Vietnam War Interview Forum

Guest

>1. How did you become enlisted in the war, and how old were you?

I volunteered to be drafted early so I could get my obligation over with.

>2. What was your rank, and what was the duty of a person of your rank?

Private to Sergeant, I did the same thing, walked point every third day we were out in the jungle.

>3. What is the most memorable moment of your time in the war?

Realizing my entire squad had been killed in an ambush I walked us into.

>4. What was the worst or scariest thing you ever went through in Vietnam?

There were many while walking point.  I was no John Wayne, God had to intervien on serveral occations to save my life.

>5. How close were you to your fellow soldiers?

Closer than what is possible back here at home.  We laughed and cried, lived and died together 24/7 for months on end.  We suffered together and were committed to help one another survive long enough to go home.

>6. When you came back from the war, did you make the transition from war to regular life easily, or was it difficult for you? Why?

I am still transitioning, regular life for me contains a lot of things most people don't deal with: PTSD, diabetes, a picture of life that is much bigger to include the worst that men can do and the fact that good is stronger than evil and truth is not relavent.

>7. Was there anything unusual or different like practical jokes or swearing that helped you and other soldiers cope with the pressure?

We did sware a lot, it seemed like a grownup way to react to situations that we as kids encountered.  We also smoked and joked a lot to relieve tension.

>8. What was a normal day in Vietnam like?

Continual underlying fear that no place was safe from enemy attacks, mortors, rockets, ambushes, booby traps.  Most of our time was spent out in the jungle searching for enemy activity, trying to make contact and hoping we wouldn't.  Sleep in Vietnam was really staying half awake to react instantly to any threat.  We slept on the ground with a poncho liner during the dry season as well as the monsoons.  Food consisted of the amount of C rations we could carry.

>9. How educated about the war were you, or how much did you know about why you were fighting the war?

Why we were fighting quickly became a low priority.  After the first shots, survivial took precidence over most everything else.

>10. What specific things did you carry with you? Anything personal or unusual?

An M-16, ammo, grenades, claymore mine, C rations, water, and a poncho liner.  My load was lighter than most because I had to break trail as a point man and stay alert to my surroundings at the same time.

>11. What were some other soldiers that you knew Like? Are you still in touch with anyone from the war?

We had a complete cross section of kids from different ethnic, social, and educational backgrounds.  We would not have chosen each other as friends under normal circumstances but were welded together trying to keep one another alive.  There are a few I keep in touch with.  

>12. Did you meet or see any vietnamese people? What were their reactions to you being there?

We did not interact with Vietnamese civilians.  We operated out in the jungle most of the time and no one was out there but the enemy.