SwiftVets.com

[DougReese]

[War Dog]

Let's get this topic back on track. Enough of if Doug's account is true or not, or accurate. None of us at our age can remember and be 100% accurate in recounting what happened one or two days back over 35 years ago.

Bring the thread back to the issue and topic of drafted veterans, and discussion of if Senator Kerry or President Bush should be the next President and CIC.

If ya'll continue to beat this dead horse of what happened on the swift boats that one day, this thread will be locked.

Fair enough? Make sense?

Woof!
_________________
"When people are in trouble, they call the cops.

When cops need help, they call the K-9 unit."

[redhawk34]

A volunteer is a guy who mis-understood the question.
Redhawk

[redhawk34]

Yeah, Larry, this was one of the major screw-ups of the VN war. Most of the Grunts were in MOS, but the Repo Depot sent non-combat MOSs everywhere but where they were needed. We couldn't get parts for the boats, even though the parts were in-country, because our supply guys were truck drivers or track mechanics. The school trained supply clerk who would have been able to work the system was driving a truck somewhere.
Redhawk

[carpro]

[DougReese]

[garb1015]

I went through the 90th about the same time Larry Martin did. I arrived with orders assigning me to a Signal Co in Long Bihn but I ended up at a Signal Co in Phu Bai, I Corps. It was there that I was told I would be a truck driver.
None of the guys I talked to at the 90th had their MOS changed but all had their duty station changed. If you were a US (draftee), the Army could and would put you where you were needed at the time.
I never met an RA whose MOS had been changed unless they requested it themselves but I'm sure it happened under certain circumstances.
As far as our training churning out soldiers, that's what happened in the early 40's. We were not prepared for WWII and the machine was kicked into high gear to meet the needs.
Advice? When I got there I was told to keep my eyes open and my mouth shut.

[redhawk34]

I think you're right about RA's. I had been "pipelined" into the Finance Corps, and sent to Germany. There seemed no way out, and I HATED Finance. Found out they had to approve a 1049 for 'Nam, so I put one in, hoping things would be looser there. I volunteered for "anything but Finance" at 90th, and was sent to (drumroll) 292nd Freakin' Finance Co!
Read about an Army Boat Co. in S&S, and called them by Autovon, which took about two hours, and got the First Shirt on the line.
"Top, they got me stuck in a Finance Co. up here at Bearcat, and I been runnin' boats all my life, can you use me?" I didn't mention that the largest boat I had run was a 16 foot sailboat. He took the bait, and I had orders in a few days.
Got to Cat Lai, and found that, due to rotation, I WAS about the most experienced boat handler he had, and was commanding one in a couple weeks. I don't know where the school-trained Seamen were, but we had a lot of truck drivers. Some of them worked out pretty well.
Redhawk

[garb1015]

When I was there I had heard that when the Army needed men they often got them from Germany. And that was not their choice as was the case with you.
Our first week at Ft. Ord was called a zero week because it was not part of your eight week basic training. We got haircuts, shots, clothes issue. etc. One thing that happened in that week was a visit from the enlistment NCO who would try to talk draftees into signing up for an extra year and get a guaranteed MOS. Of course he had the scare stories about being 11B (infantry) and going to Nam. Three guys in my group took him up on his offer. The rest of us waited until the seventh week of basic which was when you found out where the computer had placed you.

[Me#1You#10]

Ahhh...the 90th. Spent several days there myself...and the locale of one of my many memories of RVN.

Strolled into the latrine shortly after arrival in Long Binh for some needed relief, assumed the position, looked down into what appeared to be a 12 foot crevace and was greeted by the semi-toothless grin of a mama-san who was about to change the honey-bucket. Welcome to Vietnam

[ASPB]

[garb1015]

When I reported for induction on Aug 19, 1969, we spent most of the day walking around in our underwear following colored lines painted on the floor.
A group of us (12 to 15) were waiting at one station where guys with letters from their doctors were trying to convince Army doctors that they couldn't serve.
An Army Sgt walked up and told us to line up shoulder to shoulder and to count off by threes. He then told all of the twos to take one step forward. He stepped back and a Marine Sgt stepped up and his exact words were, "Congratulations, you men are now United States Marines." He marched them off and I assume after getting his quota, they were bused down to Camp Pendleton.
At the 90th replacement (Feb 4 '70) we didn't go anywhere. Every morning you stood in a very large formation while names were read off. If you didn't hear your name, you did the same thing the next day.

[carpro]

[quote="garb1015"].
An Army Sgt walked up and told us to line up shoulder to shoulder and to count off by threes. He then told all of the twos to take one step forward. He stepped back and a Marine Sgt stepped up and his exact words were, "Congratulations, you men are now United States Marines." He marched them off and I assume after getting his quota, they were bused down to Camp Pendleton.
quote]

There were some Marine draftees starting to show up in Nam in early 69. They told us the same story you just told. Gave all us "volunteers" a hearty laugh. We ribbed 'em pretty good but they went through the same training we all did and were damn fine Marines. Thank you very much!

I still laugh when I think about them being picked out of that line. Must have been a hell of a shock!

I don't know why they would have been drafting in late 69 though. The 3RD Marine Division was out of Nam by the end of 69, I believe, leaving just the 1ST Marine Division there.
_________________
"If he believes his 1971 indictment of his country and his fellow veterans was true, then he couldn't possibly be proud of his Vietnam service."

[War Dog]

I spent the 4th of July holiday in the welcome center at Lackland AFB, San Antonio Texas, in blue shorts and a yellow USAF shirt with canvas shoes. For five days, I and my fellow recruits were like that, before we actually were assigned to a training squadron/flight. That was one hell of a long eight weeks, then on to Security Police School, and Military Working Dog Handler/Trainer School.

But the main things that stick out in my mind the most was landing at Clark AFB on December 18th and having three days to wait for my flight out. Of course I was a 'Cherry Boy', I just didn't know it. So, a Marine that I sat by on the flight over and I went off into Angel City, found a dirt cheap (hell they all were dirt cheap) motel, found a couple of ladies (if you know what I mean), and a lot of San Miguel, and proceded to raise cain for three days. What we didn't know was to bargin for prices, and setting that price before you agreed to anything. Boy, we sure learned fast. When it came to the day of our flight, we had to go on base, leaving our luggage at the motel, draw a months advance pay, go back and pay our huge bill, so that we could get our stuff, and be able to leave.

Then I remember flying into TSN, AFB, and stepping off the C-141. GOD, was it HOT!, and Stink! Woo-Hoo. Even worse than P.I. I remember a bunch of us just sitting for what seemed like hours in that Quensot hut before we were told to come back in five hours. At least we got to go to the exchange, and get what we thought was a 'real' hamburger and fries. I still wonder to this day about that meat, as it just didn't taste like real hamburger meat! Then we went to the enlisted club, got partically drunk, and went back to the terminal to catch our flight.

And finally, I remember getting on that C-130, and flying what seemed like all over South Vietnam and Thailand before arriving at my base. I arrived at Korat on December 22nd, and again, it was so damn hot, but it didn't stink as bad. But I remember everytime that damn C-130 landed, thinking basically, 'What the Hell am I doing Here?'

I still can close my eyes and see the base perimeter, the air field, the runway, the bunkers, the ammo dump, the fuel farm, the 24overrun (damn strobe lights, I hate em to this day), and so on! It's amazing, I can't remember people's names, or even some of their faces, but I can remember every damn K9 post I ever had to hump for 9-12 hours. I remember the heat, the dampness, the smells, the bugs, the snakes, the ants, the spiders, the rice bugs, the friggin misquitos, the 'FU' Lizards and 'ReUp' frogs, the monsoon rains, standing on post and it raining so damn hard I couldn't see my hand six inches in front of my face, and spending 12 to 14 hours in that damn rain, and it lightening all around me and my dog, but we didn't have anywhere to go, we just had to stay on that K9 post and keep patrolling.

But most of all, I remember the damn heat. Since then, I've been to many countries all over the world like Singapore, Hong Kong, Burma, Panama, Equidor (I never could spell that), Columbia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and many other nations in the Caribbean, and south Pacific, and I've forgot much about them, but I will never, ever forget that year in SEA.

Woof!
_________________
"When people are in trouble, they call the cops.

When cops need help, they call the K-9 unit."

[garb1015]

carpro
Those number two's were in shock and I don't remember one of them saying a word. The rest of us, the ones and threes, just stood there looking at each other with blank stares. I'm glad to hear that the involuntary Marines that you knew did the job.

War Dog
I also will always remember the heat. Walking out of an airconditioned DC10 and having that heat hit you in the face was like sticking your head in an oven. And that hamburger you had was more than likely water buffalo...I hope.