I see you’ve edited your “about” page. I read “era” before. No offense intended.
I was driving hueys out of Pleiku in 67 and in your neck of the woods in 69/70, and I’m sure I’m just as proud of my service as you are of yours.
As for the press, do you remember sipping a few at the Marble Mountain O Club while discussing bias in the media? I sure don’t. In fact, in my 21+ years in the Army I can’t remember any discussion anywhere at any time about the press. As a soldier I never figured it was my job. And it wasn’t.
I’m not crying about My Lai 4, but I wore the uniform at that time and I believe it reflected on my Army.
“the Marine Corps won’t re-up a 64 year old former helo gunship pilot for Iraq.”
I can’t imagine the Army would take any leadpennies either.
Yes, I edited it because I looked at it and wanted to make sure that it reflected that I was a veteran of the conflict and not just a veteran of that era. A previous posting on this forum indicating some confusion about Viet Vet versus “era” vet precipitated the change. But, if you noticed that, you noticed that I had “Viet vet/era vet” which is technically true because I served from ‘65-’76 in the USMCR not including PLC training in ‘64. My active duty was from ‘65 until ‘69.
As for Marble Mountain “O” Club, I transitted MM several times, but never went to the Club. For us pukes farther north, MM was considered “in country” R&R. And, I surely never met any members of the press anywhere during my entire tour and there weren’t discussions about it. Besides, media bias wasn’t an issue in those days like it is now. And, it didn’t become an issue with me until after I got back and saw how the reportage was. You should know as well as I that the ‘60’s generated a lot of this leftist radicalism, particularly in the press.
As for discussions about media bias not being your job as a soldier, from some of the comments I read from various sources, indications are that more than one AD serviceman are not conforming to your standard; and, I say more power to them, let them voice the criticism the press deserves from an appropriate source.