Thread: Vietnam Vets, sign in please.

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Originally Posted by rspears

I was never in country, but was in the Navy from '68 to '72 at the pilot training base in Corpus Christi working on radial recip engines. There was a big civilian ARADMAC operaton on post where they rebuilt Huey's and Cobras, and things became more focused for me in '71 when I saw a Huey go by on a truck, just the burned out shell, and a 'What? Me Worry' Wiley Coyote nose art. I had seen that Huey in a magazine a just few months earlier with the crew posing beside their plane.

The UH-1D ( I think it was a "D") used to fold up like a book when hit in the boom with a RPG,...... Some of those egg beaters would burn down to nothing the fire was so hot,.. I was told they had magnesium air frames ?

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

So, THAT'S what you look like without a beard! Otherwise, nothing else has changed!

Well okay, since you started it, here's a crew pic from some time in '68, I'm standing to the (your) right of the nose gear.

Uncle Bob, your lookin' good !! great photo.

I was a UH-1, AH1, OH56, OH6 and CH47 Chinook Helicopter flight engineer tho i never actually crewed anything but the OH6 LOCH the AH1 Cobra and the UH-1 series including a M model gunship. AND yes, they were very flamable, much of the air frame was magnesium which DOES burn and quite hot too. during my tour i had 5 FORCED LANDINGS(read that crashes) of helicopters i crewed, 4 of which i was on board. The 5th i was not, at that point i was an AH1 Cobra chief and chiefs do not fly on Cobra's, sometimes, depending the mission, not on the OH6 or the OH58 either, and never on the MASH famous OH13.
In Nam i was assigned every mission a Helicopter was used for, including a 2 month stint as a med evac crew chief out of Tahn Se Neiut air base/Saigon/Cholon
and the last 3 moinths of my tour as a cheif on a UH1 Mike Model Gun ship in the 1st Air Cav's 229th Aviation Battalion. Our Charge was cavalry air support for the 1st air cav's 1/9 Artillery, 25th Infantry and the BIG RED 1 infantry in 3 corps( central South Viet-Nam).

I was 16 when my parents signed the papers . Turned 17 in September of 1973 and was active duty by October 10th 1973 . I never left the USA since Nam was winding down . I did use all the benefits that came with it though made me better .

Bluestang67, tho the war was winding down when u became active duty and u never left the states you did serve during the Viet-Nam era and as such supported those of us who DID serve in Nam.
I was home a few years by 73,(came home in July of 70) there were still service men and women serving in harms way, believe me when i say, whatever capacity u served in or where u served ur support was im sure much appreciated. I am one who does appreciate that, as i do ALL military service personel past present and future.

Originally Posted by bluestang67

I was 16 when my parents signed the papers . Turned 17 in September of 1973 and was active duty by October 10th 1973 . I never left the USA since Nam was winding down . I did use all the benefits that came with it though made me better .

bluestang67

Sounds familiar likewise I just turned 17 when I signed up, I took an oath to protect my Country. I stayed Stateside also but my older brother was there. He was in his second term when I joined, he had been in Germany and volunteered for Viet Nam. My brother died from cancer three years ago he just turned 62 got his first S.S Check it had to be sent back because he died before the end of the Month. Like the others had mentioned my brother didn’t talk about his time in Viet Nam.

I wonder how many brothers were in at the same time during Viet Nam.

If I had it to do all over again I would do it in a Heart Beat. I was in from Jan. 64 to Jan 67.

Richard

My brother went to nam before i did, he was back by the time i got in country, but i had an uncle there, my father's youngest brother when i went, he DEROS'd before i did tho.
As for Nam Vet's talking about it, few do unless its to another vet who also served there, reason seems to b that other than that, no opne quite grasps what it was like....
That and the fact that returnin Nam Vets didn't get the best of treatment, even from the general public...
I came back to the world thru Oakland, when we debarked there were a crown of protesters marchin about, most of em grungy hippie types who obviously never served in any capacity protestin US as if we were murderers and such.
Almost went to the stockade bout that, i went off n charged em...

Originally Posted by MrWizard455

My brother went to nam before i did, he was back by the time i got in country, but i had an uncle there, my father's youngest brother when i went, he DEROS'd before i did tho.
As for Nam Vet's talking about it, few do unless its to another vet who also served there, reason seems to b that other than that, no opne quite grasps what it was like....
That and the fact that returnin Nam Vets didn't get the best of treatment, even from the general public...
I came back to the world thru Oakland, when we debarked there were a crown of protesters marchin about, most of em grungy hippie types who obviously never served in any capacity protestin US as if we were murderers and such.
Almost went to the stockade bout that, i went off n charged em...

I understand what you are saying. I was spit on, called baby killer...etc when I returned home. As far as the public was concerned we were lower than snakes bellies for being over there doing what we were sent there to do.

This pass Friday I was at the largest Army/Navy surplus store in this area looking for a box to make my tool box from and I felt like screaming at the clecks in the store for the lack of Vietnam era items to buy. It was like the whole Nam era has been pushed back in some dark corner to cover its shame. Oh there were a few bumper stickers and a couple of old unit patches for sale but when I ask if they had anything from the 2nd Field Forces, Vietnam era, I was told no. One older man said, "We havent had any of that stuff in years, alot of new wars have come and gone since then so are only carry whats resent now". Talk about a hit in the gut, that was one. As I walked out I thought to myself,"Its been 39 years since I was there and we have been forgotten".

Thats why we dont talk about it. Only those who were there understand.

Larry

Crazyrat, i was fortunate that after AIT, and Jump sch, i was in the 1st Air Cav, when i came home i was stationed at Ft. Hood, the remainder of my 6 years service.
The hell of it was, it was my intention to make a career of the military, but i was starting to have bouts of illness b4 i left country. by the time i was home a couple years it was worse. the military response turned from minor medical treatment, to corporal punishment because THEY couldn't figure out what happened to me between the time i went and the time i came home. Of course they decided it was nothing........
once it was clear that not only was i NOT going to get any medical assistance, i was going to suffer corporal punishment for being sick, it was time to go. I managed to recover my hghest rank by the end of my last enlistment and got out; 12/4/68-12/3/74 Company A, B, D,HHQ 229th aviation battalion, 1st air cavalry division..6/23/69-7/13/70......RPSV
Still, im able to get my unit patches, my unit still exists...silver lining to every cloud huh ?
Hey Guys, vets to vets, those of us who SAW combat in any service, any time...
despite it all, wasn't it the most alive time u had in ur life ? the time u were most alert, most supportive, most dependable in ur whole life ?
that time when u could honestly feel u had the whole weight of country on ur shoulders...and tho u mourn u brothers, AND sisters in war lost, ur proud of them AND urself...FOR them and urself ?....Amen ?

amen!!!!!!!!:d

Wow....Im glad this thread was revived....I didnt realize how many of my Viet Nam brothers were here!....I was in country stationed in Long Than North with the 2nd Signal group, Aviation Det. 68-69.......Fun times, is all Im gonna say....Welcome home brothers!!!!

Originally Posted by ford2custom

bluestang67

Sounds familiar likewise I just turned 17 when I signed up, I took an oath to protect my Country. I stayed Stateside also but my older brother was there. He was in his second term when I joined, he had been in Germany and volunteered for Viet Nam. My brother died from cancer three years ago he just turned 62 got his first S.S Check it had to be sent back because he died before the end of the Month. Like the others had mentioned my brother didn’t talk about his time in Viet Nam.

I wonder how many brothers were in at the same time during Viet Nam.

If I had it to do all over again I would do it in a Heart Beat. I was in from Jan. 64 to Jan 67.

Richard

My brother who is 6 years older was in at the same time . He served 1971 to 1975 stationed at Ft Meyers , He was into computer stuff then like now . He mentioned White House guest lists but also stayed stateside his term . He wears tie's to work and I try getting the grease of my hands works out great .

Headquarters SAC DOCDC/55th Strat Recon Wing .......... EC-135A "Looking Glass" Airborne Command Post computer operations ............. four TDY trips to beautiful Southeast Asia 1968-1971 ............ MACV, Da Nang, Takhli, Nakom Phanom ............ belonging to SAC DO, we were responsible for the creation and delivery of the SIOP (Single Integrated Operational Plan) ............. our bird, tail number 23583, the ADA bird (Airborne Data Automation) .......... we were testing the new SAC real time system

I was an instant winner in the '69 draft lottery. I was assigned to the 1/46th Inf, 196th LIB, in VN from 07/70 to 07/71. I was a regular infantry soldier. I retired from the Army in 2001.

I went to Viet Nam in October of 1972. The Paris Peace Talks had just broken down, so President Nixon started a huge bombing campaign on Hanoi. We started getting increasing rocket attacks. By then, we were staying in our "secure" area, but we did have to provide our own area defense of course. I was made a M-60 gunner on M-113 APC and had no idea of what I was doing! Fortunately, we never got the expected attack, only rocket fire. Perhaps the other side was just waiting for the end also.
The Vietnamese came back to the table and a plan was resolved. I think the date for cease fire was Feb 11, 1973? Anyway, we were on perimeter defense that night, into the morning. In the early morning darkness, we began to get some rockets fired into our area. At the predetermined time of cease-fire, the rockets stopped. Eight AM if I remember correctly. I recall this as being a very strange and surreal moment. We were told that we had been in the last combat action of the war. But this is embarrassing to me as I had not experienced anything like others had endured.
Anyway, the war was over. I sure wish it had been the last one.