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Dunno about drugs but my father said drunkeness was rampant even in the medical corps( he mentioned to me that the army had something called the "garrison lifestyle").

Bump.

Quit posting this stuff. These facts are too likely to interfere with perfectly serviceable myths that make those who opposed the war feel better about themselves. :)

Nov 1967 to Jun 1969 - drinking and drugs were not a big problem.

Vietnam era vet bump.

5.56mm

It's a terrific book that serves to dispel much of the CW.

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

Fifty-six percent of Vietnam veterans said they benefited in the long run by going to Vietnam. Only 29 percent said they were set back

As bad as it was, I wouldn't trade the lessions I learned there. That little trip made me what I am today. I learned good and evil and what evil men can do to each other, and what good men can do for each other. Men can love and die for other men without being.....well you know.

Thank You for posting the truth.

My family has blood invested in the Vietnam War. I have a cousin who was a medic who flew in and out transporting wounded from Hot L/Z's on a C-130. His plane was mortared on takeoff and crashed killing all onboard. The family was delivered a 12x12 box of remains to represent a once Promising Life to bury! This is what happened to the flower of American youth sent off to a no-win war! While all this proceeded, the worthless bureaucrats families who promoted this monstrous wrong were prevented from serving in what they knew was a life threattening situation. No way would they put their family in harms way but it was more than acceptable for yours and mine!

My Air Force career covered the years 1966 to 1970. In the States I worked from two bases. Amarillo AFB the 461 Bomb Wing and the 380th Bomb Wing out of Plattsburgh New York.
My bases in the Pacific were Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Guam, and Okinawa. I was also in and out of March AFB, In Riverside California, McDill AFB, Tampa, Florida and Beale AFB In the Okland California Area!

My Job as a Jet Engine Technician On (MRT) Mobile Recovery Flight line Operations was on KC-135 A's and the BUFF's
B-52D Models. Watching a fully loaded B-52 on its takeoff roll on Guam was something to behold! When fully committed on water injection and all Eight Engines straining for all the power it can generate for launch heading past "Paddy's Point with the outrigger wheels still firmly planted on the runway makes your Butt pucker just a little. Under these severe flight conditions the planes are not airborne until they fling themselves off Paddy's Point. Standing on the Runway the planes go out of sight temporarilly, until about two miles out you see them pulling up to continue their missions! There was a major early morning launch planned for our Tanker (KC-135) that morning. On that day we were launching F-4 Phantoms that were to be ferried over to a base in Vietnam somewhere. Our Tanker was involveed with this particular launch. Two F-4's would go and then a Tanker would follow. As things normally happen in all the chaos hapening one of our engines developed a problem that took us out of normal rotation that morning. Directly in front of us there was a MAC Troop Carrier loading passengers getting ready to take off as well. When we stayed behind analyzing our problem a sister tanker in our squadron pulled out and taxied into position. The two F-4's were given clearance to take off, Apparently one of the two F-4's had a complete electrical power failure and flamed out leaving it dead on the runway unable to move or re-establish communication or something. At the same time The Tanker thinking the runway was clear began its takeoff roll thinking both F-4's had left. Right before reaching rotate speed the KC-135 ran up on the F-4 stalled on the runway raming their #4 engine into the back of the F-4 tearing away the engine completely off the wing. The force of the collision caused the Tanker to turn nearly sideways on the active runway because we could clearly see the landing and takeoff lights shining. The pilot of the tanker by the grace of Jehovah God was able to partially recover his aircraft to avoid us on the flightline & avoiding an even worse disaster. Unfortunately the two F-4 pilots burned to death right before my eyes, unable to escape!

An Inflight Refueling Squadron is a very dangerous job and mission to perform, this happened on Guam. On MRT your home is the KC-135, you have bags packed and ready to go 24/7. Okinawa was another surreal environment. This was the first time I came face to face with protesters saying "Yankee Go Home" with a real desire to do you harm if they could get at you. One day My OMS crewchief asked me if I had the stomach to see something really bad. He had a step van on the ramp parked off to the side. Being the innocent that I was we drove to a remote part of the parking area where certain areas were restricted unless you had a flightline pass to enter, I did and so did he. We pulled up beside a Grating to a point you could see directly down into it. The nauseating stench coming forth liked to knocked me down. In the bottom you could see white fragments of Bone as I was later told. On leaving he swung around and indicated a Dark Stain in the Concrete that ran down to the grate. On the way back he told me that it was Blood that was washed out of C-141's and C-130's that brought in body bags for final processing. When they were removed Firehoses were used to wash out the debris left in the walls and floors. this haunting memory will remain with me for as long as I live. Again this is how the Government rewards the Flower of American Youth.

One last memory of the Pacific Theatre of Operations I was able to see was Walter Lantz the creator of Woody the Woodpecker while on Guam. He drew a picture of Woody riding a Bomb, that was a real hoot. Also while there on Guam There was off loading ramp for the wounded and maimed coming out of that Hell Hole and you could hear a pin drop over in that area. In another part of the base at another location, the in-coming troops sounded like a Fraternity Party going on. Little did they know what was awaiting them! But there was a news media Group that consisted of Morely Safer there that Day as Well, on his way to Vietnam to complete those series of Shameful Documentaries in country. Selectively avoiding the real heroes for those who smoked dope and fragged their officers. You will remember particularly the one episode where a shotgun barrel was used to smoke "hashish" or something!

On my final trip back to America in late 1970 I spent a reflective visit @ Pearl Harbor wanting to visit the Arizona Memorial but it was closed that day. Instead I wandered around the docks and Schoefield Barraks reaching my hand into bullet holes left behind on our Day of Infamy. As it happened it was a day much like it probably was that Day on December 7th 1941. Very quiet and not much traffic. Upon closing my eyes I could let my imagination run away. It was the most stirring moment I have ever experienced. Memory is my mentor and I am blessed for being able to grow up and see the world for what it really is. I began from that point, my 30 Year fight against Socialism and liberalism and I continue to this Day! Jehovah Bless America And The Republic!

Peace Movements Don’t Prevent Wars.