My Dad was a medic/corpsman in Vietnam. One year at Christmas when I was about 10 we were Christmas shopping and a man came running up to my Dad and said “It’s you!! You carried me on your back in Vietnam! I will never forget your face!” We we’re all dumbstruck, my Dad was speechless. The guy introduced his whole family to my Dad and just exuded gratitude. After his family went on their way, I asked my Dad “Do you remember that guy?” He said “nope. I carried a lot of guys on my back” and that was all he said about it. Bless all Vietnam vets. All veterans.
One of my high school friends was a Marine Sniper in Vietnam. When he returned, he was on prescription drugs to help him either forget, or find a way out of his mental hell. He was one of those lost in Vietnam, even though he returned, he never came back "home".
My neighbor and best friend committed suicide a couple of years ago. I don't think he could ever forget. He had a purple heart and other medals. Viet Nam was and for many is still a hell on Earth.
A kid I went to high school with got so messed over in 'Nam that he jumped off a bridge here at home because he no longer could take the mental anguish. When your 19-20 years-old and younger, and you see things no one should ever see, it can do a number on you. How in the hell were we supposed to put shit like we saw behind us?
@@felixmadison5736 RIP 🥀 to your friend 🫡💜🇺🇸 many of our homeless are Vets w under or mistreated traumatic brain injuries, I'm doubling down on my donation efforts to food banks and homeless shelters this coming year ...
It’s so sad. I recently read “Fortunate Son” by Louis Puller Jr. Lost both legs.. but came back and made it til age 38, then shot himself. Amazing read.. won the Pulitzer Prize. Broke my heart for all those young men. 🥲🥲
I was in the USMC over there, ‘67, a ground pounder, 60mm mortars. Imagine the absurdity of a war fought where your airplanes are expected to dogfight with enemy aircraft but you’re forbidden from taking out their airfields. We hogtied ourselves repeatedly over there. I wasn’t upset in the least when none of my sons elected to join the military.
I served in a time of relative peace. Knowing how wrong our government can go, I had reservations when one of my grandsons joined the National Guard. I trust his company commander to do right way more than I trust our current civilian chain of command. I'm saddened I don't have the patriotic zeal I once did for our institutions. Maybe it's because of age or I've read too much history. The history doesn't lie. Semper Fi Marine, God Bless you.
I coached kids that went Iraq and Afghanistan, they all came back damaged, some physically most mentally. May the politicians rot in hell for oil, natural resource and drugs, we guarded the opium fields and they shipped back heroin the plague of our youth.
@@boondocker7964 India co., 3/5 (hence my icon). Started around Chu Lai, spent most of my tour in Que Son Valley, then we ended up about 50mi. south of Da Nang. Went home in the middle of Tet at beginning of ‘68.
Did Union 1 and Union 2, down there, was thinking about extending for 6 months, the M-16's, changed my mind, if I extended, I would have been back in the world either in Feb. or Mar. '68, glad that I did not extend. Did Hastings, up near the Rockpile in '66, were you there?@@lightningdriver81
I guess that's true, United states literally uses other countries as playground to make their men serve to always balance the fact that they need struggle to keep strong men showing to the world how great the soldiers they have. But USA has a little need for conquering territories other than oil. That's why they always leave.
Yes i completely agree. Your society is in absolute decay and yet somehow the American government thinks it has the moral ascendency to police the world. What a shame.
It’s very difficult to defeat another country in their own country. Russia is learning that first hand. Hell they did it in Afghanistan and then we made the same mistake. We should have never been in Vietnam to begin with.
I had very similar experiences in Viet Nam during my tour from September 1970 to July 1971. My last duty station was with the 243 Assault Support Helicopter Co DBT RVN which was a Chinook Helicopter company at Dong Ba Thin near Cam Rahn Bay. The rules of engagement were unbelievable. We had a new company commander that took our weapons away, I believe early 1971 or there a-bouts. One night when the mortars coming in and we had no weapons. We had to stand in line while under attach in order to be issued our M16s in case we needed to defend ourselves. I will never forgive the stupidity of the Army and the Company Commander for that act. I experienced the same distain when returning home after my service. It took Desert Storm before the appreciation of our troops was changed in the minds of the public.
I had a roommate who was a vet. He said the strangest thing for him about the war was the transition(or lack of) from the war to being at home. Like, on Tuesday he was in Viet Nam being shot at, then later that same week he was walking around Los Angeles.
Yup. We had a buddy that was a perfect example of that. They turned him into a combat killing machine, and within 24 hours he rotated out and was in a big city. That didn't go well for him at all. These guys needed a cooling off period. Even as recently as 10 years ago we have seen this at work when we hire recent vets.
And it worked just the opposite way too. You get on a plane in the states and the next day you land in a jungle with people trying to kill you every day. You learn quick! I went to Vietnam in July, 1969. Hot and humid as a son of a bitch, and then the monsoons. We get off the plane almost dropping from the humidity and a sgt. is telling us to fill sand bags to get used to the heat. Then the 'fun' starts.
@@justadbeer My father didn't have it nearly as rough, being Radio-teletype with Schinook choppers on a base most of his tenure, in the Mekong Delta. Except, yeah it was the Delta. they were mortered quite often. he's 77 now and ever since he got home he tells me he struggles with loud noises. his transition was easier than what you and the OC had examples of, but never easy I imagine.
Yeah that was a mistake. In other wars units transitioned and out. Here it was individuals shipped in and out and as you say, one day in the shit and 3 days later at home. That'll screw anyone up.
We rarely see old men shed a tear, but I'm 73 and can tear up easily under certain circumstances. Old men have tender feelings often and there's no shame in getting teary-eyed, usually you power through the crisis but later when you are in private you can get emotional where no one sees.
@gymshoe8862 - I'm 52 and know the vets of Desert Storm, Bosnia (forgotten), Afghanistan and Iraq. Troops in Bosnia saw the mass graves. Society shows no pity for a man crying despite all the shit they say. That's why many just compartmentalize it. You have to function.
... modern warfare ain't no on picnic the munitions are getting more and more powerful, brain scrambling bad 😔 RIP 🥀 to our fallen 🪖 s. A small reminder many of our homeless are our VETS 🫡💜🇺🇸 please consider a food or cash donation to a local food pantry or shelter Salvation Army has very low operational costs high impact, and Gospel Missions, USA wide every big city has em I try to get a ham or 🦃 out annually. I used to participate in a free thanksgiving feast delivery in Denver CO I think I found one to help assemble free meals here in metro Phoenix 🌵 happy holidays to all that read this but especially our Veterans today 🫡💜🇺🇸
Partner it’s only gotten worse since then . I was in Afghanistan & a Taliban walked up in front of a gun tower & fired a RPG that hit me disabling me & the tower never returned a shot . The reason they gave was the ROE was unless a armed insurgent was actively going through the wire they were not allowed to engage . Yeh that was the norm . My life was permanently altered because some political decision to send me there & not protect myself.
Ignoring stupid orders is the only way to stay alive. Vietnam veterans would have told you that but we had been silenced. Don't listen to us, we're all crazy, right? The two things we knew were how to stay alive and to never believe anything officers or politicians say. It was true then and it's true now and it's the knowledge that they fear most.
@@neilreynolds3858advancement in comms have made that difficult. In Vietnam if a door gunner returned fire the only way command would know is if they had someone watching or counting ammo. Now when they don't have someone watching on their cameras they will know soon enough when the insurgents posted it on Instagram
I grew up wondering why we fought this war. As an adult, sitting in the bar and talking, we all wondered why we fought this war with such ridiculous rules of engagement. Everyone wanted to blame McNamara. Now, I believe that I know why, the same reason for Iraq and Afghanistan, it's so simple. All of these wars were fought to benefit the billionaire class, the military, industrial, banking complex. It's all so sick.
Served on a river patrol boat in the Mekong Delta in 1970. Was given a few days to decompress in Saigon. Arrived in raggedy fatigues and told by MP's I had to fix my appearance. Had to buy new fatigues on the black market with my own money. We ate WW-II vintage K rations from the brown cans and shot WW-II vintage ammo. We survived on WW-II vintage K-rations and, because our water was contaminated by fuel oil, canned beer and soda. We got drunk a lot which didn't help combat readiness. When I meet another VN vet and tell him welcome home, we both get emotional, even after 50+ years.
I totally remember the WW II Rats! Ham and eggs LOL, Beanie Weenies, and a pack of cigarettes with each box! The peaches or pears were only OK! Crackers were like plaster !
that stuff made spam taste good. The local food made us pretty sick as our bodies were introduced to a totally different biota. And no bottled water back then! Go figure,
Welcome home, had 1 brother in Vietnam as a river rat and another in the Army doing some crazy shit ( he was in, did his tour of vietnam, got out, went back in and said I want to go back to vietnam, i want stay a combat engineer but I want 6 months as a door gunner or I won't reenlist. They said ok. During the tet offensive, my two brothers were according to them, about 3 miles apart, of course they didn't know it until later.
I was just asked to do a speech on the Vietnam war as a combat veteran. I’m going to tell them about the lies like the gulf of Tonkin incident and the unfairness of the draft. The McNamara morons and the way the rich evaded the draft.
I experienced Pease ARB myself coming home from Iraq in Mar 2011. I believe that’s the place he was talking about. The people there met our plane at 3am. It brought me to tears. Hundreds and hundreds of residents there waving signs, dishing out coffee and homemade breakfast. They let us use their cell phones, chatted, hugged us, and just thanked us. I’ll never forget that moment. If one of those people is reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was broken and you helped me so much.
When I came back from Panama I was a hero. All the family guys had wives and kids waiting for them when we got back, but I had nobody. Nobody was waiting for me, nobody seemed happy I survived. I remember feeling really lonely and I walked inside and went upstairs to my barracks and unpacked. Same exact experience after the Gulf war. I was just a dumb kid back then. But now that I have a family of my own and I’m much older, these memories come back harder and harder because now I actually understand what happened and the sheer waste of it all.
Great interview. I’m also a Vietnam veteran 69-70 Huey crew chief also was with the 1st Aviation Brigade. I experienced the same issues as you. When we were mortared our gun ships saw the VC running but could not fire back until the village government or whatever they were called would give approval. Welcome Home Brother
Was a field wire man in an assault helicopter company with the 1st Aviation Brigade 71-72. It got chicken shit. Would take up to halve a hour for POS South Vietnamese to give approval to return fire in way too many areas We had a great captain that think was on his third Nam tour and came close to stop flying because of the BS. He told his crew chief to make sure his Hueys was loaded up on Christmas Eve. Told him he was going out early Christmas day to " do a test run ".When he got back crew chief reminded him of the 24 hour Christmas truce. He said there was no truce in Cambodia. He used up every rocket & mini gun round. Heard he died of cancer maybe 20 years ago. Often wonder if Agent Orange caused his cancer.
Meanwhile, the higher ups who make these moronic rules of engagement, are home enjoying their families while you’re fighting their wars. Thank you for everything that you and your boys did over there. Glad that you made it home and hope that you’ve had a great life afterwards.
We fired back asked for forgiveness later. After a while they stopped shooting from the village. Your information on the village sucked if ( if none of the village dogs were not barking and it was completely black VC were moving through or setting up for mortars) hit them on more than one occasion before they got their first round off or had predetermined grid for counter fire.
It was a weird period of history. After serving a combat tour in Vietnam with a Marine rifle company, I was discharged as a 20 year old veteran. I was refused being served a beer at a bar and was rejected trying to buy a box of .22 rifle shells at a sporting goods store. Both because I was not old enough. I was not in a healthy frame of mind at that time.
You had to be 21 to buy bullets? Kind of crazy that you walked around carrying all sorts of ammunition to kill people with and grenades and everything else, but back home you couldn’t buy ammo to kill gophers with. That is pretty baffling. Filled you poor kids full of pills, beer, and hard liquor but had to drop everything when you came home. The whole thing is just ugly.
I was drafted in 1966 was sent to Vietnam when I came home for a thirty day leave in 1968 I was sent to South Carolina. While I was waiting at the airport a person came up to me and noticed I was wearing a combat infantryman badge. I thought he was going to say welcome home. He asked me how many babies did I kill. When I was discharged I didn’t admit to serving in Vietnam for over twenty years. I didn’t get a thank you until the gulf war.
I had to lie to get a job for 15 years after serving in Nam. One manager let me go after a coworker ratted on me. After that, I didn't say anything to anyone.
Larry, Welcome Home and thank you. My uncle who served in Vietnam told me at a young age that any time I met a Vietnam Vet to shake their hand, look them in the eye and say Welcome Home. I have never missed that chance since he told me that. I never heard him share any experiences he had while serving there (my mother said not too, I kind of wish I had asked him now), and family only found out shortly prior to his death in 2010 that he had received 2 Purple Hearts, and that was only because his wife had convinced him to get a Purple Heart license plate for his truck. Still have no idea what happened, as he never shared exactly what happened to anyone, even his wife or kids. You got screwed at that time, and you deserved better. I am glad you were able to experience the correct way of being welcomed home, even though it took several decades. I wish more Vietnam vets were able to have that experience. Thanks for sharing this story.
@@neilreynolds3858 I wish I had that ability, but don't, so will continue to welcome home all vets, especially those that served in Vietnam and did not get the welcome home they deserved.
29 years after I came home, I was at an SA gas station. A guy was selling buddy poppy's, I mumbled I was a Vietnam Vet and said I'd buy one. He looked me the eyes put his hands on my shoulder and quietly said, "welcome Home." I burst into tears. I'd never heard that from anyone and didn't know those deep feeling were there.
Depends on "Service" ...to the Rich muscle Flexers, or Capitalism or showing who is the big Dog on the Planet. Not to USA Citizens (with no military industry $).
@@Kickyourass484 Yea, I saw a Vietnam vet speak of unmistakable Chinese soldiers fighting alongside the NVA. His missions were more covert and said Chinese #'s were "light". He said this was because Vietnamese/Chinese felt the 🇺🇸 would retaliate with nukes if they found China entered the war. He was emphatic that he fought against Chinese soldiers on several occasions. I thought that was pretty interesting.
There’s something so humbling the way these particular vets talk. My dad told me that on his way back from Vietnam they stopped in Alaska for a day and when he went to the mess the cashier said “if you boys had done better I wouldn’t charge you.”
I had a friend who spent 1 year in Vietnam. He told me that one night they had to take heavy fire and mortars but even though they had the capability of retaliation, were forbiden to do so. He lost many buddies. I heard quite a few times the same situation, were military personel were forbiden to answer fire and foot soldiers say the same than this gentemen says: "We didn't understand why we couldn't respond". There were motivations for this -- the US Government wanted the war to continue (for geo-political and economic reasons). Sources of info: Daniel Ellsberg's the Pentagon papers. PBS investigation on this matter. "A war's secret history finally emerges" -Lyle Denniston. CIA literature from insiders is plentiful; one must just dig into this particular subject in well provided Libraries and Universities' Libraries.
Much apreciation to Larry for sharing his experiences in the military over so many years and war zones. There can't be many people left alive who can match his extraordinary military career in terms of years and theatres of war in which he served which makes his candid and at times emotional reminiscences so valuable. Bravo Larry and best wishes. May your story become school history for future generations.
I am getting worried about my Father who has Stage 5 Alzheimers right now. He told me a few 'Nam Stories' over the years but nothing that was overly disturbing, partly due to his MOS (Radio-teletype) on a base in the Mekong Delta for almost the entirety of 1 year. I am just waiting for the day when he recovers something from that time and blurts it out only to be able to hear a pin drop around our relatives. Thankfully most of us understand, and ALL of us love and respect him. He may have come home underappreciated but he worked his ass off the rest of his life and people know him as a kind, gentle and giving person. He's the best man I ever knew. Please continue to Thank the Veterans you see.
Thank you for sharing that story. I wish you all the best for your father--mine died with dementia and I know how cruel it is to all who are affected by it.
@@jamc204 AMEN. It's absolutely awful to see and really hits home when it's a close relative as you know. He's got a couple good years I hope, maybe 5+ total if luck finds him. thank you and sorry for your loss
2009 on leave from Deplyoment in Iraq I got off the plane in Texas, because of a bad snow storm in ATL, about 2am there was a line of ppl there to greet us when we touched down!! It was the best feeling in the world!!
I was with the 2/502 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. I spent my whole tour on the DMZ, mostly in the A Shaw Valley and sometimes on both sides of the Laos boarder. We were in a free fire zone, if I saw a target an NVA solder, I walked point my whole tour and was supposed to be the team sniper but we were short of men. All units had different operational systems they used. I never experienced anything like he did. We spent 330 days in the jungle and had no base camp to work out of. We would get a 2 day stand down (Break) at Camp Eagle, medical and dental work. Few of us shared the same experience in that war ... we were extremely well train, and Airborne Assault team. every four days we would get a "Kick out of food, ammo, medical supplies... there were NO drugs, where the hell were we supposed to get them? There were no villages, villagers, roads, just mountains. Finally the reason we were their... ask Eisenhowe, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon, finally Ford...maybe they knew... we would take a position and then leave only to go back to do it all over again.
You were. Making the people you mentioned plus the Senators and Congressmen Money. You were keeping unemployment down and providing high paying jobs for the Economy. You were not supposed to win just hold the status.
That “welcome back”, from Iraq, is heartwarming… I recently, asked my dad, age 93, how he came home Korea, in 51… now my dad, at age 21, was drafted and went to fort Campbell Kentucky, for boot camp, for basics, but, previously had never been out of his home county of northern NY… so, draft, really showed him the world… I didn’t know, if he flew home, or, landed east, or west coast…, so, I’m asking a 93 yr old man, that even now, really isn’t fully aware of the entire Country… He told me, “troop ship, to the west coast, and he landed on some island (age 93:)… “he said, most of the soldiers went for a bar to celebrate, but, myself, I wanted home, on the continent… so, I saw a giant bridge, about a mile away, and started walking… finally got to the bridge, and it was a BIG bridge… seems like, I walked 1/2 mile, on the bridge, and wasn’t nearly over it,,, and a car stopped, and offered me a lift… “ (Myself, I realized my dad was on the Golden Gate Bridge, but he didn’t know that:), “when we got off the bridge, he let me out of his car, I got down, and kissed the United States…”
Your. Dad was in fort Mason, that's where the troop ships came to load unload troops for the Korean war, the golden gate bridge is one mile away, fort Mason is still there, run by the national Park service, I worked there many years
My gunsmith was in a SOG unit in Laos during Nam. Believe me he never really came home. He’s still fighting the war. He keeps a kit and a loaded and cocked .45 at arms reach, even with his kids walking around. Says he’s ready to go into the woods 24-7. Still has a price on his head, and can never go back. He told me some of his exploits in Laos, and I wondered how he ever survived. Many of the other teams didn’t. He said whatever you do only receive, but never broadcast on the radio, and only use enemy weapons to fight with. He is a great gunsmith and knows his weapons, and obviously how to use them. Where do we find men like that now?
There's still a few running around, but we are running out of them. With the way the gulf war guys were treated nobody should enlist anymore. Your own government will stab you in the back, and the high ranking brass will help them.
@@bobclifton8021 I was at the SLC V.A. for an appointment and a guy with trench coat stopped me and asked if I would watch his coat for a second while he got a prescription. He looked like he was right out of the bush. He set it on the curb and I heard all the hardware. He came back quick. Seemed he and some other Vets lived in the mountains and wanted nothing to do with society. they couldn't or didn't want to adjust. I understand that. At 70 I still haven't completely adjusted and probably won't.
I was in Vietnam in 69-70. When I got back in Seattle WA. I missed my flight to Michigan. I was broke, alone and very tired. I spent 5 days waiting on military standby for a flight. Was treated like s_ _ t. I think it was almost as memorable as being mortared all night...I will never forget that...and will never forgive.
I was also there in 69/70! March. When I arrived at St. Louis on my way to Kentucky several "hippies" commented on my AF uniform and suntan. Thank you for your service and so sorry for the way you were treated!
@@Suncast45 Yeah, when a buddy who went to basic and AIT and I got out together, it was late at night in Seattle and we had no idea where to go or what to do. A couple of hippies drove us around town to see the sights and gave us a place to crash until the next day. I was treated worse by the people who supported the war but wanted nothing to do with the guys who fought the war. You never know what people are like from the outside or their politics.
Yeah my pops threw out all his medals and burned his uniforms and grew his hair out and a big beard and identified with anti war sentiment after his time there. So much life lost in such horrible ways for absolutely nothing. To take a hill and then give it back to the enemy . Insane
My dad was on the America carrier during Vietnam. He said coming home everyone was very supportive. He lived in a small town in Missouri. My uncle was an officer in Vietnam and he also said he didn't have any bad experience coming home. I am just so pissed off that people would take out anger on the troops.
I returned to the states in may 1973. We landed at Travis AFB and I got me discharge from active duty there. Several of us hired a cab to take us to San Francisco IAP for a flight to return home. As soon as I got to the airport it was obvious that I had to get in my civies ASAP. I went into a bathroom and changed putting my 1505s in a trash can. It's hard to forget about those scumbags who were spitting at servicemen and calling them names right out there in public.
I served in Nam on an air base in Chu Lai 68-69 1st MAW MAG 12. But other than incoming, I was never in any danger while I was there. Just like today, these MANY years later, I really never knew why I was there, other than being told to go there. Coming home, I never had ANY trouble with anyone at SF airport or at Love Field. I don’t know why because I was in my uniform. What was weird was, NO ONE…family, relatives, coworkers and friends…ever asked me about Nam, not that I had anything to tell.
It's easy to think that taking incoming is not a big deal until you sit outside during an attack and realize that you're the only guy outside. I have a suspicion that it must be scary.
@@neilreynolds3858 TBH…I was only scared twice when we had incoming. The first time I heard the explosions and that was on my second day there. And that one time when I knew the rounds were really close. Other than that, when we heard the rounds hit, we rarely went to the bunkers because the base was so big.
I too landed in Maine after returning from Iraq. I was handed a cell phone to call my family. I'll never forget that day and the way Maine welcomed us home. It was 2 in the morning and a high school band was there playing national anthem, God bless America and kept going. It was amazing. Glad to be home but then reality set in not everyone we left with was there and then joy turned to sadness.
A friend of mine was over there in charge of dump trucks, he removed the governors off of them, an MP tried to stop him for speeding and they couldn’t catch him in there Jeeps LMFAOOO ..!!
I spent a lot of time in jail during the 90's and it was full of Vietnam vets and I always loved listening to their stories, I couldn't get enough and it was in a place where they felt really safe talking about them and how it made them feel
I will never understand why people would swear a loyalty to a government that would treat you like your life doesnt matter. So much so that they give orders purposefully putting your life at unnessecary risk.
We don't do it for the government. I still stand by my oath to uphold and defend our Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. In the thick of it, you do it for the Marine on your right and the Marine on your left - not the the government.
Having served during the same general time as this man, I can honestly attest to the fact that it was the officers who totally screwed everything up as they were more concerned about their own personal careers than they were about the men under their command. I can't tell you the number of times they interfered in the mission simply because they wanted to look good to their superiors. No doubt it's still like this today.
I came home in 72. After the worst year of my life it was punctuated with a hateful welcome home. Even the VFW didn't want us. College kids were the worst. I was stunned and later disgusted. I was a Medic in 3rd corp. 1st Aviation and temp. 1st cav. Didn't talk about it for 30 years. I was a refugee in my own country. My wife didn't know much it until I started having flash backs. The V.A. was not good after 95 and many younger people had no respect for the Veterans they served. They tried the welcome back later, but it was way to late.
I remember after coming home in 1970, if you went to a party with college kids, never say you're a Vietnam Vet. Especially if you want to meet a college girl. Years later the same people who hated you say 'thank you for your service'. Fifty years later. Geez what changed? I didn't.
As a young 24yr old Buck SGT, thank you for your service. I am so sorry you had to go through that. Some much fighting and terrors just to come back and fight an internal conflict and pretty much be spit on by those that didn’t fight. Welcome home🦾❣️
They wouldn’t let me in a vfw. Stopped me at the door. The ww2 vets disliked us. Dishonored us. Now they want us to join. Fuck that organization forever. And fuck those guys too.
When people thank me for my service, I'm polite but in my head I think, You have no idea what I did. I've started out having conversations with people even now in a Navy town and suddenly you can see their face change when they realize I'm not talking from theory but from experience. They get scared.
One friend i had got hit in the head with brick when he got off the plane, my brother in law came home hitch hiking in a snowstorm when the neighbors saw him they dropped their shovels a carried his bag the rest of the way home. RIP Harold
My uncle served in Vietnam and he was spit on when he got home. I’m glad you finally got the welcome you should have gotten all those years ago. God bless you.
I was born in 1968 and I have always wanted to learn more about Vietnam, I buy every book I can find about it, I watch everything I can about it. Thank you for getting these stories out so we can learn and know what really happened there. Those who ignore the past will repeat mistakes if the past. We need to honor these guys that gave so much for the freedoms many take for granted.
Bangor, Maine. I came through OIF after the surge. Those people are wonderful. The reception was unbelievable. Bikers escorted the buses back to Fort Lewis. It was really cool. All I could think about was the experience Vietnam veterans had, but I was grateful guys didn't have to experience that this time.
My father was a LRRP in Vietnam and I know for a fact these teams had immense respect for helicopter pilots who would routinely risk their lives to extract them.
Was he MACV-SOG then? These teams were usually made up of MACV-SOG trained members, a unit which had a casualty rate of over 150% meaning every single one of them was wounded at least once and the majority were wounded twice. They went on to become the 75th Ranger Reg.
I was wounded severely by mortar fire in December, 1969. If not for helicopters and their pilots I would have bled out and wouldn't be here today typing this.
@@michaelscott466 LRRPs were nothing but a job my guy, there were units assigned specially to them. So saying "my father was an LRRP" could mean literally anything from "my dad sorts MREs for teams conducting LRRPs" all the way to "my father does sneaky shit in the woods" Also some MACV-SOG teams actually conducted LRRPs, and they also trained every member of LRRP units. Had you said something like "my father was a member of the 101st Airborne Division, 1st Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Division or one of the four Battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade." then i wouldn't have needed to ask.
I'm a Republic of Vietnam OH 6A (67v20) helicopter crew chief. I was drafted in 1967 and my next door neighbor, Alex Zsigo 173rd, was killed in June at the Battle of the Slopes, the same month I went off to the Army. I was given a promotion to Specialist 5 in 5 months. I was sent to 2 Army helicopter schools and held a total of 3 MOSs. I spent a fortnight in a Vietnam field hospital. I got out of the Army in 1970 because of the lifer drunks. May God have mercy on you. Interesting interview here.
Hahaha hahaha. Pardner, I'm Texan with many fancy degrees, thanks to uncle Sam and the GI bill. Hahaha. Originally from Michigan. My gg grandparents were from England near Chasing, Kent.
Count another 67Victor here...B-7/17th, Camp Holloway, Pleiku, Graduate of the Clash of 1970. Glad you made it back to the World, brothers. And I still miss my Cayuse. Loved that ship. Quite often it feels as if that's the Only thing I've done in my life that was completely worthwhile.
God Bless you brother!! I got to work on a OH-6 with the NY National Guard, they had 6 of the beautiful Egg with a hard on!! But within a few months they were gone..Sold to Israel.. I was with the 1St Armored Div, 501St Combat Aviation Battalion, Nuremberg, (West) Germany.. @@rpmhart
I never asked for permission to use my M60. I just announced "receiving fire" and opened up. Screw the permission thing. I didn't need anyone's permission.
If you see a Vet on the street, PLEASE help them out with a meal, a few dollars, kind words, prayers. To all the Vets in the comments, thank you so much for your sacrifice and your service. ❤
I was in the UTANG and did a 15 month deployment to Iraq in '03 (3 months at Fort Lewis training/waiting 12 in Iraq). Coming home from Deployment, the plane landed in Bangor, Maine. The reception we got walking down the concourse was wonderful, everyone was welcoming and appreciated us. The short time I spent in Bangor is special to me. Thank you, everyone from Bangor!
When we got back from Afghanistan in 2012 we had a very warm welcome from a grade school that was put together by the mwr or something. It was so incredible seeing these children and how happy they were, how happy they made us all feel welcoming us home. I was a medic in a light infantry unit in Ft. Drum. They only children I saw while deployed were all in need of medical care or they were bachi boys being abused and traded like toys. It took some time to process this later, but seeing those healthy happy children was an intense feeling.
Did you know that the taliban kept those pedophiles in check before the invasion by the US?? I remember the story of the soldier that disobeyed a direct order by his commander to ignore it n instead beat the afghan military police guy to death I believe, that was raping a boy just outside of the base and put him in military prison I believe. Green Beret Charles Martland is his name.
I watched a video of a nurse who was in Afghanistan. She said that women were sent to them for examination to find out why they weren't getting pregnant. They found nothing wrong with them physically, so they were asked how they had sex. Their husbands didn't know any way to have sex except through the back door. When the men were told how to get their wives pregnant, they were appalled. They considered it dirty. What a mentality!
at 19 I wanted them to send me to Vietnam, I was tough, would run 6 miles, 150 sit ups and 75 pushups every night. I was mad when they didn't send me, now I thank god. I have so much respect for any combat vet. A number of my class mates who saw combat in Vietnam drank themselves into an early grave
The generals were just as bad and the American voters supported them all even when they were flat out lying. The worst of the worst ended up getting promoted and honored and the best of us that managed to make it out alive were shunned. The public had no problem with that.
LBJ was the worst of the worst--he was crooked all his life. He saw vietnam was his big chance to be the new FDR but he failed miserably. Finally he just gave up, retired. He disappeared from history. I wonder how much $$ he had in retirement.@@bobclifton8021
I came home on leave after my first tour dec.70 went back for my second tour I wore my uniform both times I wore it with pride I was a ground pounder I was waiting for some one to spit at me or call me names they never did I guess they could see the look in my eyes so I didn't have any problems
My husband, a 1st Cav Field Medic p, also never saw any of the spitting, etc. in uniform. As I recall, those incidents were not recorded at the time, but "recalled" later.
Welcome Home Larry! My dad was a Chinook crew chief/flight engineer in Vietnam from 1970-Feb 1971, 1st Aviation Brigade (same as Larry but was 196th ASHC “WE HAUL IT ALL”) He’d mentioned a few times some bad experiences he had flying back stateside of disrespect from strangers. I was in Iraq and when I returned to Germany there were no “welcome homes” except what MWR hosted and it was appreciated by all of us. Beyond no “welcome homes”, Vietnam Vets were regarded with disdain not only by the public, politicians, but also the Veterans Administration (VA) and beyond…nobody cared. (Born on the Fourth of July isn’t exaggerating) Soon after getting home my mom, dad and I were at a thrift store and a lady said welcome home to me and how proud she was of the troops. My dad smiled and said “I’ve been waiting 33 years for my welcome home” and chuckled. The lady was thrown aback and quickly said “I’m sorry, welcome home”. Was an odd but real monument, I must say. WELCOME HOME to all Vietnam Veterans we appreciate your service and sacrifices!
It’s an amazing feeling to feel the appreciation for your service…the appreciation from a complete stranger. It’s extremely overwhelming for some people.
I had a complete stranger in the barber shop a couple months ago thank me for my service. Maybe three times I've heard that since I came back from Vietnam in 1970. That was after I was wounded in 1969 and sent home to army hospital.
@@felixmadison5736 thank you for paving the way for me and my fellow servicemen. I was an aircraft hydraulic mechanic. ‘98-2018. I heard a lot of stories how things changed from the old crusty TSgt’s. Welcome Home.
My dad was a forward combat air controller on operation rolling thunder, where we sent B52s to bomb Hanoi. My number came up at the draft board the same year that the draft ended, so I was never sent to Vietnam. After taking all the DOD exams in high school, military recruiters were asking me to join, but I saw too many guys come home who were “nervous from the service”. That’s what the polite service wives would say when someone was an alcoholic.
I'm an Air Force veteran (1998-2008), and I find it impossible to see a Vietnam Veteran at a restaurant and let him pay for a meal. As a #GenX'er, I've always looked up to these guys.
I salute you for your character and integrity. However, may I say something in disagreement? I served like thousands of others. Nobody owes me anything. I prefer to pay for my own meal. I stopped wearing hats and pins to not attract attention. Vietnam was over 50 years ago and I try not to think about it. There's only one guy left alive who I talk to and he's 80. Thank you for being a fine man.
Whats to look up???? Have you guys ever defended your land from direct attack??? When there was a direct attack on US soil, where were you guys??? Instead of attacking Saudi , you’ll went into Iraq to ruin it. Your politicians can be easily bought with money, and the army are just a bunch of sheeple... I have no empathy for people who can not think for themselves and act like sheeple ... Karma will hit back big time from within.... Stop the dumb colonial attitude and learn from past mistakes. The land you are on belonged to the natives. Bunch of colonial barbaric settlers whining and crying. Start thinking first why you are in this situation in the first place. There is hardly anything to be proud to be a US veteran ... most of your lives are lost in an unjust cause...
@@neilreynolds3858 he’s a perfect example of The Peter Principle at work. He came out to our hill (fire base) for a photo op and spent about ten minutes on the ground. What a douchebag.
This choked me up. This guy is about my age. During his deployment I was part of the antiwar movement. But I NEVER disrespected a returning soldier. As he said, "all I was doing was following my orders." It wasn't his fault. And as he says, the whole mess accomplished nothing. I respect him for his courage and his candor.
Small base I was at in Uzbekistan had a 15 mph speed limit. No issues until a new safety officer needed OER bullet points. Changed to 5mph. That lasted until many trucks were deadlined due to bad transmissions. Crawling around in first gear destroyed a quarter of the fleet.
It blows my mind how many random bases the US has or had around the world at some point. I take it that was used to help stage the conflict in the Middle East in the early-mid 2000s?
The reasons they told us for being in Vietnam were BS. Look at what they said would happen if we didn't defend South Vietnam and look at what happened when we lost. None of the reasons they gave came true and when it came to stopping the spread of Communism, that was when the Communists got a foothold in our colleges. It was a total disaster. The reasons for being in Iraq were even worse. We keep making up worse lies for starting wars and people nod their heads and say let's go.
At the same time, Westmoreland established “free fire zones” where they could level and fire on anybody that was there and they’d be classified as enemy combatants.
My Brother Is A Vietnam Vet....I Am So Sorry For The Way All You Vets Were Treated On Returning From Your Tours! It Was Digraceful! And Wherever You Served, I'd Like To Say A Sincere Thank🙏You For Your Service & Sacrifice & Welcome Home!🇺🇲
I'm so sorry what they did to you when you came home from Nam... You boys served and sacrificed so much and so many.... WELCOME HOME BROTHER. Thank you all you've done. Always remember there's folks in this country who love you and are proud of you. My great uncle was a Nam vet. He helped raise me, so I've seen first hand what that war did the the mentality of you boys.. I'm 34 years old, and I'm ashamed of the way they treated you guys..
The airport in Maine was Bangor. The Troop Greeters met flights day and night for years as soldiers returned home from the Iraq. This soldier’s experience tells you why those folks lovingly did that.
If the US should or should not have been there in the first place is debatable. What isn’t debatable is why the US didn’t win the war- that was because of lack of support from idiot left wing citizens and politicians back home. The reason those people died for “nothing” is because of the “progressive” movement and anyone who disagrees should probably learn some history about the war.
That's just a cliche to justify their deaths. If you die actually defending your country, like the WW2 vets it's one thing. But please don't call wars that are just fought to further the political agendas of the powers that be, like Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, "dying for freedom"!@@paulrussell2452
This will be long... as a young man I was involved in protests during the lead up to the 1991 Gulf War. EVERYONE involved was acutely aware of the way Vietnam Vets were treated and we went out of our way to make clear that we were protesting the leaders starting a war on false pretenses, NOT the soldiers themselves. When the bombs started falling and the "Support our troops!" meme was born, anyone against the war was responded to with Vietnam-era tropes and full unquestioning support for the current war effort. I saw a lot of this behavior as attempting to release collective guilt over the way Vietnam era troops were treated, and to pin ALL of this on war protesters from that era, while ignoring the glaring fact that NOBODY treated Vietnam war veterans as poorly for so long as the Government and the Mainstream establishment! You see people treating Rambo like some kind of embodiment of "America's s--t doesn't stink" and entire stadiums of people standing to sing the chorus of "Born in the USA" as though it were the second National Anthem. Both of these unironically and unaware that they highlight what I am talking about, the way Vietnam era troops were considered expendables during and after the war. As for those Vietnam era protesters turning on the returning troops themselves, people retroactively forget that EVERY other avenue of protesting that war was fruitless across all the decade it happened. Voting? They dealt with Kennedy after the fact. Writing your congressman? They were pretty much all-in and on the take from the Military-Industrial complex Eisenhower had freshly warned America about. A big grievance was the fact that for most of that war, the voting age was far above the age of conscription, so troops were old enough to be drafted but not to vote on things like the war first. Also the social engineering of Judges everywhere giving minor offenders the Hobson's choice of a long jail sentence or to enlist in the war effort and get them out of their town. It's easy to focus all the latent anger and frustration over the war and treatment of Veterans even by the Government and heap it upon the most misguided of war protesters late in the war. It's much harder to admit that years before the Pentagon Papers etc proved it, the hippies and other war protesters called it correctly- that it was a bogus war started by elites for their own benefit and enrichment on false pretenses, and paid for with the lives of 58,000 young men and the souls of hundreds of thousands more who survived with mental and sometimes physical trauma. Mr. Brockman and other Vets reading, I hope you understand that people TRIED everything we could to prevent young Americans getting sent off to more pointless foreign wars. We watched helpless as the vast majority of Americans fell for the same manipulations and propaganda and went all in supporting these wars, and the human costs and debt burdens that came with them. We're so sorry that it keeps happening even up till today, enshrouded in misguided patriotism. The American war machine has grown into the biggest con job ever in history.
I noticed his hat was from the213th AVN company. I was attached to that unit for all of 1987 as a CW2 Chinook pilot. It was in Pyoung Tec Korea. It was a great time and place. One of my best tours of duty of my 6 years in the Army.
I was at Long Thanh flying otters from April '70 to Feb '71. You are 100٪ correct. A lot of this BS seemed to start around September. Coming home was definitely a mixed bag of emotions.
Sep 70 was when I left. There were already officers who were stupid enough to want to be saluted. I was the longest serving medic in the battalion and got sent to the rear to be a clerk. I hated the rear and got myself sent back out as an RTO. I have a low tolerance for BS and it was almost all BS at that point. When has a war ever been won by BS? So we lost.
I spent 1969 on top of a mountain in Korea and could sometimes listen in on the radio nets in Vietnam, the war was still pretty hot then. I remember being told during my mustering out at Ft Lewis in Feb 1970 that we should not wear a uniform for our trip home because the army could not guaranty our safety, I remember thinking what a kick it the nuts that must have been for those coming home from Vietnam.o
My best friend's father, Henry Clay Cauthen was KIA in 67 or 8. A Dust Off pilot. He left behind a wife and 4 children. My father was the AST of the local N/G engineer unit and Clay's dad had been one of the rotary wing group pilots of the Battalion. They needed pilots and the word went out. Big Henry said he couldn't wear the uniform with the skills he had and not answer the call, according to my dad. Welcome home to all of you.
The thing that sucks the most is he didn't serve the USA in any capacity. He answered the call but how did fighting in Vietnam or Iraq help American citizens? It was all a waste of money, time and lives.
It might have been a silly war, but my squadron of A-6s flew off the Saratoga. We lost our skipper and our XO. The bombardier navigator who flew with the XO was captured, but returned alive. Those were bad times, and I can never forget what happened there.
The loss of Naval aviators was tremendous, and it was classified for a number of years afterwards. I worked with a woman whose husband was shot down and killed. What can you say to her except give her a sympathetic, respectful look. I was going to tell her it was a tough situation, but he probably wrote letters telling her not to worry, there was no danger.
Guys, Here is our Savior YaH The Heavenly FATHER (Genesis 1) HIMSELF was Who they Crucified/Pierced for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF” From the Ancient Semitic: "Yad He Vav He" is what Moshe (Moses) wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3) Ancient Semitic Direct Translation Yad - "Behold The Hand" He - "Behold the Breath" Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
It was really absurd because it was maybe 50/50 whether any given South Vietnamese wanted the North Vietnamese to win. It's really tough to win in a country where the people who wanted you to win were largely in on the corruption of the dictatorial government. The US going in after the French had screwed over the Vietnamese for centuries was just a dumb political move. A lot of the Vietnamese looked at the US as just the new French Imperial overlords. It wasn't at all surprising that the South collapsed almost immediately after we left. There was no will to support the South Vietnamese government Dictatorship. While Americans viewed the fight as Communists vs Capitalists, a lot of the Vietnamese viewed it as Vietnamese Nationalists vs. Western Imperialist Colonialists. Vietnam was like the Afghanistan war. A bunch of Afghans wanted the Taliban to win, the other Afghans weren't particularly interested in fighting against the Taliban, and the Afghan Generals and other top political and military leadership were mostly interested in how much they could steal from the Americans.
I was there in ‘71-‘72. No email or cellphones. I went to the phone exchange in Da Nang. Waited in line for 2 hours. Talked to my girlfriend (later wife) for 20 minutes. Signed the back of my paycheck plus another $20 cash. In those days, when you were gone, you were really GONE. The situation was terrible, but the other guys were like family. Some bad and some good memories.
I got lucky, I went in the AF in '76 by the stern advice of my brother (2 tours airborne) and brother-in-law (navy seal 2+ tours). They were adamant ... go in the AF or Navy ... PERIOD! They tried to protect me from these horrors of war. My brother was never the same, and brother-in-law got thru very well until he was pushed too far and would snap into military mode (I pity the poor people he had to beat the hell out of). Godspeed to you guys who served on the battlefield/war zone in any capacity (I was an F-4 mechanic). ✌
The bond among combat vets is stronger than family. We relied on each other in combat & that stays even after. I was a civilian during the Iraq war(s) & when the airplanes returned with the troops, I wept watching the welcoming of the soldiers. The service we performed bond us al together. One good thing did come from the war in Vietnam. We learned how to treat burns, severe burns & how to get wounded to a hospital very quickly for the first time. A lot of people have benefited from those lesions & continue to this day to benefit. I agree with what was said here.
No wonder we failed in Vietnam. A helicopter unit with assault and support in the name. Nothing against anyone in the unit especially this great man. But assault and support should never be mixed in a unit name. Great interview and solid insight from this hero! So happy he got his homecoming moment 35+ years after coming home from Vietnam. Enjoy your well earned pension Sir! Well done Top!
Thank you kind sir for your service. Whether folks are for the war or against it - the people like you put EVERYTHING on the line bc you love this country and were trying to protect it. I don’t agree with a lot of what our government does but I love our soldiers, and I am so glad you made it back. So for the time you came home from Vietnam and didn’t get a proper hero’s welcome (bc that IS what you are), thank you so so much for your service and bravery, and welcome home my friend ❤
My brother was there from '68-'70. He was on a helicopter also, flying supplies into Khe Sanh. I remember when he was discharged. I was at our grandparents and he rode up on his Honda. I was 5. I'll never forget it.
