How Many Viet Nam Vets Here?

damgoodwood · Aug 28, 2016

Disabled Vet

I got in the Air Force in 1974. Tail end of the Vietnam Era. I support all of our Veterans and proudly wear lots of Veteran patches on my vests and jackets. I do not want anyone to forget about our Veterans as we all paid some sort of price for our country.
As I saw recently " Freedom is not free, we paid for it".

Blueline · Oct 20, 2016

Greenhornet · Jan 19, 2017

I was in country 68-69 and 70-71. I guess they liked me as a door gunner. I spent 20 yrs in the USAF

extxn · Jan 31, 2017

Another Navy Vet here ~ spent a bit over 22 yrs in counting both active and active reserve time. Never made it 'in country' but was out in the Tonkin Gulf aboard the U.S.S. Hancock (CV-19) '69 & '70. Played on the flight decks as ships company working with the catapults and arresting gear. Currently live in the northeast kingdom Vermont and ride with the Combat Veteran's Motorcycle Association Chapter 26-1. Don't ever forget Brothers ~ we're all we've got! To everyone ~ Stay Safe.

Just going to add a small edit right quick ~ WELCOME HOME!!

consitter · Jan 31, 2017

Thanks to all of you that served...

I want to say "Thank you" to all of you that served in Viet Nam and "Welcome Home" to the lot of you. Most of you were there within a few years either before or after the year of my birth ('67). I would like to shake each and every one of your hands.

desertclassic · Jan 31, 2017

extxn said:
Another Navy Vet here ~ spent a bit over 22 yrs in counting both active and active reserve time. Never made it 'in country' but was out in the Tonkin Gulf aboard the U.S.S. Hancock (CV-19) '69 & '70. Played on the flight decks as ships company working with the catapults and arresting gear. Currently live in the northeast kingdom Vermont and ride with the Combat Veteran's Motorcycle Association Chapter 26-1. Don't ever forget Brothers ~ we're all we've got! To everyone ~ Stay Safe.

Just going to add a small edit right quick ~ WELCOME HOME!!

Welcome from New Mexico. Thanks for your service. I also ride with the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, 47-1. I have bragging rites as being the 2nd original member for the state of New Mexico. I am now the senior original member due to #1 joining the ranks of those who laid down their armor and are now at rest. Jim

extxn · Jan 31, 2017

desertclassic said:
Welcome from New Mexico. Thanks for your service. I also ride with the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, 47-1. I have bragging rites as being the 2nd original member for the state of New Mexico. I am now the senior original member due to #1 joining the ranks of those who laid down their armor and are now at rest. Jim

Slow Salute Brother!
We had to provide Honors for one of our own just before the winter snows. His final resting place is in Randolph Veteran's Cemetery, Randolph, Vermont. Ron (FO1) Walker was one of the original Walking Dead Battalion back from Nam.

Thanks for riding with our Brothers & Sisters! We'll be in Ticonderoga, NY in July for the Region 3 Ride hosted by 19-3, The Ghost Chapter (our sister Chapter). Gonna be a blast ~ NO S**T!!
Anyone close by is welcome, July 25th! Don't have to be CVMA for the ride or bar-b-que afterwards.

Stay Safe ~

Sundog29 · Feb 1, 2017

Sundog29

I also ride with the CVMA and I'm proud to be a part of this group that is veterans helping veterans.

extxn · Feb 3, 2017

Sundog29 said:
I also ride with the CVMA and I'm proud to be a part of this group that is veterans helping veterans.

Thanks for chiming in Sundog and for being another Brother of the CVMA. Guess things will be hectic out there at Nationals in San Diego this year! Over here in Region 3 (New England), for those of us not going west, will be with NY 19-3 in Ticonderoga for the Region 3 Ride. Right now, most of us are suffering from PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome)!!

Stay Safe ~

Sundog29 · Feb 3, 2017

CVMA

extxn said:
Thanks for chiming in Sundog and for being another Brother of the CVMA. Guess things will be hectic out there at Nationals in San Diego this year! Over here in Region 3 (New England), for those of us not going west, will be with NY 19-3 in Ticonderoga for the Region 3 Ride. Right now, most of us are suffering from PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome)!!

Stay Safe ~

Hey Brother - here in 29-1 in Portland, OR we have the same PMS but on occasion get to pull it out for a run in the rain or cold. Can't wait for the warming winds to go cruising. I won't make Nationals but intend to do a nice long cruise to Idaho then into Canada on some of the most beautiful rides in the world. Then ride to the Pacific Coast and onto Vancouver Island then back to Oregon.

Ride Safe Brother!

vtxharley · Mar 10, 2017

Usmc/ 0331

Orders to go to Vietnam in 1970,already had shots over seas combat training guerilla warfare school sent all my civilian gear home, called off bus the day all my comrades were leaving Camp Pendelton to go over seas. blue tag to Eltoro Calif I have no idea what blue tag meant or stands for Tad . Had two, brothers there, one in the Marine Corp As a scout 1967- 1971 and one in the Air force working crash crew and recovery out of Thailand

ta

Ayatolla of Rockin' Rolla · Mar 10, 2017

Hah,lucky you ,had a second cousin came down with pneumonia a week before his army unit was ready to ship out to RVN,Put him in the hospital for 2 weeks,long enough for him to get new orders to go to Germany!

:Shrug:

Peacerider · Mar 10, 2017

I served USN submarines USS Daniel Webster SSBN 626 -71-74- I have never called myself a Viet Nam Vet, as I would not take the honor fromm the guys and gals who had boots n the ground and served proudly. A good friend who was Army Long range patrol type guy, not sure of exact, but was a ground pounder of the finest kind. Told me you - you served, took a chance with your life in the subs and did it, You served during the Viet Nam War you are a Viet Nam Era Vet!!.

MY older brother, who protested the war, was in the National Guard, was assigned by the US State Department to Viet Nam!!! He got married in Saigon to his first wife. He was in Saigon during the time of the take over by the North. His wife went off in the first chopper from the roof of the embassy. My brother was out at the air base processing fleeing south Viet's who wanted to flee. He and his wife experienced the whole mess first hand. He was worried that he would not get out as in their apartment he had a M16 over a thousand rounds of ammo....

I have a hard time having people thank me for my service, I feel I did my job and served as such.

ISP-FL · Mar 17, 2017

Went in Army when I was 17 (1970). I had two older cousins tell me I was stupid and to stay out of VN. Transportation MOS and sent to Germany. 1971 sent to VN and no more clerking. Remember coming back in 72 and everyone was in short sleeve shirts and I had on a jacket all the time. I couldn't watch TV because it was all fake and I knew it. Just some weird feelings back then. Began a career in Law Enforcement and over the next 32 years I discovered that people in this country can be just as cruel and rotten as anyone I came across in

my young short military time.

Now the only time VN experiences get brought up or even thought about much is when we get together with my brother-in-law. He lost both legs above the knees in 1970, came home finished college, had a really good career in banking, and retired early. He has never felt sorry for himself and considers himself one of the lucky ones. There are a lot of war hero's, but he is a war hero that I know personally.

chairdr · Mar 27, 2017

I graduated high school in 1967, waited 2 weeks and enlisted in the army. I accepted I was going to Viet Nam, everybody I knew was going or had gone, friends and relatives, some had not come back alive or whole.

Basic training was filled with a great mixture of people I couldn't believe! To many it was a big joke! Believe me I was paying attention like my life depended on it! I really figured it did. Well, long story short, I was on orders 6 different times! And every time something happened and I was deleted or my orders were cancelled. I never requested to be removed or taken off, I think it was a higher power looking out for our troops!

At heart, I did not fear Charlie half as much as I fear snakes, so God knows me pretty good and he figures, "I better keep this guy out of Viet Nam because one of those snakes crawls across his path - he'll light it up and give away his units position and get some guys hurt really bad." I say that half joking, but that scenario has played out in my mind many times since that 18 year old kid took the oath in 67.

Seriously I have no idea why I did not go. I went in knowing I was going and there was a good chance I would not be coming back. 20 years and 18 days later I left the army. After Nam shut down I looked at every day like it was gravy or a free day. I still look at every day like it is a gift. Every once in awhile I even see a snake, that's not so bad if the mower is running! Still don't like those damned snakes.

My thanks goes to all of you who did serve in country, Thank You! I still feel like I should have gone, I felt like it was my duty. My Dad who served in WWII, cautioned me about volunteering, he felt like I had stretched it by enlisting in the first place. And Thanks to all who were in the same situation as me, at least we were ready!

Cagmo · Mar 31, 2017

Navy. USS Midway (CVA-41) Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club Apr 72-Mar 73.

Chappy KC · Mar 31, 2017

Cagmo said:
Navy. USS Midway (CVA-41) Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club Apr 72-Mar 73.

So Cagmo, which Cag and when? I was with Cag30 1991 thru 94.

ISP-FL · Apr 18, 2017

Together We Served Site

This may have been posted in the past, not sure. The site/organization though is worth repeating to other veterans. It is at the following link:

https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=Login

You can join free for a few months. It is worthwhile. They are good at locating lost buddies. I met my buddy Vernon in basic, then we ended up in the same AIT company. Somehow we were stationed in Germany in the exact same company, and then were sent to VN about two weeks apart. It was unreal that we would end up serving in the same company for our whole time in country. Lost contact with him soon after discharge when he had a horrible motorcycle accident.

The folks on this site were able to locate his address and current phone number. We spent almost an hour on the phone last year. You can imagine how great that conversation was after 45 years!