Posted on 05/26/2023 11:09:51 PM PDT by UMCRevMom@aol.com
I PERSONALLY THANK ALL THAT HAVE SERVED OUR NATION, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
On this Memorial Day, we honor, reflect and mourn the military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. For this purpose, I submit an autobiographical view of military service from one of our honored Freeper family: Lt.Col Lindsey.
REVIEW: "An extraordinary, detailed and vividly presented first-hand account of the Vietnam War as experienced by one front line marine... especially and unreservedly recommended addition to the growing library of Vietnam War Histories & Memoirs..." - Reviewer's Choice, The Midwest Book Review
SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW: "This book is about my time as a young enlisted Marine in Vietnam, starting with my experiences as a truck driver, an artilleryman, and then out in combat with a Rifle Company - and then what it felt like to be wounded and to flow through the hospital system. This book is about what combat was like in the villages and coastal plains of Vietnam early in the war, and our language, culture, characters and the different versions of leadership. This is a time capsule of the events and hazards, the enemy and the weapons and equipment - and the effects that the opposition at home had on us. I include many previously unpublished photographs to illustrate how our part of the war looked and felt. I hope future generations of Americans will read this book and get a better feel for who we were and what we went through for each other and for our country."
One of my old Boss’s in the Army NG was a truck driver in Vietnam... .. I never forgot when he told me he was a Private and a truck driver and he carried a freakin WWII Grease Gun, that he somehow traded for. He was a CW4 Pilot when I knew him. Great Guy, the Agent Orange totally shortened his life.
God Bless all who gave all.
God Bless all of you who served and are still serving also....
(1991-2004 here)
When people say Thank you for your service, I reply... It was my pleasure.
I’ve known a few Vietnam vets. I remember one I worked for. He was a door gunner on a Huey in the 101st. After that he volunteered for infantry. I asked him why he chose to go infantry. He said it was safer. He was in the ‘Hamburger Hill’ battle but peripheral to, in support of it.
Lindsey also had another interesting life. Look him up and see what it was.
He had great long wavy hair back then. We crossed paths on occasion but never really spoke to each other. Interesting Times.
Well Memorial day is coming up.
I still have lots of nam vet friends still kicking ass and tankin names. Thanks for your service!
I reply…”it was fun.”
Those PFC’s will never understand.
Just saying.
Vietnam is a great place. It has been 50 years now.
I have lived here now for five years, and I have found the Vietnamese to be amazingly good people.
I was just a year or two too young to end up drafted. That may have caused me to have a much different view of things, but in my opinion it is very nice.
I think I have met two people who were anti-American. Total.
Really.
A cousin of mine was a nurse over in Vietnam. Years after the war she wrote an article for some Vet magazine on how that year was in many ways a highlight of her life. Her co-workers and the bond they had, the men she helped, etc. She said she got a lot of push back about the article.
She stayed in the reserves, and got called up to serve during the first and second Gulf wars to hospitals in the states when their younger nurses had to go overseas.
while defending a compound in I Corps, Viet Nam, I was given a grease gun for defense. I was told, ‘Don’t drop it. It’ll
go off. Also remember on Memorial Day those civilians who died in service to their country. Of course, they are not as many as the military, but they are citizens who likewise deserve our respect.
My dad (WWII, Korea, Vietnam), many Cousins, Inlaws, and myself all served.
My Bro-inlaw was 1st Cav Helo crew chief, my cousin, armor in the Iron Triangle, and my step brother all lived short lives due to exposure to toxic chems. My oldest sister was an Army nurse, she’s okay but is not sure how she escaped agent orange exposure as field hospitals were set up on bases that had been initially cleared with agent orange.
Dad got bonked in the head with a timber during a mortar attack at a LORAN site he was surveying, he was never quite the same after that.
My lottery number came up and my cousins were calling me up and telling my to enlist before conscription and to avoid the infantry, the draft ended but I went into the USCG as I had planned. One of the best decisions I have ever made.
It was turbulent times. My mentors were all vets, still are. Memorial day is observed in my house.
It was relatively slow-firing compared to the M2 I traded and bounced around a lot and accurate aiming was hard because of that massive bolt sliding forward and the jolt it made when it hit the end of its travel.
I carried that thing for a few security patrols outside the wire and it was heavy - especially when you had two magazines taped end-to-end like Steve McQueen - the movies- about 10 pounds and very short ranged. Useless if the enemy was firing at you from over 100 meters.
I trade it back for my M14: same weight, better accuracy and range!
I say "Welcome Home".
RA
4th Inf Div, in An Khe, RVN
Your report made me chuckle. I traded the greasegun for an M-2, which I found was about as accurate as a slingshot. Finally got an M-79, and the Blooker worked just fine.
Had a student deferment during the war. I remember going to Arlington Cemetery my freshman year and back again 3 years later. I noticed a large part that was open field my first visit was completely filled with crosses 3 years later.
They were a fun, handy little weapon but a pain to use in action: you had to stick a whole lot of your body above cover to aim it, watch where your round went, and then correct.
I used one my squad leader had and took it from him after he was badly hit. I remember how long it took those "rainbow trajectory" rounds to get there and how exposed it felt with lots of people shooting at me. I had a really large guardian angel with me those days,,,
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