Posted on 11/26/2014 12:09:10 PM PST by re_tail20
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ralph E. Rigby just became the last Vitenam War draftee to leave the Army. He retired after 42 years spent there.
Rigby always had a love for vehicles and had just started his own mechanic shop when he received a draft notice during the Vietnam War.
His first, joking response to the message was: “I don’t have to put up with this! I can just move to Canada like everyone else, and avoid all of this.”
His mother, though, had this message for him: “No Way! You are not a quitter. We do not quit in this family.”
Rigby was assigned to Fort Dix in New Jersey for basic training. He then went on to attend the United States Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as a power generation repairman.
He was drafted during the Vietnam era, but he did not end up deploying there. Instead, he was sent to Kwachon, South Korea.
(Excerpt) Read more at westernjournalism.com ...
My hat is off to him
IIRC, one of the last Vietnam volunteers retired not too long ago. (Col. Joe Repya)
One day I made a pretty serious effort to find out when the last Vietnam War Marine draftee left the service or retired, and can’t find a word on it.
Eleanor DID marry after all ...
I enlisted in 1966 and there were a few (very few) draftees in boot camp....the Drill Instructors made life so miserable on the poor saps that I'll bet their reenlistment rate was Zero.
Morale pretty much sucked during those years among the non-lifers, and of all the guys I ran with during those years exactly ONE reenlisted.
They have CWO-5s?
They probably pull in Major/Lt.Col. pay.. Not bad.
My number was 317. I enlisted.
So did all my brothers.
Thanks for your service, CWO!
Well done Chief. Thanks for your service.
There were a couple coming in the platoon at MCRD right after ours, and were instantly ID'd and harassed unmercifully. You had to feel for them>
We had volunteered for what we had just gone through and were about to go through, they wanted no part of it.
A lot of draftees liked the military and even went to elite units and Special Operations, some would have reenlisted over the years.
That would be a step down for him. More like between a Colonel and a one star. He’s off the scale,
http://www.militaryfactory.com/2015-military-pay-scale.asp
I started my basic training at Fort Dix 42 years ago this month. I think there were only a couple of draftees in our company.The rest were RA’s,AR’s, & NG’s.
Our detachment SGM in my first two years of ROTC in the late 80s had been given the choice of enlisting or jail by a rural Tennessee judge in 1962. He ended up doing several tours in Vietnam with the 173rd Abn and 4th ID. Once the 75th Ranger Regiment was stood up in the 70’s, he went there for essentially the rest of his career ‘til he came to our detachment for his last two years before retiring..
In 1964 I was a sailor on a Swedish merchant ship. My pre-induction physical notice followed me around from port to port until the mail finally caught up with the ship at the Port of San Pedro in California. I was way overdue for the physical.
I went into L.A. and found a recruiter and asked what to do. He said, “Enlist and we will ignore the draft notice.” I did. Army Security Agency. After basic and school, I spent 37 months and 11 days at a small converted airbase in Bavaria. Some of the best time of my life.
I joined the Army in 1966. At the recruitment center they took a number of draftees and put them in the marines. The picking was done by an Army Sergeant. You could tell he was picking the scrawniest guys he could.
Do Generals&Admirals still have private cars and drivers?
I’d have 42 years in as well if that path had unfolded.. I’ve met some grizzled old Sergeant Majors. Oh the stories I could never tell.. Just surviving the sub-culture for 42 years should be worth a medal. ;-)
We got a few schlurking around here, I’m sure. Old retired farts, that is. To them Job Well Done!!!
Bavaria is just down the road from Bohemia, eh?
Salute!!
I will always remember my RA number, after the tear-gas chamber.
My number was 30 the last active draft. I enlisted too....I’d rather had a say in my direction even if it didn’t work out.
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