
I feel honored to have been able to serve and would gladly do it again.

I was with my crew drilling rock for dynamite loads to blast out holes to set power poles in, Stovepipe Canyon/Pipes Canyon north of Yucca Valley, California. That was a long day; our job got put on hold and we sat out the rest of the day waiting for something to happen, and The Navy contacted me through my employer and put me on short notice standby for recall for a couple of days..

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I was on the way to work at UAL at Ohare when I heard it on radio---listening to the news I didn't pay any attention to what I was doing and got stopped for speeding--I told the cops and they said don't try any bull shit on them so I turned the radio back up so they could hear it themselves---they left in a hurry to get back to the station to get briefed on status-----that was Thursday and my draft notice arrived on Monday (had been mailed on Friday) so I think they knew something was going on---------Served thru the civil unrest in Alabama--------when 2inf div got redone to 1st Cav and activated to go I (tank mech helper) was left at Sand Hill to turn in the Cav armoured equipment--------not being an infantry mos and short I was let go 90 days early to go to school----------lots of friends were sent over---

damn you fellas are old!!!!
I was only 4yrs old -not really sure what I was doing!



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