Graduating from high school in 1968, was a mile post for me. Not great at school work, my destiny didn't include college. Growing up on a dairy farm that wasn't an enriching experience for myself, especially since we did much of the work the hardway, by hand. A family of five existed largely from feeding ourselves from the produce we raised in a large garden and eggs, meat and milk products we created. Annual income ran around 7 grand according to the tax records. With five in the family it wasn't a whole lot, and college certainly wasn't on the financial agenda for me. Getting kicked out of the house in January made sure I wasn't going to get help with anything! I managed to make ends meet with two jobs and graduated while living in a rooming house. . With the 1968 Tet Offensive, I had to decide if I was willing to be drafted, or to enlist for a potential spot somewhere better than a grunt. Thank God my math skills were not that great, or I might have ended up in helicopter flight school! Instead, I took on a specialty that was "critical" and became a turbine engine mechanic. That would insure I would be promoted to Specialist 4th class by the time I exited school. 23 October 1968 I entered Basic Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana and with the buildup still going forward in Vietnam, Basic was on a short cycle. I was home for a few days at Christmas and on to advanced training in Virginia by the 3rd of January. On arrival I was a casual which means I did 20 days of KP before classes even started! Military schools in aviation left a whole lot to be desired. I never saw an engine actually run nor did I ever see a helicopter! Our advisors would tell us just remember all this stuff, it will be on the test you have to pass. You'll never see any of this in Vietnam and they will teach you what you need to know when you get there! Only two of the graduating class didn't go to Vietnam! One, a National Guardsman, the other to young to go was sent to Korea, I would run into him in Vietnam later. So finishing "school" We were given a 30 day leave prior to being shipped overseas and the next thing I knew I was on levee at Oakland Army Terminal the 19th of April 1969. My actual military service, minus my casual time and leave time amounted to somewhere around 117 days, and it is less because of weekends when we didn't train in specialty school and in basic we trained on Saturday, but not Sunday. Once I got to Vietnam and to my assignment, the First Sgt. asked me what my specialty was. His response, "Engineman, hum, we got enough of those, you are now a hydraulics man!"
That cost me a promotion the first time I came up for the promotion board, I didn't know anything about what I was being promoted in! I stuck it out in Vietnam for a full two years simply because I wanted out so very badly that I stayed and extended twice to get an early out! Today, I have a 50% disability that I only got 3 years ago from service over 50 years ago in Vietnam from Agent Orange, diabetes and hearing loss. I consider myself lucky to be alive, as many I know are long since dead many before their time, often without any compensation for their Vietnam service because what killed them wasn't considered service connected at the time! I did my time, I survived long eough to get some compensation for what the Army did to me, not the VC or the NVA! I didn't expect anything from the public beyond appreciation that I did what others refused to do. Those "others" who hid out in deferrments and the like with made up medical excuses like Bone Spurs Trump. You won't find me putting stickers on my car, or a hat on my head that says anything about Vietnam. I'm happy not to be treated special, simply because I'm not "special" for doing what others refused to do. I would rather not be considered the "sucker" for replacing all those other rat bastards who took advantage of me for going with no excuses, no deferments, and no other options.
Graduating from high school in 1968, was a mile post for me. Not great at school work, my destiny didn't include college. Growing up on a dairy farm that wasn't an enriching experience for myself, especially since we did much of the work the hardway, by hand. A family of five existed largely from feeding ourselves from the produce we raised in a large garden and eggs, meat and milk products we created. Annual income ran around 7 grand according to the tax records. With five in the family it wasn't a whole lot, and college certainly wasn't on the financial agenda for me. Getting kicked out of the house in January made sure I wasn't going to get help with anything! I managed to make ends meet with two jobs and graduated while living in a rooming house. . With the 1968 Tet Offensive, I had to decide if I was willing to be drafted, or to enlist for a potential spot somewhere better than a grunt. Thank God my math skills were not that great, or I might have ended up in helicopter flight school! Instead, I took on a specialty that was "critical" and became a turbine engine mechanic. That would insure I would be promoted to Specialist 4th class by the time I exited school. 23 October 1968 I entered Basic Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana and with the buildup still going forward in Vietnam, Basic was on a short cycle. I was home for a few days at Christmas and on to advanced training in Virginia by the 3rd of January. On arrival I was a casual which means I did 20 days of KP before classes even started! Military schools in aviation left a whole lot to be desired. I never saw an engine actually run nor did I ever see a helicopter! Our advisors would tell us just remember all this stuff, it will be on the test you have to pass. You'll never see any of this in Vietnam and they will teach you what you need to know when you get there! Only two of the graduating class didn't go to Vietnam! One, a National Guardsman, the other to young to go was sent to Korea, I would run into him in Vietnam later. So finishing "school" We were given a 30 day leave prior to being shipped overseas and the next thing I knew I was on levee at Oakland Army Terminal the 19th of April 1969. My actual military service, minus my casual time and leave time amounted to somewhere around 117 days, and it is less because of weekends when we didn't train in specialty school and in basic we trained on Saturday, but not Sunday. Once I got to Vietnam and to my assignment, the First Sgt. asked me what my specialty was. His response, "Engineman, hum, we got enough of those, you are now a hydraulics man!"
That cost me a promotion the first time I came up for the promotion board, I didn't know anything about what I was being promoted in! I stuck it out in Vietnam for a full two years simply because I wanted out so very badly that I stayed and extended twice to get an early out! Today, I have a 50% disability that I only got 3 years ago from service over 50 years ago in Vietnam from Agent Orange, diabetes and hearing loss. I consider myself lucky to be alive, as many I know are long since dead many before their time, often without any compensation for their Vietnam service because what killed them wasn't considered service connected at the time! I did my time, I survived long eough to get some compensation for what the Army did to me, not the VC or the NVA! I didn't expect anything from the public beyond appreciation that I did what others refused to do. Those "others" who hid out in deferrments and the like with made up medical excuses like Bone Spurs Trump. You won't find me putting stickers on my car, or a hat on my head that says anything about Vietnam. I'm happy not to be treated special, simply because I'm not "special" for doing what others refused to do. I would rather not be considered the "sucker" for replacing all those other rat bastards who took advantage of me for going with no excuses, no deferments, and no other options.
Great column.