Some of my time in Vietnam. All photos courtesy of my medic.. Doc Johnson. Some are titled with description... others not. There are like 65 photos. View it as a slideshow. I was once young and skinny. LOL http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v127/davidmil/Vietnam/
I agree, thank you for your service. I enjoyed looking at all those pictures and trying to imagine what it must have been like.
It was tough... but I was happy to do it. My boys and I are forever ever joined at the hip. It's odd.. but 40 something years later...I think of them every day. I have since we parted. We get together once in a while.. we're old, fat, full of shapel, have a ton of medical problems, bodies full of shrapnel and we hug and cry. I lost 11 from my platoon my first tour... but that was the rate. It brakes your heart at times. We had the highest casulty rate of any service, any MOS during the war. The Armored Cavalry crewmen died at a rate of 27 percent. How could I not think of that every day? Once in a while I'll be talking to one of them... and well, we both just loose it. We are in each others thoughts a lot of the time. The day I die I will think of my wife...my son.... and my boys. They were the best. All those pictures are the work of my medic. Funny story about that I won't go into now.... but the first time we got into a heavy contact I caught him taking pictures. I told him to grab a gun and shoot. He told me he was a non combatant. I told him shoot or get off my damn track. LOL He picked up a gun... I don't think he ever fired it. When we surpressed the incoming I looked back and saw him taking pictures again. All I could do was laugh. I saw that man run through fire I would never think of to get to someone wounded. I've also seen him decide he was a tunnel rat, grab a flashlight, a 45 and crawl under ground. We all hoped he would return to go to medical school. Instead... he became a nurse. Really a super nurse. Now how great is that? He's one of 3 heros I know from Vietnam. I think he at least deserved the DSC over the Silver Star. That's what he was put in for. And for this..we were told to get out of uniform when we arrived back in the states to avoid problems with protesters. A far cry from WWII and today. Today... everyone is a hero. Go figure.
Anyone worth their salt knows that Vietnam Vets are hero's that endured some of the worst war conditions and then were unceremoniously treated as social outcasts. It is a terrible black mark on the history of our country in my opinion and I am ashamed by it. I was just a kid tearing around town on my bike when the war ended. But, I know that you and your boys are HERO'S in the truest sense of the word. I hope that someday all of you know that in your hearts, and, know that there are a lot of us out here that realize there is no way to ever right a terrible wrong that you guys endured. God bless all of you and again, Thank-You. The photos were really special and it was a priviledge to see them.
Thanks for your support. It's nice to have someone acknowledge my boys are valued. They still hurt from the way they were treated. I actually had one troop that was severly wounded. He was sent to Okinowa. I really thought he was dead. He was in fact declared dead. His parents were told he was dead. After 3 weeks in Okinowa he was well enough to call home. His parents had received calls saying they were glad their baby killing son had died. So he called and his dad thought it was a whacko giving him more grief. He had been waiting for his sons body to come home. Tom ended up calling a neighbor and convincing him to get his dad to take the call.. His body is still re ally damaged from his wounds. No idea how he lived. I called him dead when I put him on the dust off. He's still alive, limping and bumbling stumbling through life. He smiles every day. He won. He spent a year in hospitals and rehab.
David, with all that is in me, thank you and thanks to all that fought in that "war" and endured the crap you guys put up with when you came home .. you guys are true heroes ...
David, what blows my mind is when I have met WWII vets or Vietnam vets who thank me for what I do today and tell me how much they respect me. I've always had a hard time finding the right words, these combat vets from years gone by are the reason I am here today and get to do what I do. I have loved every minute of my time in the military, minus working for retards, and both trips to Afghanistan have reminded me over and over again every day as to why soldiers fight alongside each other. Nobody does it for the glory, it's for the guy in the foxhole/track/cockpit beside you...guess I should say guy or girl since several missions I flew last year my co-pilot was a female. One of the things on my bucket list is to do a road trip on the Harley up to DC so that I can see the Vietnam Memorial someday and also visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I did 8+ years as Infantry and shortly after 911 happened I was in flight school, I miss my Infantry days and the bond there but it really gave me the drive to do whatever I could as air support for guys on the ground these days.
I couldn't even imagine the things you and all of the Vietnam vets went through. Sacrifice is an understatement. My hats off to you and all of the Vets, David.
Don't cry for me.... I made it pretty much intact...although the VA says I'm qualified for 100 percent. Still going through the process. They declared me 50 percent years ago. My boys deserve the applause. They were 100 percent into doing the right thing when it wasn't popular. Draftees... guys who joined because they thought it was the right thing to do and career soldiers....all playing as one.
Dude. Nothing i can write could say enough so ill just say thanks for all you guys did. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
