Vietnam War Interview Forum

Guest

I volunteered to be drafted a few months early to get it over with.

>2. How old were you when you left?

24

>3. What did your family and friends think about the war and you going?

They were pretty conservative and really wanted me to go back to college where I'd have a deferment.

>4. Did you understand why the war was going on when you left?

I knew we would be trying to stop the Communist North vietnamese from taking over South Vietnam.  The Cold War had been going for years and Communism was expanding aggressively.

>5. What branch/ unit did you serve in?

Army, 1st Division, 1/26th Regiment, Co. A and Recon.

>6. How long was your training and what did you do to prepare for the war?

Sixteen weeks.

>7. What was your first impression when you got to wherever you worked?

It was not, in the triple didgits, dusty and I didn't know anybody.

>8. What was a typical day like for you?

Most days we were out in the jungle where no place was safe.  We moved every day trying to make contact with the enemy and hoping we wouldn't.  We ate C rations, carried everything we'd need for several days, stayed half awake all night to react to any threat, we slept on the ground in a poncho liner rain or shine.

>9. What were the relationships like between the soldiers?

We laughed and cried, lived and died together 24/7 for months on end.  we were committed to keep each other alive as best we could.  It was a relationship that can't exist back here at heome.

>10. Did you make friends? Do you still keep in touch?

We were all friends who didn't judge one another.  I keep in touch with a few every year.

>11. How long did you serve in the war for?

The standard tour of 365 miserable days.

>12. What was the first couple months like when you got home?

Everyone lived as if there were no war going on.  No one seemed to care musch unless they had a family member directly involved.  The protesors were an embarrassement to me.  They had no idea of the suffering we went through to do what our country asked us to do.  Most people were silent, Vietnam was not a politically correct subject.

>13. What was the most memorable event you witnessed in war?

The ambush of our company.

>14. How did you change from serving in the war?

My picture of life expanded to include all the worst that men can do to one another and that good is stronger than evil and truth is not relivent.

>15. What was the biggest moral/ lesson you learned from the war?

Life is not  precious, sacred or even fair.  Justice does not always prevail.  Wars are a part of our human nature. 

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