Vietnam War Interview Forum

Guest

>1) If drafted, how did you feel when you received your draft notice? What were your thoughts and feelings?

My draft notice was only a few months away when I volunteered for the draft.  That kept my active duty requirement to two years and I wanted to get it over with.  The draft was as fair as any other method they could have used.

>2) If you enlisted voluntarily, what made you want to enlist in the Vietnam War?

Most inductees were going to Vietnam but replacements were still needed in Korea, Germany and other US outposts.  I didn't volunteer for the war, in fact, I hoped my assignment would be somewhere else.

>3) What were your feelings towards the Vietnamese people?

They were OK.  They had their own 2000 year old culture, they liked our money but most didn't want to become Americans until the Communists took over.

>4) What were any superstitions that you had, if any?

I tried my best to believe in God and whatever happened was up to Him.  I didn't do real well at it, I was scared the whole time.

>5) What is a moment that you distinctly remember from the war?

I was a point man in a combat infantry unit.  There were too many moments that stick in my memory.  Most were violent and involved loss of friends.

>6) How did you spend your free time?

The little free time we had was spent in small fire bases out in the jungle.  There were no bars, girls, movies or a PX.  We could read/write letters, listen to radio Vietnam, play cards, eat, sleep, smoke and joke, try to forget about the last mission and prepare ourselves to go out on the next.

>7) What were some of the duties you had to do on a daily basis?

Every third day I lead the column to where ever we were going.  The other two days were spent in dread of the third day coming up again.  Five other point men became casualties.

>8) How has serving in Vietnam affected you, even today?

I have a much different point of view of life than "normal" people.  PTSD and diabetes drove me to the VA for physical help.  Spiritual healing continues through my relationship with Jesus Christ who saved me many times in Vietnam.

>9) What was your most frightening moment from the war?

Facing the enemy when my rifle jammed was scary.  Fear reaches a point that defies measurement or comparison with another event.  There were so many times when things could/should have gone badly but it simply please God to bring me home without a scrach.  That doesn't mean I wasn't terrified.

>10) What did you do to get yourself through the war?

The war didn't stop so we had to do the best we could day to day and moment to moment.  I wish we could have raised our hand and asked to be excused.  We suffered together.  We were committed to do our best to see that everyone lived long enough to go home.  It was a real jolt when someone didn't make it but there was no time to grieve.

>11) What were your first few days of serving like?

Chaos and confusion with Drill Sergants yelling at us the whole time.

>12) After the war, what was the transition back to society like, and why?

I truly wanted to return to life as it was before I left.  I tried to bury all the memories of terror and death and thought if I could deny they bothered me strongly enough, that they wouldn't.  I spent thirty years in denial - I don't recommend it.  It just blinded me to the cause of all the symptoms of PTSD that developed.  It was very hard for my wife and son.

>13) How did you feel towards the people you served with?

I respect all who tried their best.

>14) How did you feel about the war, and U.S. involvement in the war?

I was too busy trying to stay alive to become too engrosed in the rights and wrongs of the war.  

>15) Is there anything you regret or wish you could do over in your time serving? If so, what, and why?

I've learned it's impossible to go back and change anything so I no longer spend energy in regrets.