Is it if you might be in danger of a mortar attack versus projecting violence and delivering it to the enemy? I was in Boston when the Chelsea fire occurred in October 1973, received a meritorious unit citation for fighting the fire that consumed a large portion of Chelsea 18 blocks one way, 16 blocks another. Hollander says it's not a mistake to read a hint of resistance into the band's repertoire. While older Germans were friendly, younger ones were hostile and aloof, Shkurti said. After the defeat of Germany, the relatively small American force in Europe was preoccupied with the administration and reconstruction of their former foe. I didnt carry a gun, Lomperis said. WebThe 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. Attention A T users. "The song selection includes songs that were playing in the States, and very much expressed the countercultural sentiments of political resistance in this country at that time," Hollander says. He served as budget director for the state of Ohio from 1985 to 1987. Grafenwoehr is a tiny base compared to almost anywhere youve been stationed in the US. I would have been called a coward by others from the small town I grew up in, so I never considered not volunteering. It was a huge fire. WebThe entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. A rare photo of East of Underground in performance. Mastering these complicated and delicate international arrangements, EUD accomplished a large and complex construction program, especially during the 1980s. Some Air Force Reservists who were crew members on C-123 Provider aircraft, formerly used to spray Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, have raised health concerns about exposure to residual amounts of herbicides on plane surfaces. 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. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. I was in Infantry AIT at Ft. Polk Nov. 68-Jan 69. When we got home, everybody was the same, said Lomperis, a Saigon warrior who served in a support capacity at MACV (U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam), also known as mafia HQ or Pentagon East.. The question became: When will someone tell what my war was like? Lair said. With pressures on USAREUR in the mid-1970s to reduce the size of its headquarters and budget, the command asked the Corps of Engineers to take responsibility for military construction in the theater. At the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused induction into the United States Army, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the conflict. They were also stationed in Germany, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, Guam and the continental United States. Don't forget Panama and Alaska, Alaska itself in that time period had two Infantry Brigades separate stationed there. 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. Regardless of how we each served, part of our soul was left in that place with those who never came back alive, and with those who suffered and died after, and we should be honored for our collective loss if for no other reason. If you dig into it, it becomes a very grey war, he said. 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. The challenge was figuring out what the enemy would do. The songs East of Underground played weren't your run-of-the-mill patriotic marches in fact, some of them included controversial lyrics about race and politics. At any moment all hell could break loose, Lair said. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) Situated in a remote area with the enemy about 300 yards away over the border, Shkurtis unit was constantly in harms way. 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. 6) Berlin, Germany. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. After completing Field Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Shkurti was sent to Germany not Vietnam. Many celebrities joined in the protests. The experience that most people likely associate with Vietnam is the horror and deprivation of war, so its ironic that that wasnt the real experience of most Vietnam veterans, Lair said. The war changed and dealt cruelty to many families, not just mine, but I have seen the sadness in my fathers eyes, and we both know what is there, and what is missing.. In the late 65 through 1966, the Army Divisions outside of Vietnam, specifically CONUS and West Germany were hemorrhaging personnel for service in South Vietnam, these being primarily if not exclusively volunteers, these numbers had to be made good. He never carried a gun because if he was shot, the enemy soldier could have claimed it was self-defense, he said. He is seen here waving to his fans at Bremerhaven train station. We have four children, plenty of grandchildren, both biological and through marriages, and five great-grandchildren. In addition to meeting locals, walks off-base could provide valuable intelligence. At the end of the spraying campaign in 1971, the remaining C-123 planes were reassigned to reserve units in the U.S. for routine cargo and medical evacuation missions spanning the next 10 years. 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. Home was tough because my parents did not agree with my volunteering. The guys with the gear in the rear. The Office of History, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Army Center of Military History jointly published this book,Building for Peace: U.S. Army Engineers in Europe, 1945-1991 written by Robert P. Grathwol and Donita Moorhus. Active duty personnel who served in a regular USAF unit location where a contaminated C-123 was assigned who had regular contact with the aircraft through flight, ground, or medical duties between 1969 and 1986, and who developed an Agent Orange related disability. When we graduated we lined up in front of a building that you entered one at a time on one side and after getting your paper work you exited out the other side. We had an Infantry MOS Soldiers on one of our Sheridan Tanks. "I initially was stationed in Korea. So many popular movies feature the combat side of war ground combat or maybe the air war. According to the report, from 1972 to 1982, approximately 1,500 to 2,100 Air Force Reserve personnel trained and worked on C-123 aircraft that previously had been used to spray herbicides, including Agent Orange, in Vietnam. Sign up for a new account in our community. was told," you are going to Germany, get your wives in german class". There were swimming pools, bars, cheap booze, entertainment, dancers and strippers, American TV. You guessed it, my last name started with a T. Got a question 11Cav, during the Vietnam era/60s early 70s period, was there a difference between volunteering for the draft and outright enlisting? If you call it wrong, thousands of people could end up being killed, he said. I was able to get into a band there. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. There werent enough NCOs (non-commissioned officers), not enough support or spare parts. The book became the first volume in aCenter of Military History series, U.S. Army in the Cold War. They worked in intelligence. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. Vietnam has come to symbolize certain things that arent necessarily true. For website corrections, write to hqwebmaster@usace.army.mil. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. Eventually Shkurti was sent to Vietnam and served as an artillery officer with B Battery 2 / 35th Artillery at Fire Support Base Lanyard on the Cambodian border in 1970-71. 3) Paris, France. Being a noncombatant doesnt mean they didnt feel scared, that there wasnt a looming sense of danger even onthe biggest bases that were considered safer areas, Lair said. Thats not how the military works, though. Powered by Invision Community, Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in W.Germany, South Korea, and CONUS, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. She served me milk and cookies, and we have been together now for 44 years, Thornton said. In response the Corps of Engineers drastically reduced the size of EUD and reconstituted it as the Europe District. We would take orders from Washington and from the five information streams (personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics and political implications) and use all that information to create an order of the day, Lomperis said. After completing his enlistment, Shkurti returned to Ohio State University to earn a masters degree in public administration. Not enrolled in the VA health care system? Its easy to forget how large a US military presence in West Germany and Korea was maintained during the late 60s and early 70s aside from the forces fighting in Vietnam. Back at home over the decades, veterans themselves may have helped camouflage the roles they played during the war. They wore dirty boots and dog tags hanging around their necks. They were the rear echelon. There were more prostitutes than bureaucrats, and every kind of club and bar from high-class to low-class. This includes individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reservewho regularly operated, maintained, or served onboard C-123 aircraft known to have been used to spray herbicides during the Vietnam era.
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