Vietnam War Interview Forum

Guest

>1. What branch of the service were you a member of

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

>2. What were you years of duty?

'68-'69

>3. Where were you mustered into the service?  Where did you receive your basic training?

I was inducted at Oakland, Ca. and had basic in Fr. Lewis, Wa.

>4. What was your MOS/Rate?  Where did you attend your MOS/Rate?

I was 11Bravo and had Advanced Infantry Training across the parade ground from where I graduated from basic training.

>5. Do you have any memories of leaving your hometown before leaving for Vietnam?  What was the atmosphere of your neighborhood, school, and family in regards to the war and your departure?

It was lonely knowing I wouldn't be back for at least a year.  My hometown was pretty rual and people were somewhat patriotic.  None of my friends went into the service.  My family was quietly fearful for me.

>6. What were some of the campaigns/operations you participated in?

There were no huge battles that made to news or the history books.  I was involved in a series of fire fights once or twice a week for ten months.  

>7. Did you receive any decorations, unit citations, etc. that you would like to name and describe?

A Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

>8. Do you have any memories of events associated with your service that you'd like to relate?  Memories of combat incidents? Free time with friends? Time on liberty in towns or cities?

I ended up walking point for about ten months.  I was terrifed the whole time.  Odds of becoming a casualty for point mes was about six missions.  I walked our company into a terrible ambush loosing my entire squad.  50% of our company was dusted off to the hospital.  At least five other pointmen were casualties during those ten months in combat.  We laughed and cried, lived and died together 24/7 for months.

>9. How did you like to spend your free time?  Did guys in your unit pass time in any noteworthy way?  were there baseball games, movies, comic books, novels, or newspapers?

Fear was always present.  We would drink or smoke dope to forget the last mission and try to get ourselves mentally ready to go out on the next.  The war continued every day so time was not "free" from the stress of people trying to kill us.

During the few days we spent in fire bases we were pretty limited in recreational activities.  We could read/write letters, eat, play cards, listen to radio Vietnam, and try to sleep.  There were no movies, PX's, bars, clubs, girls but then we only came in for a couple of days a week anyway.

>10. Did you see any of the noteworthy figures of the war in person?  Any famous military, political, or entertainers in particular?

No one famous, just a lot of kids who did extrodinary things to help each other survive.

>11. What was the highest rank you obtained?  Where were you stationed last before coming home?  Where and when did you return to the US?

Sergeant (E-5)

>12. How long was it after arriving back in the US that you were able to go home on leave?  What memories do you have of your homecoming? Did your town have any parades or other ceremonies in connection with the end of the war or troops returning home?

I went home within a day of leaving Vietnam.  There were no parades.  Someone said there were a few protestors beyond the chain link fence at Travis AFB where we landed.  I didn't bother to look, they were from a different world.  It was nothing like WWII, we left as individuals (not units) and came home the same.  

>13. How important was your service in the war to you?  How did it change the way you look thought or looked at life?

I didn't want to change, I didn't ask to be changed, no one told me I would change.  After coming home I thought burying all the bad memories was the right thing to do, just get on with life as it was before the war.

It took thiry years to admit I needed help.  

>14. How would you like future generations of Americans to remember the war and the troops who served in it?  What advice would you offer to today's Students?

War is a tool used to conquer an enemy,  Politics is a tool used to reach a compromise solution that a majority can live with.  Mixing the two gets real confusing.