Peace activists, however, saw them as a threat and held massive demonstrations. In their spare time, servicepeople could go to the library, join a service club or take a spin on the go-kart track. So he was off to Camp Casey and the 9th Infantry Manchu's for 16 months, I was in the same unit a couple of decades after him. Even as the war drew down in 1975 and early 1976, the pressure was intense as huge numbers of men came home with addictions and injuries too horrible to really describe, Thornton said. Ask me or any other serviceperson and they will tell you they are proud of their service, Shkurti said. I would have been called a coward by others from the small town I grew up in, so I never considered not volunteering. Ukrainian soldiers find remains of German WWII soldiers, LGBTQ+ rights situation at home drives young Slovaks abroad, Remembering the horrors of Colonia Dignidad in Chile. C-123 Airplanes and Agent Orange Residue - Public Health Drug abuse, overdoses, crime and traffic accidents led to several deaths within his unit. 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. 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). "So this was a very viable way to avoid active duty in Southeast Asia.". To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. That led to deep divisions between Washington and Berlin. Those aircraft were used for military airlift, medical transport, and cargo transport operations in the United States and internationally. Life athome goes on without them, and it must have been difficult to navigate when they returned, she said. 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. The liner notes of East of Underground: Hell Below conclude with a sort of benediction, lifted wholesale from the U.S. Army Field Manual: Because of the unique ability of music to communicate, bands will serve in different capacities of publicity and recruiting, and in the support of civil affairs. The book became the first volume in aCenter of Military History series, U.S. Army in the Cold War. I had surgery shortly after the fire, then spent convalescent leave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Attention A T users. 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. People dont understand how consequential the decisions were that were being made at headquarters, he said. was told," you are going to Germany, get your wives in german class". Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 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. At least in our case. After completing Field Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Shkurti was sent to Germany not Vietnam. Involved in the Vietnam War It was still no guarantee you wouldn't be sent to Vietnam and in some cases even be sent to do something else besides what you trained for. He remembers his commanding officer Abrams as a political genius who turned the war around.. Country western music blared all over Saigon, Lomperis said. Napoleon said, An army marches on its stomach, and the U.S. military followed his advice. 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 I was able to get into a band there. We served honorably. Boy, I thought I had it made, Shkurti said with a small laugh. An average of 311,870 troops were stationed in Europe per year during 19861990. Arriving in West Germany, was a shocking experience for the new Army recruit. So many servicemen came home and saw how the story (of the Vietnam War) was being told. 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. Responding to these concerns, VA asked the Health and Medicine Division (HMD) (formally known as the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study possible exposure and increase in adverse health effects in C-123 crew members. Don't forget Panama and Alaska, Alaska itself in that time period had two Infantry Brigades separate stationed there. After graduating AIT at Fort Knox I was sent to their NCO Armor School. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. If you enlisted you would serve 3 years and chose your MOS. I was thinking I would have a better chance of determining where I would be sent.. Situated in a remote area with the enemy about 300 yards away over the border, Shkurtis unit was constantly in harms way. 3. Over the years the US Army has become firmly entrenched in the German landscape. It's kind of both complicated and disjointed, it was a struggle to be sure. The post exchanges, or PXs, rivaled todays big box outlets for variety and selection, Lair said. You could watch The Beverly Hillbillies, Appy said. [Today in History] Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then there was the two infantry brigades in Alaska, the 171st and 172nd, both gave up one battalion each for transfer to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii before it left there for South Vietnam, two full battalions had to be raised to replace the ones sent away. Im also more respectful of what servicepeople endure. The winners toured other military bases and made records. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. We had an Infantry MOS Soldiers on one of our Sheridan Tanks. Thanks, your message has been sent successfully. None would be here if Vietnam never happened, so it creates bittersweet feelings but no regrets, Thornton said. But in Vietnam, the Cold War became an inferno. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then This is not about being negative or complaining, but simply having a balanced outlook for your transition. 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. 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. There were Viet Cong all over the place, but if you were street-smart you stayed safe, Lomperis said. My close friend had a similar experience in 69-70. 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? WebHere are our top 13 places to see while youre stationed in Germany: (click on any city name below to learn more) 1) Prague, Czech Republic. Germany will remain strategically important for the US. Powered by Invision Community, Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in W.Germany, South Korea, and CONUS, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. 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. Vietnam has come to symbolize certain things that arent necessarily true. 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. Adopting a variety of organizational arrangements, including an engineer command from 1966 to 1974, USAREUR and its engineers attempted to find the most efficient and effective means to use the scarce resources available for construction and maintenance. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. Maybe they didnt risk their lives but they risked risking their lives, said Meredith Lair, a Vietnam War historian at George Mason University and author of Armed with Abundance: Consumerism and Soldiering in the Vietnam War, which examines the non-combat experiences of American soldiers in Vietnam. Additionally, not all Vietnam-era veterans served in-country. As 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.