At the end of the Vietnam War, the United States adopted a volunteer Army, but declining military expenditures made it difficult to keep the American forces combat ready and maintain the quality of life for soldiers and their families. He never carried a gun because if he was shot, the enemy soldier could have claimed it was self-defense, he said. His unit in Germany lacked the leadership and necessities to get their job done, he said. File a claim online. I was thinking I would have a better chance of determining where I would be sent.. The entire emphasis is on the narrow combat experience, Lair said. She was a USO (United Service Organizations) volunteer who entertained servicemen. So many servicemen came home and saw how the story (of the Vietnam War) was being told. Well, one. They have rock climbing, paddle boarding, BBQ grills, a restaurant, hiking trails, and more. I volunteered for the draft and was sent to Ft. Lewis, Wa. They worked in intelligence. Deploy network infrastructure faster and easier than ever before, with pre-packaged yet massively scalable infrastructure components for top packet and optical systems. After Boston, Thornton served at Marines Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. After Nazi Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, four countries representing the Allies (the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France) asserted joint authority The conventional wisdom was that everybody carried a rifle, patrolled the jungle and faced death daily, but thats false, said William Shkurti, who served as an artillery officer in a remote area about 300 yards from the Cambodian border in fall 1970. Executing the construction program was a complex affair because American forces in West Germany had to use German construction offices and procedures to build facilities. Since his older two brothers were already serving in Vietnam he was not allowed to go. There were more prostitutes than bureaucrats, and every kind of club and bar from high-class to low-class. They wore fatigues and carried M16s. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then Here are a few of their stories. It was a game of cat and mouse that almost turned deadly when he was nearly killed by some drunk Vietnamese soldiers, Lomperis said. HMD found that Reservists who served as flight crew (pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and loadmaster), ground maintenance crew, and aero-medical personnel had regular contact with the aircraft, and would have experienced some exposure to chemicals from herbicide residue. WebDuring the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force used C-123 aircraft to spray Agent Orange to clear jungles that provided enemy cover in Vietnam. "All the branches of the armed services have always included music as part of their mission. "So this was a very viable way to avoid active duty in Southeast Asia.". Youre in the hot seat. You made a deal in Saigon, and the car arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, said Lomperis, who bought himself a $30 radio cassette player during the war, brought it home and kept it until about 2000. Veterans (including some Reservists) who state that they flew on or worked on a C-123 aircraft between 1969 and 1986 are eligible for the Agent Orange Registry. An official website of the United States government, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, About the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, Historical Vignette 105 - Engineers Played an Important Role in Europe During the Cold War, Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant Program (DNPPP), Regional Environmental and Energy Offices REEOs, Industry Information Re: COVID-19 Support, Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, G-1 Reserve Component Augmentation, Office of Human Resources Directorate, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. He remembers his commanding officer Abrams as a political genius who turned the war around.. In response the Corps of Engineers drastically reduced the size of EUD and reconstituted it as the Europe District. They were the rear echelon. They were so talented, I just assumed they would have a contract with the first studio they walked into.". The Ramstein base is especially significant, since it is also headquarters of the United States Air Forces in Europe. At the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused induction into the United States Army, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the conflict. "I was shocked when I found that out myself, but it kind of makes sense," Hollander tells Guy Raz, host of weekends on All Things Considered. Ammunition storage facility, Heilbronn, West Germany (left); Given the popular conception that being drafted during Vietnam was a guaranteed ticket to the combat zone, Ive always found it amazing how many of the people I know who served in the Army or USMC during the Vietnam War never actually went to Vietnam. Reservists who were assigned to flight, ground, or medical crew duties at the following locations between 1969 and 1986, and who developed an Agent Orange related disability. This often creates barriers to their full integration into German society. Despite separate residential districts, there has always been contact and exchange between German and American families. was told," you are going to Germany, get your wives in german class". Some people feel the term Vietnam veteran should refer only to those who served in Vietnam, but the U.S. government defines them all as Vietnam-era veterans according to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 any veteran who served on active duty during the official time frame of the Vietnam War (1961-1975). I would have been called a coward by others from the small town I grew up in, so I never considered not volunteering. To prop up sinking morale and keep soldiers safe on base rather than heading into Vietnamese towns, the U.S. military strove to make bases as home-like as possible, Appy said. He was stationed in Gillenhausen, protecting a valley called Folda Gap. But in Vietnam, the Cold War became an inferno. "I'm just amazed that [the band's] three singers didn't have hit records after they left the Army. In the early years, dances were held on the streets of Berlin in summer months and in winter, the US Army organized Christmas parties for local children. Is it if you might be in danger of a mortar attack versus projecting violence and delivering it to the enemy? He was awarded the U.S. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. I personally met over the years quite a few guys in my neighborhood that enlisted in the Army, 3 years like you said, interesting thing was that not one served in South Vietnam, even up to two duty station changes, in example serving in CONUS then Panama, etc, I recall one guy I met in a bar who enlisted for 3 1967-70, an Ordnance guy, said he served his whole three years after Basic (Bliss) and AIT (Aberdeen) as wheeled vehicle mechanic at West Point, you know in the regular army component at the academy. In Germany the U.S. military was protecting West Germany against the threat of Russian invasion, but it wasnt imminent, Shkurti said. Knowing that the threat is so close by is an incentive for people to work together. After the defeat of Germany, the relatively small American force in Europe was preoccupied with the administration and reconstruction of their former foe. Vietnam has come to symbolize certain things that arent necessarily true. If you call it wrong, thousands of people could end up being killed, he said. You had no say in what your MOS would be. From sundries like razors and cigarettes, apple juice and chocolate milk to diamond jewelry and Rolex watches, stereos and kitchen appliances, servicepeople could buy just about anything even cars for their wives or girlfriends back home, said Lomperis. The sky swarmed with helicopters. During the war, in-country combat and support troops could be identified on sight, said author Timothy Lomperis, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam in the Army and Defense Intelligence Agency. Supercharge your procurement process, with industry leading expertise in sourcing of network backbone, colocation, and packet/optical network infrastructure. The fatigues were faded and had rips. She served me milk and cookies, and we have been together now for 44 years, Thornton said. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. Then, there was the shopping. Huge streams of paperwork came through military intelligence offices that allowed Lomperis a birds eye view of the war and how it functioned. They were touted as filling an important gap in NATO's deterrent shield against the Warsaw Pact. A new compilation pulls together some of those old records it's called East of Underground: Hell Below. Thanks, your message has been sent successfully. Even today, many see otherwise, but only at home., One place the guys in the rear and combat soldiers would cross paths was at rearward bases, which ranged from isolated fire bases less than a city block in size to major bases like Long Binh Post that resembled an American city, said Chris Appy, author of three books about the American war in Vietnam: American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity, Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides and Working- Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam.. You pull together under a common enemy, Shkurti said. Country western music blared all over Saigon, Lomperis said. I say 16 months because his orders were involuntarily extended because he was in the ROK when the USS Pueblo was taken. One of the biggest lessons Dr. Youth activity centers in Germany included this facility in Wiesbaden. The King of Rock 'n' Roll, as Elvis Presley would eventually become known, was drafted in as a soldier and began his military service in Germany in 1958. I know that was very dependent upon where you called home, but that was my reality, Thornton said. Thats not how the military works, though. As opposed to the goldbug society, or service personnel who were not interested in meeting locals and learning about Vietnam, Lomperis sought out opportunities to get off the base and interact with the Vietnamese. 5) Venice, Italy. The mood around the country was not good for the military, not like today with cheers and applause for returning members. Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed in order to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. I expected it would be worse in Vietnam, but it was a more satisfying experience, Shkurti said. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. One strong memory I have is how tough it was for the families, Thornton said. WebThe Vietnam War exposed this problematic dimension in the U.S.-German relationship most dramatically. May 31, 2017 in MILITARY HISTORY DISCUSSIONS. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). My middle brother died five years ago from extended PTSD and the ravages of the drug addiction he endured while trying to cope with his memories from Vietnam. I didnt carry a gun, Lomperis said. I talked to many men who felt sheepish that they didnt have those (combat) stories to share, Lair said. When they got home they were all the same (veterans), but they did not all have an equal experience. He also wrote the liner notes, which reveal a surprising fact: The U.S. Army spends an estimated $200 million a year on music, and is the largest single employer of musicians in the country. GRAFENWOEHR, Germany More than 30 veterans of the Vietnam War living in Germany were awarded pins Tuesday by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post in recognition of their service. WebAs the threat of imminent invasion receded in the late 1950s, U.S. Army Engineers continued to build and maintain facilities that supported American and NATO combat power and housed and supported U.S. forces and their families, now permanently stationed in West Germany. If youre stuck on the base for days on end, visit the Wild B.O.A.R. Dotted around US bases are numerous residential districts for American soldiers and their families, such as this residential district in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. Once we got our orders, the guy Just below me went to Germany. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. The question became: When will someone tell what my war was like? Lair said. Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. Deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our Nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk. Most of his time was spent protecting government buildings from Vietnam War protesters. We served honorably. They also ate pretty well. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. Built over time for more than $130 million, Long Binh eventually had 3,500 buildings and 180 miles of road covering an area bigger than Cleveland. The men and women at the main bases such as Saigon, Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Bien Hoa and Long Binh had a fairly sedentary life and plenty of downtime compared to combat soldiers, Lair said. Their silence carried a message and concealed the fact that many veterans served in the rear echelon and not in combat capacity, Lair said. But that tradition was set on its ear back in the late 1960s and early '70s, when the PFCs stationed overseas formed their own pop bands. Both Germany and Vietnam were on the front lines of the Cold War. Over the years the US Army has become firmly entrenched in the German landscape.
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