SwiftVets.com

[Hans Burkhardt]

Well told story Bagpiper. I hope people understand that similar stories can be related by thousands. Welcome home!

[Hans Burkhardt]

Didn't mean to single out Bagpiper for Kudos. All who post on this thread deserve a thanks. I think that stories like this need to be related in order to make many people understand why we are unhappy with the Kerry situation. GenXer, there is absolutely no questioning your understanding and support. I look at my two kids though (17 and 21) who haven't got a clue and the only constant exposure to issues comes from their instructors (heaven help me).

[sixdogteam]

We were soldiers once...and young.
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HHC 212th CAB MMAF RVN '70-'71

[Tacan70UDN]

About a year after leaving Southeast Asia, and the predictable run-ins with people wanting to know how many babies I'd killed in Viet Nam today, I was stationed at an air base in England. One day, two of my buddies and I went into the university town of Cambridge for a beer or two. We were sitting in a pub, in a booth, minding our own business and sipping our "bitters". With the short haircuts, we were obviously GIs. Suddenly, two scraggly characters (designated LH below) approached us. The conversation went something like this:
LH1: "You blokes Yanks?"
GI1: "Yes. What do you want?"
LH2: "How many women and children did you kill in Viet Nam today?"
GI2: [deadpan] "We don't do that. We drop Hershey bars."
LH1&2: [confused] "You do what?!"
GI1: "You know what Hershey bars are don't you? Candy bars."
LH1: [more confused] "What the hell are you talking about?"
GI2: "Well, you see, we load up our airplane with Hershey bars. Then, we fly low over the main street of a village. Then, we pickle off the Hershey bars."
LH2: [totally bewildered] "I don't get it. What are you talking about?"
GI1: [deadpan] "Well, after we pull off, the baby-sans come running out to get the Hershey bars, then the mama-sans come running out to get the baby-sans, THEN, the main strike force hits with the nape!"
LH1&2: [look of shock, chins on the floor] They shake their heads and walk away. We had a quiet evening of it thereafter. Amazing how gullible they were; the story played straight into their preconceived ideas!

[BuffaloJack]

Tacan, that's just perpetuating the stereotype.
I was once asked if I ever shot any women or children.
I answered that I never shot children, but I did shoot a woman once.
She was shooting at us from behind some bushes along the river bank.
Afterward, when the shooting stopped, we investigated the damage we'd done.
I personally took the AK47 out of her hand, put a battle dressing on her chest to try and stop the bleeding from the 3 bullet holes and then we had a medivac helo take her to a hospital in Binh Thuy. We even checked back 7 or 8 days later with the hospital to see how she was doing and were informed that she had been transferred to the Women's POW camp in Qui Nhon that morning.
Now, I think that treatment was entirely according to the Geneva Convention.

[Aristotle The Hun]

I am one of those "Vietnam Era" veterans. I was discharged in 1965. The closest I ever got to Viet Nam was boot camp in San Diego.

However, the fellowship offered on this forum made me aware of how Viet Nam twisted my reality as a young man. I'll make this succinct.

Like so many young men the military was my “hero’s journey”. The ritual discipline I needed to endure in order to become a man. Yes, it really is true that boot camp can turn a boy into a man. Young men have deep yearnings to prove their honor and gallantry. In rural Iowa it was expected that you would serve in the military, and that you would be respected for the rest of your life because you did so.

When I was discharged I had “won my wings”. I was proud to be a veteran. I was now a man. The G.I. Bill took me to the university. By the end of the first semester I had sold out. No, that isn’t true. There never was a choice about it. I was just attempting to be a civilian. Hell, you couldn’t even *** **** if you weren’t anti-war.

Gradually I learned to be ashamed of that which had made me a man.

Psychologically I needed to do the “hero’s journey” all over again. So I became a clergyman and psychotherapist. My second manhood has turned out pretty well.

But I had no idea of the residual shame until I came to this forum. And along with the shame came the cure. Most of you seem wise enough to have already figured out that one of the functions of this forum is therapy for those of us who didn’t even know we were wounded by Viet Nam.

I don’t have this all sorted out yet, but I wanted to share what I’ve observed so far.

One thing I don’t understand about myself is this: Every time somebody says “welcome home” on this forum I get tears. Does ony one else do this, or am I the only one who can’t figure out my emotions about all this. And I am a “shrink” for crying out loud.

Sam
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Deportè Monsieur Kerrè

[Redleg]

Thirty years ago seemed mostly to be a blur, but I do remember during a stop off in Frisco and taking in the sights, a very young flower child, couldn't been more than 16, walked up to me said, "You killed people didn't you". Being that all my combat days were behind me and not really wanting to deal with a probable pot head, I just looked her in her little dark eyes and shook my head in the affirmative. Quite rapidly, she hussled off maybe to smoke another joint and to practice her Dharma. I don't know if she was trying to ruin my day, but I later felt bad that maybe I shouldn't have admitted anything. Maybe I ruined her day.

Often times, I heard folks wispering behind my back with comments like: "There goes one". It even got to a point that I believed everyone was talking behind my back and I wouldn't even wear my uniform to the NG drills any more.

I am and will always be proud of my professional service to my country and as a RA, I believe that I was well trained to do my job and I did it to the best of my ability with no regrets.
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FIRE MISSION: Kerry campaign in line of sight.

[DrEntropy]

Aristotle the Hun wrote:

[Inbutnotthere]

Wanted to pass on that the activities talked about did not just happen to the Vets. I was stationed at Walter Reed in 71 just after Kerry's speach to congress. We could not walk off post with our uniform on without the name calling and middle finger salutes coming our way.

My neighbor put up a Kerry sign in his yard. This is a gentleman who is older than I am (53). I had the opportunity to talk to him about Kerry's actions regarding Viet Nam and how it affected me as a soldier at the time. I also discussed how Kerry's current activities are now affecting the moral of our troops. I am happy to say, he took the sign down after out talk.

[shooter]

Sam:

You are not alone... The first time I was thanked for my Vietnam service was by my wife. At the time I was over there she was 10 yrs. old! I would never have thought that a child of that age would even pay attention to world affairs. Needless to say, I lost it right there in front of her. This happened 12 yrs after I was in country. She's also the one who begged me to go to the VA. So, 30 yrs after my Vietnam experience, ( nothin' hard headed about me) I finally went to a Vet Center..... I kick myself for not going sooner. With the counselling and meds I'm getting back to some resemblance of normal.

I encourage all Vets to get the help they need. AND yes I do tear up when some one says, "Thanks for your service".
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ADC USN Ret.

For those that fought for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know !!

Harley Davidson - If you have to ask, you don't understand !

Gun Control = Double tap - center mass

[redhawk34]

I must be one of the few to have had a good initial return experience. The crap started later, and continued for decades.

April, '68. I got out of Oakland late, and went through SFO in the late evening, in uniform, while the maggots were off blowin' dope somewhere. I caught the "redeye" back to Philly, and the airplane was full of 30-50 something salesmen and mid-execs headed back home. They must have included WWII and Korea Vets, because drinks started appearing mysteriously in front of me. This went on for four hours, and they poured me off the airplane at 6:00 AM, drunk as a lord. The hangover was a masterpiece.
Like I said, the crap started afterward.
Redhawk34

[lthrneck]

Mine was pretty uneventful also, I think I came into SF airport at something like 3am and was on a like 6am flight back to Chicago. A few minutes after take off, one of the stews came and asked me if I'd like to lay down. She put me in the rear where there were 3 empty seats, pulled the arm rests up and gave me a blanket and pillow. Said thank you and wish I could add something a bit more spicy to this but I was sleeping before my head hit the pillow.
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"Old Breed, New Breed, There's not a DAMM bit of
difference so long as it's the MARINE Breed"
- Lt. Gen Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller

Semper fi
uuurah
Carry On!!

[Aristotle The Hun]

Thank you so much for the posts and private messages. I have copied them to a Word document and will pull them up and read them whenever I start thinking that no one will ever understand.

Sam
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Deportè Monsieur Kerrè

[retiredmilitary50563]

was working at our office (S-2), informed that Patrick J. Trotter (USA) had been killed in country and his parents requested that I bring his body home. Pat and I were best buds and had attended school together, got into trouble together, etc. A helicopter picked me at marble mountain and dropped me off at Dan Nang airport. Didnt get back to my hootch, didnt have any clothes. They (customs) took my pics, m-16, and sent me on a C=130 to Okinawa.......with 24 caskets in the back and me. Oki to Treasure Island for burial duty training. Fitted for dress blues, were tailored in 2 hours and off I head for San Fran Airport with the coffin. Watched loading of casket, went to waiting area to board. Hippies and anti war crowd spot my black arm band and Nam medals... start spitting, yelling and screaming that I was a baby killer. Security finally showed up and drove them off. This was feb of 1970. Never have forgotten it and never will....War of no respect for our military people....I asked and volunteered to be there.
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1968-1972 Marines, Nam 69-70 (marble mountain)
1973-1989 Air Force (germany, japan, iceland)

[mtboone]

The first time I had someone give grief about being in Vietnam happed in Vietnam. We were at the Acey Duecy club in Qui Nhon when two civilians came up and ask them to buy them a beer because the did not have any MPC, we obliged and then they asked us if we wanted to come out to their Oil tanker in the harbor. So two of us went out and while drinking a French guy, what else started talking about how America and Americans were evil and killing civilians and such. The guy with me said if it was not for Americans, you would be speaking German and then he decked him. We were politely told to leave so we asked for the duty Swifty to come out and get us. While back in States, I just kept a low profile and did not mention to anyone that I was in VN, except for Veterans, who would understand what it was like. After holding it in for over 20+ years, I get too emotional and it seems so akward to have some one say "Thanks for Serving."
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Terry Boone PCF 90
Qui Nhon 68-69