daddybear Loc: Brunswick, NY

Wing pilot,
Picked up convoys at Long Bing and escorted them to Phu Loi and then to Di An and then to points north.

williejoha

That is not what Trumpy says.
WJH

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

I hope they were good memories for you.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

That’s why I enclosed friend with scare quotes. In different ways the leaders of the South were just as bad.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

The army had a communications facility on top of that mountain, called Nui Ba Dien. We used to sling load huge tanks of water up there for them with the Chinooks. It was quit a unique exercise trying to hover up there with your nearest ground reference 500 feet below, while sitting still enough to lower the tank onto its cradle on the ground. Loads of fun. Not!

Diamond41 Loc: St. Louis, MO

Thank you to all the vets on this. The pictures are great, please post more. I have a brother who served in Nam twice but does not talk about it. I know his second tour was a with a tank retrival unit. His first would have been some type of maintenance unit but don't know what. Thanks to all of you for serving.

Shadetree Loc: Chattanooga, TN

Think the C130 gun ships are called 'Spooky' and they are still using them and train down at Eglin AFB in Florida. Was in the Air Force from 1966 to 1969 but didn't make it over there but a lot of my buddies did. Was a jet engine mechanic and worked on C130 and C141 engines. Got out 2-1/2 months early due to reductions in the military but spent 3-1/2 years in Charleston, SC and what a beautiful place for duty.

Hennes8 Loc: Fairfax, VA

Some good examples of the country. There is a real variety from jungles to mountains. I was there 68-70.

blackhorse 1-7

Wing Pilot...oh yes, Nui Ba Dien (Mountain of the Black Virgin).....there it was, rising up in the middle of flat land, highest peak around. I do hate that mountain. I realize that things change and time moves on....but just cannot get over young, normal people sitting around, eating and drinking where so many of my buddies did not make it. Just a bit ironic.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I agree. It's all seemingly ironic. I can't say as I have any angst toward the country, but there are a few memories that I wish I didn't have. My wife says she's sure I suffered from a mild case of PTSD, as I was pretty hard to live with for awhile. I was fortunate in finding jobs that kept my mind off of it all. Now I look back on it all and figure that we, who were tasked with doing that job, were prevented from doing it by our government. I resigned myself to knowing that what I did was in support of all our ground troops. You can't imagine (or probably you can) the joy of a company when we sling loaded an entire pallet of beer into the field!

Stephan G

There is a buried under the rug group that were affected by the UN Police Action in Viet Nam. They were the Ready Strike units. We were required to keep our duffel bags ready for deployment to Viet Nam within one hour's call. We were the back up to the units on the ground in Viet Nam. Many of us were given the service ribbons, only to have them taken back. The US government changed it's collective mind, for many given reasons. But we still had togive information as how we can be reached whether on post or off post. There were many injuries, physical and mental, that arose because of the war stance. I know of one suicide that was a result. We have "walking wounded" that are ignored and denied. Even many in the groups that were in Viet Nam ignore these comrades-in-arms. One reason is that they were not informed about these back up measures. The entire military was tiered with the idea of a full out war.

One of the reasons for the reneging on the service medals was that Congress did not want to have to pay this group's medical bills. (See the Agent Orange debacle, for example.)

I was a member of GIs united against the war in Viet Nam. My reason was due to the US Congress dragging its feet so as not to actually declare the war. One of their fears rested in the "Cold War".

williejoha

Thank you to all who served. You where put in the middle of a political situation that nobody should ever be put into. This country owes all of you a big thank you with the proper actions of taking care of you. God bless all of you.
WJH

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Thank you. Much appreciated.

Jim-Pops Loc: Granbury, Texas

Thank you.

RS Loc: W Columbia, SC

Me,too, - '67-'68...