For the VIET NAM vets among us: any fond memories like this photo suggests? Share, if you feel so inclined.

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 00:38:55 -0400

Response by Cpl Dennis F. made Aug 25 at 2015 12:42 AM

Cpl Dennis F. — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 00:42:49 -0400

I am sure scenes like these happened, but......almost SWEET? WTF?

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Aug 25 at 2015 2:18 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 02:18:55 -0400

I remember the nightly poker games at Monkey Mountain (outside of Da Nang) that went on until morning. I really enjoyed those.

I also remember Christmas Eve on duty when at midnight a deep voice came booming out of the headsets - "This is God on Guard - Happy Birthday son" - followed by a smaller voice "Thanks Pop!".

I was smiling the rest of the night shift.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 27 at 2015 2:43 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:43:39 -0400

Hopefully, the Vietnam Veterans here won't mind the "kid" offering his own experience from a different place and time...but I think (hope) you will see the symmetry. About nine years ago, I was sitting with my team of eight advisers waiting for a plane ride into BAF. There was about two hundred mixed Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force hanging out, killing time...waiting patiently for that next plane taking the next group into Afghanistan for a twelve month tour. This kid from Texas was playing the guitar...pretty well actually. He was covering country classics, until someone indicated they didn't much care for the "Hillbilly crap". My Boss and I just gave each other "that look" that says, "...here we go again" when some scrawny kid shouted, "Bro...watch yourself"

To say it was a tense moment would be an understatement.

The Texan was annoyed, but obviously didn't want to start anything, so he said, "Ok Man... what do you want to hear?" Some jibes about not having the right "beats" went back and forth as the situation defused itself amid cheers and jeers for everything from Wu-Tang to Led Zeppelin.

Suddenly, an African American solider said, "What about this?" and started singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. It got quiet as the guitar player, kinda taken back, began strumming the cords trying to find the music. Before long, everyone was singing...almost the entire bay, including Yours Truly. When the song finished...and I know what you're thinking...impossible, right? The Texan started playing "Dixie". My heart fell because I knew that after such a moment as I had just witnessed, I was about to be reminded that some things never change...even in a place like that.

And then, something happened that to this day, I'm not sure how to explain. Maybe it was because people just wanted to keep things from going the wrong way...maybe it was because 2006 wasn't 2015, but a group of African American soldiers gathered around him and started signing too. Then about thirty or so other guys...White, Black, Hispanic, all walked up an joined in. A Navy LT from Tennessee strode over and joined in too at, "...In Dixieland, where I was born..."

There, in the Kuwaiti sand, arms were thrown over shoulders, and the loud shouts of "Hooray!...Hooray!...in Dixieland I'll make my stand, to Live or Die in Dixie" were heard.

Now, I know that there are some folks that would come to different conclusions...and I don't think that would happen again in a million years...and right now, it probably shouldn't. Maybe it was because all of us singing ended up being Southerners...maybe it was just taking the pressure off a situation...but then again, maybe it was because when young men head off to war, some things that seem important "here" don't seem as important "there"...and everyone learns to respect what speaks to the heart of the guy next to them in line.

For my own part, I'd like to think it was because we all knew we were facing OUR enemies which only highlighted the fact that we were in that moment a family...and the family takes all of it's best when it puts it all on the line.

Response by SSG Richard Custer made Sep 23 at 2020 6:20 PM

SSG Richard Custer — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 18:20:21 -0400

Putting smiles on kids faces while sharing goodies from home and Bob Hope putting smiles on our face on 1st Christmas away from home.

Response by SPC Lyle Montgomery made Feb 21 at 2022 11:06 AM

SPC Lyle Montgomery — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 11:06:47 -0500

I remember the good times on standdown. The steak fries, the baseball, we even had a boxing ring for those inclined to use it. Of course mail call and the SP boxed that were supplied from companies back in the US. We would go out in in choppers and hump the bush for about 30 days and come in for standdown for 3 days and repeat the process. It wasn't all bad but sometimes sucked, overall a hell of an adventure for an 18 year old Army grunt.

Response by PO3 Edward Riddle made Jan 10 at 2025 10:43 PM

PO3 Edward Riddle — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:43:01 -0500

I was on River Boats with the Mobile Riverine Force operating with the 9th ID in the Mekong Delta and I remember after every OP when we got back to the ships, we had beer call, for Army and Navy. They would bring up cases and cases of beer and you were only supposed to have 2. It would help us unwind from the firefights. Somehow, I always got drunk from way more than 2 beers.

Response by SPC Lyle Montgomery made Jan 11 at 2025 12:36 PM

SPC Lyle Montgomery — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 12:36:36 -0500

I served as a M60 gunner grunt in the 5th. mech leg unit in Quang Tri Vietnam in 1970. I took a lot of photos while there. A fellow soldier soldier, our medic, set up a website and a lot of us have our photos there. The website is alphaco.us if anyone wants to look at these photos.

Response by MSG Thomas Currie made Jan 12 at 2025 3:44 PM

MSG Thomas Currie — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 15:44:10 -0500

Not sure it qualifies as a "fond" memory, but we spent the two weeks leading up to Tet 1969 camping in a mud hole on the back side of Tan Son Nhut Air Base because USARV Hqs was worried about a repeat of 1968 and wanted an entire Armored Cavalry Squadron as a reaction force just in case. Of course the Air Force wanted no part of having boonie troops on their fancy base so they found a spot to put us on the far side of the airfield between the perimeter road and the fence. About a week after Tet had passed with no offensive, USARV happily sent us back to a free fire zone in the jungle where we were much better suited.

Edited to add two stories from that particular period:

1. The Air Force did tolerate (just barely) us occasionally visiting them, preferably spending money at the EM club. The EM club was primarily a bar, our command arranged transportation for us and strongly cautioned us not to get TOO drunk. The interesting thing about the Airman's Club was that they kept the interior nearly dark, except right around the bar itself. Above the counter there were two spotlights with those rotating color filters that people used to use with white or silver Christmas trees. On a lower counter behind the bar, they had a small white desk light on the cash register where the bartender would count the money. For those who weren't in country, we were paid in Military Payment Certificates aka "Script" or "Funny Money" or "Monopoly Money." Monopoly Money was probably the most accurate description because that is exactly what it looked like. There were no coins, ALL denominations were paper money. The different denominations were in different sizes and different colors. The white light at the cash register let the barman count money, but the constantly changing color lights on the counter made it nearly impossible to count your change. Basically everyone drinking would just pay for their drinks with big bills then stuff the change in their pocket rather than try to count it. We knew we were being ripped off, but no one really cared.

2. Where we were parked on the back side of the airfield, there was nothing between us and the outside except two fences made of barbed wire (not concertina just barbed wire crisscrossed in about a 6" square pattern). The two fences were about 6' apart. Not really much of a barrier. Between us and the airfield was the perimeter road. Each hour the air force security police would drive around the perimeter road in their Cadillac Gage V100 Commando Car. Because we were far from everything else, they would sometimes stop and have coffee and chat with us. One time their sergeant told us that in the event of a ground attack we shouldn't worry because one of their V100's was assigned to come defend us. Yes, we were an Armored Cavalry Squadron and the air force was going to send one V100 to defend us against a ground attack! We thanked the sergeant... as soon as we stopped laughing.

Response by SPC Wesley Parker made Jan 18 at 2025 7:58 PM

SPC Wesley Parker — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 19:58:33 -0500

A battery 4th battalion 42nd field artillery 4th Inf Div and I can identify with that. I had a buddy on the ammo detail who would pick up things for me at the PX if I gave him the money. An acoustic guitar was $10 and I went through a few. They always rotted and fell apart before long. Strings weren't available so if I broke one I had to buy another guitar.

Response by SGT Brian “Doc” Burry made Feb 11 at 2025 2:32 PM

SGT Brian “Doc” Burry — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:32:25 -0500

While in battle, Combat Medic fighting beside me saying “Don’t forget to take your Malaria Pill and Salt Pills!”

Response by LTC Tom Jones made Feb 12 at 2025 8:22 AM

LTC Tom Jones — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:22:08 -0500

I was about two weeks into my assignment as a Camp Conversion Officer with A-502 just west of the Coastal city of Nha Trang when, on a Sunday afternoon, the members of that Triple A-Team not operationally engaged trucked out to an open field adjoining the Cai River and played touch football for about two hours. The game actually attracted a number of indigenous, curious on-lookers. Have to say, as a "newbie," my head was on a swivel for much of that game. Did not help that, about a week before, I had crossed that river about a half mile downstream where elements of A-502 had laid out 16 enemy dead for potential overnight recovery by any local relatives before being otherwise disposed of in a mass grave. I remember the football game fondly but, as with many memories of that time, it is one with a dark undercurrent.