[CraigG.]

Thanks to all our Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.

All gave some and some gave all.

Many Blessings and Welcome Home!

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by CraigG.

Thanks to all our Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.

All gave some and some gave all.

Many Blessings and Welcome Home!

X 2!

[sdbob]

Thank you veterans. May god bless .

[chiefbigb]

Just got back from a bike ride with some.

[younggto]

Also thank you all Vets! My father was in Vietnam and I cannot imagine how it was...

[77 TRASHCAN]

Not enough good words to thank everyone that has served our country!!!

Many survived their service to come back with extreme scars, mentally and physically.
One of my good friends an fellow Pontiac enthusiast, passed away in August 2018. He and his wife had just moved back to Eastern Iowa from Oklahoma, to be closer to his relatives. Parkinson’s Disease was chewing him up. I had a strong urge to go visit them in June 2018. I took him to the POCI in Wisconsin. Man he was suffering terribly. I thought I had done the wrong thing by taking him. His wife told me after his passing, that he had a great time and was truly thankful for me taking him. One of his fellow veterans he worked with at Tinker Air Force Baer is headed in same direction w/ Parkinsons, I just found out.

[Dragncar]

My father in-law did 2 terms. Air Force. Handled Agent Orange. All sorts of issues. Diabetes, quad by pass. The drugs they give him too keep him alive kill his liver and kidney's. Still with us. He died on the table last Nov. The nurse that brought him back broke his sternum and several ribs with chest compressions. Big burly guy. Father in law said the pain from that was worse than anything he ever felt.
How the old guy is still kicking I do not know sometimes. But at least he is.
2 years ago at a funeral and 19 year old kid went nuts threatening all the women. The old man picked him off the ground by his throat, at 72. Kid shut up and did not bother anyone else.

[FirebirdHank]

As a Vietnam vet, and I think I speak for most of my brother vets, I want everyone to know that all the "Thank-yous" and "Welcome home" sentiments are much appreciated. For a long time we couldn't talk to anyone other then fellow vets about our service.
Thank you to all Vets

[Steve C.]

I'm a Vietnam era veteran. I'm proud of my service however I've always put emphasis on those who served 'in country' and earned combat ribbons by setting myself apart from them. To those I join in and shout out a well deserved THANK YOU.

U.S. Air Force Jan 1966 thru Dec 1969


.

[poncho-mike]

My uncle was a Marine and was the toughest guy I've ever known. He served in occupied Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

He tried to enlist near the end of WWII, but was too young. He enlisted as soon as he could, spent a number of years in post-war Japan. He later fought in Korea and Viet Nam. I'm not sure of his rank, but he was some level of gunnery sergeant. He was hit in his upper leg by machine gun fire in Viet Nam, came home in a wheelchair. After undergoing reconstructive surgery, he was able to walk again, ultimately becoming a Post Office employee delivering mail on foot in Orlando Florida. He even started running again several years after he completed surgery. He retired from the post office, and took a job delivering US Today between major hubs. He was a licensed gun dealer as well. I'm not sure why he worked as long as he did, he was set with military and post office retirement income.

He reminded me a lot of Fred Dryer (on the Hunter TV show in the 80s). He was tall, about 6'3", lanky, very strong, and had martial arts training. He had what he called "bar room baldness", his hair came to a peak in front and receded on the sides similar to Fred Dryer's hair. He said it got so every time he went into a bar, the bouncer would push on his head with his hand, killing the hair on the sides.

He fought cancer many times, finally dying from bone cancer. He had kidney cancer, lung cancer, throat cancer, various skin cancers, all of which he survived. Bone cancer finally killed him. His wife died a couple of years earlier, and not too long after being diagnosed with bone cancer, he broke his hip. He had gone to a fast food place to grab lunch, and while walking across his driveway he tripped over a water hose and broke his hip. He drug himself into the house and called 911. The ambulance arrived quicky, but he made them wait so he could finish lunch because he knew the hospital food was crappy.

I last saw him about two weeks after the 9-1-1- terrorist attacks. My employer sent me to Tampa Florida to deal with some field issues, and my uncle lived nearby in Orlando. His wife had passed about a year earlier, and I spent a weekend with him. He was on a rampage. He had tried to re-enlist so he could kill as many of those ***** as he could. He had just been diagnosed with bone cancer, which had already begun to spread, but he still looked healthy. All he asked was to be dropped into enemy territory with a machine gun and plenty of ammo so he could kill as many as he could before they got to him. He said he would even be happy to be used as bait, he would rather die on the battle field than in a hospital bed.

He passed away at age 75 in 2004 and was the most patriotic person I know. I found odd was that even with all of the evidence that Agent Orange caused cancer, he never blamed the US government for any of his his bouts of cancer. He didn't smoke, drank modestly (for a marine), and lived a healthy lifestyle. I think he would have been around for much longer had he not been exposed to Agent Orange.

[OG68]

Originally Posted by Steve C.

I'm a Vietnam era veteran. I'm proud of my service however I've always put emphasis on those who served 'in country' and earned combat ribbons by setting myself apart from them. To those I join in and shout out a well deserved THANK YOU.

U.S. Air Force Jan 1966 thru Dec 1969.

I'm a Bluewater Vietnam Vet. Served two combat and one peacetime deployments from 71 to 73. Although not involved in direct fighting we would be sailing just off the coast supplying Navy Destroyers with shells and missiles.
Sailed into and dropped anchor in Da Nang harbor early one evening. One side of the harbor you could see the bright artillery flashes and wonder. The other side you could see Marines surfing.
30 years later I found out that a co-worker of mine was a Marine in Da Nang. He confirmed what I had seen stating that during the day he was a crewmember on a rescue helicopter picking up pilots. He would unwind by surfing. It was a crazy world he said.

US Navy 1970-78, 1994-2011.

[Steve C.]

A Bluewater Vietnam Vet, in my mind that was "In Country" and well deserving of the Vietnam Service Medal. And our government agrees.

My overseas service at the time was at CCK Air Base in Taichung, Taiwan. We had C-130 cargo planes and KC-135 refueling planes for support.


,

[adam woodmancy]

God bless, and thank you so much!

[S/st 54]

A very heartfelt thank you to the Vietnam vets. I appreciate your service.

[CraigG.]

Thank you guys for all the responses and important sharing.
I missed Vietnam by 3 years and lost older friends too.
My father was a captain and fighter pilot in the Navy - on and off carriers - Vietnam Service '70-71 Hancock CV-19.
I know that many suffered and still do. My father relived the Korean and Vietnam wars over and over in our living room for many years.
I ended up becoming a mental health therapist beginning in 1987 specializing in serving combat veterans and their families.
I am still proud to be of service to all veterans for all they have done.
Craig, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 490, POC for State of Iowa AVVA, Des Moines, Iowa

[OG68]

Craig, my first deployment was on an ammunition ship USS Kilauea AE-26. Second and third deployments 72-73, were on the Hancock. At the time she was the oldest active fleet carrier. Built in 43/44 she had quite a record from WWII and an impressive record from Vietnam. I was a flight deck electrician repairing the aircraft elevators, catapults and arresting gear. Stressful for a twenty year old like myself. There were many 18-20 hour days to keep the planes flying. If a catapult or arresting gear failed it meant a plane and pilot could be in the water.
I went to shore duty in 74. 6 months later the Hancock was involved in the evacuation of Saigon. Former shipmates tell me it was controlled chaos on board. They took the refugees to Guam and Philippines and went back to get more. Hancock and her crew were awarded several commendations for that action. A year later she was decommissioned and sold for scrap.
For those who have never been to sea, a warship is a living, breathing thing. Late at night as you lie awake you can hear her machinery hum and main engines vibrate below decks. It's the heartbeat of the ship.
Some ships, like men, were heroes. USS Hancock was one of those ships.

[Txbobcat]

I did my year in Danang april 69 70 in the navy but never on a ship. Just got daignosed with prostate cancer last week. I almost made my 50 year mark cancer free. I drove all thru Danang and all thru the agent orange they were spraying on the sides of the roads.

[OG68]

From my reading on Agent Orange in Da Nang was that it was stored by the runway next to the bay. All spillage and runoff of course went into the bay. The bay and offshore waters are still contaminated 50 years later. From what I understand the cleanup is still a major sticking point between Vietnam and the US.
I have severe neurological issues in my legs starting about 20 years ago that the doctors can't resolve or figure out why. VA wouldn't compensate Bluewater Vets for Agent Orange until ordered by the courts. Now it says it will compensate only if I had symptoms within a year of leaving Vietnam.

[Dragncar]

Originally Posted by CraigG.

Thank you guys for all the responses and important sharing.
I missed Vietnam by 3 years and lost older friends too.
My father was a captain and fighter pilot in the Navy - on and off carriers - Vietnam Service '70-71 Hancock CV-19.
I know that many suffered and still do. My father relived the Korean and Vietnam wars over and over in our living room for many years.
I ended up becoming a mental health therapist beginning in 1987 specializing in serving combat veterans and their families.
I am still proud to be of service to all veterans for all they have done.
Craig, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 490, POC for State of Iowa AVVA, Des Moines, Iowa

My first job out of High School I worked with a Vietnam Vets and befriended them. I was 19, they were in mid-late 30s. I started a work softball team and one played and the other son played. They would just spill their guts to me. It was hard to listed to for a young kid. Harrowing stories. Made Platoon and the rest of the eras movies seem tame.
One was a helicopter side door gunner. Shot twin .50 cals. He would point to something 1,500 yards away and say all he had to do was point and shoot. Stories about, well war crimes. Capturing 2 NVA officers needing info. Took them up to 500 feet and thew on out. Other guy sang like a bird. Same thing with det cord wrapped around one guys neck and blown off to get the other to talk.
My other friend was a recon guy. Hated door gunners. Seen many of his own guys mowed down in friendly fire. Baddest guy I ever knew or will know. You could have written a movie or 3 on his stories. I kept telling him he needs to talk to someone but I was the only guy he told this stuff to. He had 2 silvers, a bronze and purple. Seen them. All the tales of being shot, stabbed and killing NVA when he did not have to, for the pack of Lucky Strikes in his pocket, one guy got on his knees and showed him pictures of his kids and wife. That guy haunted until the day he died in his dreams.
It was hard for a young guy to get phone calls in the middle of the night with him in his backyard with a 30-30 under his throat wanting me to give him a reason not to kill himself. Cussing god. He never did do it. Died of heart failure, kidney and liver failure too. Went in the jungle with fresh Agent Orange and only a raincoat that they all ditched. He went kill crazy and did it on his own at nite there in the tunnels, with just a knife. He tried to re up but ended up being sent to Leavenworth. Broke the jailers arm passing him food in his cell.
He was used as a killing machine. Went overseas after the war to kill, covert stuff. Could not talk about it.
Going hunting with him was a experience. He walked silently through the trees. Kept trying to teach me how to do it. He knew all the tracks, what kind of animal, if they were running or not, how long they were there. One day fishing with him he took his shirt off. There was the bullet hole in his sternum, 2 stab woulds in his back and one in his side. I heard all the stories about those. All paid with their life.
What you do sir is not easy and you should be very proud for helping all these messed up Americans out. They were cannon fodder for a war we never should have been in.

[Steve C.]

Most of the troops rotating in and out of the country flew on chartered flights out of the West Coast. With a refueling stop, then on to Vietnam. On occasions some were loaded on air force cargo planes for the trip. On a rare occasion one of these Air Force planes would stop at our base in Taiwan in route to and from Vietnam. A few times I saw troops eating at our chow hall during a stopover, always in a group by themselves. To this day I still remember these rotating troops and the striking difference in physical appearance and the quiet, somber demeanor of those returning back to the world.


.