Same Army, different time: Vietnam 1968

FORT SILL, Okla. Nov. 3, 2014 -- In honor of Veterans Day, I offer a remembrance of what it was like to serve in the Army during the Vietnam War.

While speaking from personal experience, I believe it is similar to that of millions of other young men and women who answered the call and served honorably.

Commentaries like this are important to bear witness, especially to those who no longer have a voice. If you listen very closely, you can hear them softly whispering in the wind, "We were here once, young and proud like you, don't forget us."

I served a 14-month tour of duty, Dec.13, 1968 through Feb. 17, 1970. My unit was First Field Force Vietnam, 6th Battalion, 84th Field Artillery, in An Khe in the Central Highlands. Midway through my tour, I was transferred to Nha Trang.

I entered the military in 1968, as did many other young men from Fairfield, Calif. I said good-bye to my girlfriend and was off to Fort Lewis, Wash., for Army boot camp ran by tough young combat veterans just returned from Vietnam. The drill sergeants did their best to instill in us the importance of learning what they were teaching; nothing short of our survival was at stake. They repeatedly told us that. With that constant admonition, I know I certainly paid close attention.

After boot camp, I received orders to Fort Sill for Advanced Individual Training in artillery. We trained on the 105mm and 155mm howitzers. My training class completed its cycle around mid-November and were given leave to return home before reporting to our duty assignments. Ninety-five percent of us were headed to Vietnam.

Back in Fairfield in mid-December, with orders to report to Vietnam, my family took me to the airport at Travis Air Force Base, just a short distance from our home. The airport terminal was overflowing with young Soldiers and Marines. My mother and father put on brave faces for my sake, but I vividly remember my young cousin breaking down in tears. As a "tough" young Soldier, I did my best to reassure my family not to worry, I will safely return.

All the passengers on the Flying Tiger Airlines airplane I boarded at Travis were young Soldiers like me, mostly single stripe privates, all of us in our new Army Dress Green uniforms. On the flight that seemed to last a good 12 hours; the women stewardesses were especially nice to us. I realized, even then, it was because they knew it was likely some of us would not be returning.

Finally, we arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base, Vietnam. Stepping off that plane, we were literally blasted with intense furnace-like heat; it must have been 120 degrees, with 90-percent humidity. Leaving the United States in the dead of winter and then arriving in Vietnam, the intense heat felt like hell on earth. Also greeting us was the exotic, pungent smell of the Vietnamese fish sauce called nuoc mam. Adding to a sense of foreboding -- after all, we were green replacement troops -- we were loaded on Army buses with bars over the windows. We were green but not stupid -- all of us realized the bars were to prevent grenades from being thrown inside.

The buses took us to the in-country processing center, where we turned in our dress uniforms. In return, we received new jungle fatigues, caps and jungle boots. While awaiting duty assignments, we slept in tents on hard Army cots, drank lukewarm water from giant suspended bladders, exchanged stories and just generally milled about. Finally, each of us received our in-country orders for various units throughout the Army field of command.

After two days at the center, those of us assigned to units near An Khe in the Central Highlands boarded a flight. Upon arrival, we noticed suntanned, slender young Soldiers dressed in faded jungle fatigues waiting on the tarmac to board the same plane. It was clear these young troopers had completed their tour of duty and were anxiously waiting to get back to the "world" while we, their replacements, were just beginning our tours. These homebound Soldiers had successfully helped repulse the all-out North Vietnamese Tet Offensive of early 1968.

Those of us replacing those young Soldiers in mid-December anticipated and feared a repeat of the Tet Offensive. Army forces throughout Vietnam had been initially caught off guard and no one wanted that costly mistake repeated. Veterans of that offensive in my unit were adamant about keeping our helmets, flak jackets and weapons ready. There were false alarms; I thank my lucky stars they were false.

Now in the autumn of life, I look back in my mind's eye and relive a kaleidoscope of experiences shared by many veterans: the weight of a flak jacket; the first time I heard incoming mortar fire; the eerie night light of an illumination flare, the sound of a helicopter or fireworks instantly transporting me back to Vietnam; the inconsolable young pregnant widow of an Army of the Republic of Vietnam soldier killed-in-action, he tragically never to see his child grow up; the awe of seeing at night a Huey helicopter gunship raining down a steady stream of firepower and feeling sympathy for the enemy soldiers on the ground below; the graceful, young Vietnamese women with their shy smiles in traditional ao dai dress; the black pajamas and conical straw hats of the peasant women. Just a few of the memories etched in my mind.

Yes, there were hardships and danger, but also good times shared with other young Army troopers. Compared to the dangers and hardships faced in the military, to returning war veterans, civilian complaints about most things seem petty. Returning stateside from Third World countries, veterans also realize that most Americans have little concept of how well off they are.

"Same Army, different time" -- As an Army Vietnam veteran, I salute those Soldiers who have served honorably in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is heartening to see the American public treat service members returning from overseas with the respect they deserve.

During the Vietnam era this was not always the case. Suffice to say it was a different era and mindset than today.

As a "citizen soldier," the Vietnam experience was not something I volunteered for; however, I do not regret it. Although it came with a price, I value it highly. Serving in the Army taught me the value of physical fitness, hard work, discipline, teamwork, setting an objective and achieving it. All of these values have helped me achieve success in civilian life. It also opened my eyes to the challenges that Third World countries face, as well as the knowledge that people from other races and cultures share the same hopes and dreams we do.

One last thought, relative to readjustment to civilian life. Civilians have a hard time understanding that when one joins the Army that it is not just an occupation, but a way of life. Especially in a war zone, Soldiers are on call 24 hours a day.

But, it is more than that, it is an attitude. Once you get on that airplane or ship headed for the war zone the dice have been rolled. You knowingly accept whatever fate has in store for you. It takes real courage to do that.

Those who have made that decision in the past and those who will make it in the future deserve to be celebrated by a grateful nation. Whether men or women, they are warriors.

Related Links:

Army.mil: U.S. Army Veterans