Vietnam War Interview Forum

Guest

There was a constant fear that the enemy would strike at any time of the day or night.  We could leave if we survived a year, they couldn't so they faught desperately.  Every third day I walked point leading the column through the jungle and rice paddies.  We carried everything we needed for several days, weapons, ammo, anti-personel mines, grenades, C rations, water and a light poncho liner to sleep in.  The war didn't stop during the monsoons so we did the same things in the pouring rain.  The dust turned to mud that got into everything, we tried to heat our C rations in the rain and we slept on the ground with no cover.

>How did the people of Vietnam treat you?

Most were polite, that was their culture.  We never knew if those smilling at us during the day were the same hunting us during the night.

>What were your thoughts of the war before you enlisted?

I wasn't snti-war.  The Cold War had been going on for years and the Communists were being very aggressive and brutal in South Vietnam.

>Are you still in contact with any of the people you served with?

A few.  Getting together always means bringing up some of those memories that are still painful.

>Can you tell me any interesting or memorable stories that have stuck with you?

Most of my vivid memories involve a lot of violence, chaos and loss of friends.  My wife convinced me to write them down in a book titled, "Not Enough Tears" if your'e interested in what the war was like for an infantryman.

>Where you drafted or did you volunteer? How old were you at the time?

I was 22 when I volunteered for the draft.

>What were your feelings towards the Vietnamese people?

They were different, they had their own 2000 year old culture that we didn't understand.  We were foregners, some of the North Viethamese were family.  

>After the war, what was the transition back to society like?

I'm still transitioning but it doesn't bother me like it used to.  Most of what I learned growing up had little use in Vietnam.  Life wasn't precious, sacred or even fair.  War brings out the worst and sometimes the best in people but none of it was like anything that was "normal" back home.  

What I learned in Vietnam had no value back home.  Persuing the American Dream didn't require suffering together, supporting one another and self sacrifice.  It was every man for himself.  

It was very confusing and disillustioning.  I've found that life is bigger than the war or the short comings of our normal society.  God meraculously save my life several times in Vietnam, then He waited thirty years for me to reach the end of myself and begin a real relationship with Jesus Christ.  Good is stronger than evil and truth does not change with each new situation.  Life is a process, not a series of events.

>How did you feel about the U.S. involvement in the war?

If it hadn't happened in Vietnam, it would have been somewhere else.  The war was a manifistation of what was in the hearts of mankind at that time.

>How did you spend your free time?

Most of our "down" time was spent in small fire bases out in the jungle.  There was no alcohol, clubs, girls, movies, or a PX.  We could read/write letters, eat, sleep, listen to radio Vietnam, smoke and joke, try to forget the last mission and prepare ourselves to go out on the next.

>How did this experience change  your life?

(see above answers)

>What was your job during the war?

I walked point every third day in a combat infantry unit.

>What was a typical day like in Vietnam?

(see above answers)

>What objects did you carry during the war?

>What were some of your best experiences during the war?

Surviving, meeting two friends I'd gone to basic and AIT with at the airport ready to go home together.