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Who are this forum's Vietnam vets?

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Posted 2/2/2013 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
Periodically, I learn that members have served in Vietnam--A life changing experience! Some are willing to let others know and some do not; I'll start.
Company commander of medium truck company and convoy commander in 1968--the Nancy quad .50 was my 2nd love and bodyguard..11 corps--phutai valley.
Bill
Posted 2/2/2013 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
Army First Lieutenant, Signal Corps, assigned initially as Platoon Leader in, later as Executive Officer (XO) of, the 579th Signal Company, 86th Signal Battalion, attached in communications support to the 25th Infantry Division, headquartered at Cu Chi base camp in III Corps. Served in Vietnam 1969-1970.

Primary mission as Platoon Leader: command Mobile Relay Units loaded on "Douce-and-a-half" trucks (large army trucks), position them as ordered between field infantry companies and division operations command post, and serve as Signal Relay Component between company PRC-25 (backpack) radios and tactical command radios at division headquarters; as company Executive Officer: assist Company Commander as required; assume command of company in absence of Company Commander.

I probably just told you all more than you really wanted to know about what I did in Nam, but, as I know the Captain will agree, it really was a life-changing experience over there. Just writing all the stuff above suddenly brought back flashes of memories into my mind, of people, events, and, yes, a few battles. III Corps, where I was, was a real hotbed of operations during the time I was there. Also, being part of an infantry unit pretty much guaranteed some "action."

Something else. I believe I have said this before in other threads, but I also believe it's important enough to bear repeating. I have always believed that our common battle against prostate cancer is very much like fighting a war, with strategies, weapons, victories, losses, and, ultimately, the need for courage. I have seen so much of that, courage, here on this list: courage, of a kind just as strong and effective as any I ever saw on the battlefields of Nam. You are all, brothers and sisters, one very brave bunch of people.

And for those of us who did have the privilege of serving in one of our armed forces, whether in Nam or elsewhere, the experiences we gained in doing so provide us with excellent mental, physical, and emotional tools for fighting the beast.
Posted 2/2/2013 9:46 PM (GMT 0)
Tailhook VA-65 Navy pilot aboard the U.S.S Constellation CV-64 for two 1st/7th fleet cruises. Flew A4 Skyhawks and F8 Crusaders - 255 attack/strike missions over Viet Nam/Hanoi. Had to eject 2X over the South China sea result of ground fire. On the board for Ready 10 / CAP the next day, combat the day after. No problem; when you're 22 you can't get killed . Helped me grow-up then but scares the hell out of me to think about it now Note: edit, as requested  to clarify "Ready 10" (ready room standby alert  pilot - launch with 10 minutes notice) and CAP (Carrier Air Patrol - launch for defense of designated air space for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile aircraft before they can reach "Home Plate" = carrier.)   Mitch in SC Post Edited (Mitch128) : 2/13/2013 10:14:32 AM (GMT-7)
Posted 2/3/2013 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
Navy. Tonkin cruise with VA144 aboard the Ticonderoga 65-66.

NSA Danang 67-68. Spent 3 months with ComCosDiv 12 on river patrol boats at the DMZ. 9 months spent at NSA Danang as a Personnelman E5.

Was there Feb 67-Feb68. The night I was to leave was the night they launched the 68 TET offensive. Spent the night hunkered down in a ditch under a bride at the air base. Was really lucky to get my butt out the next afternoon.

Sonny
Posted 2/3/2013 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
USS Ticonderoga in the Gulf of Tonkin '69-'70. It was the Tico's last cruise as an attack carrier, later converted to anti-sub carrier. I was attached to F-8 flight squadron, not ship's company. Aviation maintenance administration. Never set foot on land but saw plenty of bullet holes.
Posted 2/3/2013 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
U.S. Navy
Patron Seventeen (VP-17) P-3 Orions
South China Sea, Cam Rah Bay, Mekong Delta
Sangley Point NAS, Republic of the Philippines

Market Time Missions

DEG 6 U.S.S. Julius A. Furrer (Guided Missile Destroyer Escort)

Washington Naval Air Station

Philadelphia Naval Shipyards
Posted 2/3/2013 1:40 AM (GMT 0)
July 69 to July 70. Pleiku highlands. 563rd Transportation co. 5th Army. E2 at arrival E 5 end of tour. Convoy duty and keeping the trucks running. Never killed any enemy thank God, but saw quite a bit about how war was fought.

Reading these posts, we have some real heroes here!

EDIT:

My pay was $360 per month combat pay. And it was $99 dollars a month upon enlistment. Woo Hoo!
Posted 2/3/2013 1:41 AM (GMT 0)
Not a veteran - but just want to jump in here to say "THANKS" to those of you that served our country - particulary in the 'Nam; you guys got $h!t on when you got back, and are finally getting the respect you earned.
Posted 2/3/2013 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
I knew there was something I liked about you guys :-)

Too young for that conflict, I'm 55.  I was around many

who were in that conflict in my early years.

6 Years (1977-1983) U.S.M.C, (Vertical Marine Fighter Attack Squadron), VMFA-232, F-4J Phantom, Aviation Mech

21 Years (1988-2009)  U.S. Army, Warrant Officer, Quartermaster (Logistics)

I share this info with few....

Posted 2/3/2013 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
Navy, Tonkin Gulf, '72-'73 on the Enterprise with an RA5C Vigilante squadron, AQB2 radar and inertial nav system tech. One of my planes lost over Hanoi.
Posted 2/3/2013 5:53 AM (GMT 0)
Ron was most fortunate to have been stationed in Germany with the Army.

I lost my 19 year-old cousin (also in the Army) in August, 1967.  When I saw his name on The Wall, my hand was trembling as I pencil traced it on a piece of paper.  I cried.

I was an in-state Intern for a Congressman (Vietnam Vet) who worked on studying the effects of Agent Orange.  In addition, he was a sponsor for the building of the Vietnam Wall.  The first time I saw The Wall, I burst into tears.  Many events in my life revolved around the Vietnam War, and I support its agencies. 

Posted 2/3/2013 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
 USS intreped  Tonkin Gulf  V2 1965 1967 We got the planes off the flight deck. I go out to the VA hosp 2 times a year. and they want me to claim my cancer. 0 club 2 years but still dribling.  ike
Posted 2/3/2013 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, really impressed how many of us Viet-Nam Squids there are here at HW. My salute to all my brothers in arms.

We fought in the war that was never officially a war, its was a "police action" or something like that. And many of us were treated like utter crap and as the "enemy" when we returned home to the States. I know I was, when I got out and started college.

These days, if you serve in the Army, and only work in a supply room in the middle of Kansas, you are called a hero. No offense to any newer generation vets, but in our days, being called a hero, meant you either did something brave, or you gave your life up to save another(s).

Different war, different times, I suppose.

But I am proud of my service, and when I die, all I want is my American Flag over my casket, I earned it.

It's a shame that so many Navy vets have a harder time proving things with the Agent Orange Prostate Cancer disability thing.

david in SC
Posted 2/3/2013 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
1st LT, Airborne Infantry and Armor. Recon platoon leader with the 11th Cav operating in the fishhook area of the Cambodian border in '69. Medically retired due to wounds received in '70.
JohnT
Posted 2/3/2013 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
I suspect we also have many, many Vietnam-era vets, such as myself, who served during the conflict, but were never in Vietnam.  That would be us American Legion-eligible bunch, in contrast to the VFW-eligible bunch.

My service was a meager two years as a Military Policeman at Fort Dix, NJ.  When we completed MP School at Fort Gordon, only about 10 out of 200 in our group received orders to Vietnam.  All 200 of the previous group went to Vietnam.  Luck of the draw.  A lot of MP's didn't come home.

Just like at the induction center in St. Louis, where every third man was told to take on step to the left, and then welcomed into the United States Marine Corps.  Again, luck of the draw, I wasn't asked to take that step.

Still another bit of fate, I was from a small, rural Illinois draft board and was one of the very few guys drafted out of graduate school (Notre Dame) after completion of my first year as a grad student.  I was just starting to pack my bags to return for the second year at ND when the mailman delivered my draft notice.  That was the only year graduate students were drafted, and after that my draft lottery number was never under 300.  After my service, I never felt "at home" with the graduate school crowd.  An acquaintance of mine, who had also been drafted, and who actually fought in Vietnam, also had troubles re-adjusting. 

I eventually spent a career working for the Navy as a public information officer.  What an amazing organization, and what great young people we have in uniform.

I'm proud of my service, but I feel humbled when talking to guys who actually served in the combat areas.  I salute all of you and extend my thanks to gunfighter for starting this thread.

Post Edited (clocknut) : 2/3/2013 12:13:21 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 2/3/2013 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
I was a Navy radioman stationed at Coastal Surveillance Center, Danang from December '67 through November '68 - including the Tet Offensive. We were a small detachment of about 25 sailors and officers. The CSC was on an RVN Navy base and even though there was much Navy presence in Danang, we reported directly to Market Time headquarters at Cam Ranh Bay as a detached unit.

We monitored all the coastal activity from Danang north to the DMZ via radio reports we'd receive from swift boats, Coast Guard WPBs, and any patrol planes or Navy destroyers that were passing through our sector. We would also receive and relay requests for gunfire support from units on shore to our boats, etc. As a clearing house for all the reports we were able to watch for deviant activity -- e.g. a fishing trawler we monitored that lurked off shore for a couple of days. When it made a run for the beach our boats closed on it and sank it. It was attempting to deliver a cargo of weapons and ammunition.

I was sometimes on a voice radio or, more often, relaying messages to Cam Ranh Bay via encrypted teletype. Though not a swift boat crewman I did a 24 hour patrol to DMZ and back, so I'd have a better idea what went on at the other end of the radio.

We lost one of our swift boats - PCF 19 -and 5 of its 7 crewmen in the spring of '68 in an incident that is still controversial. At the time it appeared to be an accidental sinking by the U.S. Air Force. To this day though some, including sailors on the next nearest PCF swear it was a helicopter that flew in and returned from north of the DMZ. I wasn't on scene so I'll withhold judgment.

Clocknut:
You said "a lot of MP's didn't come home." A guy from my high school was an Army MP who died defending the American embassy in Saigon when it was overrun during the Tet Offensive.

Jim
Posted 2/3/2013 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
My Dad served in Vietnam in '69 and '70 in an infantry role. Passed from lung cancer at age 57 in 2000.
And, yes, children of Vietnam vets are how entering the age when PCa is possible.

-Gedman
Posted 2/3/2013 8:16 PM (GMT 0)

Navy destroyer 1972.  We went up and down the coastal waters of North and South Vietnam, providing gun support for South Vietnamese troops and U.S. Marines.  Bird-dogged for pilots laying mines in Haiphong Harbor, North Vietnam.  Provided gun support after North Vietnam Easter Offensive, 1972, when they invaded Quang Tri province with 30,000 troops. Executive Officer on our 180-crew tin can, Thomas Kelley, awarded Medal of Honor in 1968 when he was with Brown Water Navy.  

Posted 2/3/2013 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
I served in the US Navy, as a Hospital Corpsman, initially stateside (US Naval Hospital, Orlando, FL), then off to the US Naval Hospital, San Diego, CA, working in the ER. Then, off to the USS Fresno (LST-1182), where we made one trip into Vietnam to deliver and recover US Marines. My service was from 1971-1975, and I am referred to as a Vietnam "Era" vet, as my time was limited "in-country".

I was happy to have served, but sure as hell glad that it's over, and I came home with all of my limbs, unlike so many of our young people nowadays. Although I sure nursed a lot of guys from Vietnam that were in the same boat.

Cowboy
Posted 2/3/2013 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
Amazing! Although they could/should have mentioned the awards that they received, I didn't see one mention them..I would like to apologize to John T for calling his garden and golf course "toxic";
he lost a leg and was awarded 3 purple hearts. Mitch 128 was "shot down" 2 times and was expected to go on a flight the next day--I always thought that navy jocks were "whooses". When one of my semi drivers hit a land mine and had his front axle blown off he had a r&r awaiting him when he got out of the hospital and a choice of jobs--not on the road. Maybe it's the lupron, but it still hurts to remember lives forever changed when a young 19 year old soldier received a "dear john" letter and no chaplain could help--made them my driver or machine gunner so we could talk..What could have/should have been wasn't.
As Yoop mentioned, sometimes we weren't treated in the best manner; I lost contact with my only sister for 20 years when her husband--drunk--called me a baby killer..Yeah, I forgave him since he doesn't remember the incident..I could go on, but Vietnam should never have happened...Sorry, but this is the only place that I can "vent"...God, what memories!!
Bill
Posted 2/3/2013 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
US Navy - Main Propulsion Assistant on USS Rathburne, DE 1057, on station Vietnam September 72 to March 73.  Spent lots of time plane guarding for the USS Midway and the rest on the gunline at the DMZ.
Posted 2/3/2013 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
 

i joined in 72 at the age of 17.  i was probably one of the first 17-year-olds  that didn't have to worry about the draft tho there were still plenty of draftees when i took basic.  i was raised in fort ord and in a military community next to ord.  i saw angela davis and bobby seale at vietnam war protest in my hometown.

interesting times back then. great music. i had plenty of friends who dads, brothers, cousins etc.  were killed in Nam.  they weren't sending kids to nam when i went in so i went to germany instead.  then the RIF started.  my battery commander lost his captain's bars and returned to being an e-6.

san jose has many great vietnamese restaurants. i eat vietnamese food at least 1-2 times a week.  my barber and his wife are vietnamese.  so is my mechanic....

ed

Posted 2/3/2013 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
1st Cavalry Division, Phuoc Vinh, 1969-70.
Posted 2/5/2013 4:31 AM (GMT 0)
Another Vietnam era guy here. Navy Corpsman, helped patch some guys up in San Diego, Oakland, and Jacksonville.

Bohemond,

Attended the memorial service of the lady missionary who was the only survivor of the missionary group that was slaughtered in the Tet offensive a couple of months ago.

Those were some crazy times. Half my corpsman class reported to Nam with a red cross on their helmet and a .45 on their belt. Whew, that was close.

Goodlife
Posted 2/5/2013 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
As they say every time I call the VA "Thank you for your service." And speaking of the VA I hope everyone on this list knows of their Agent Orange disability entitlement.
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