When I first set foot in Vietnam (March 19, 1970) I was planning on a typical one year tour of duty in Country. That all changed when I was offered a five month early out of the Army toward the end of my tour. All I had to do was extend an extra 35-days in Nam, and it was a done deal. That sounded like the thing to do because I was no longer in the bush with the ‘Blues’ and the only real danger was the frequent mortar attacks at our firebase. I decided to take my chances and my tour ended up being 400-days, which seemed like an eternity.
I had orders for Fort Meade, Maryland for the remaining five months in the Army if I chose to complete my two years as a draftee, but fter the ‘Nam’ thing, I was burned out and ready to get on with my life in civilian clothes.
Most soldiers had a calendar on which they crossed out the days spent in Vietnam. Mine was a small notepad with a calendar which I carried in my pocket and updated almost daily. When you were considered ‘short’ the calendar was taken more seriously and many GI’s had very creative ones…
Served as a Canvas for Both Personal and Political Expression
I never had any engravings put on my Zippo lighter that I carried in Vietnam. It had a dent in the lid that helped me identify it in the event it ended up in the wrong hands.
I lost it one day in the jungle while on a recon mission with the Blues; it was a pure coincidence that I got it back.
The Zippo lighter was a daily companion for US soldiers fighting in Vietnam, who used it for everything from lighting up cigarettes (straights or otherwise) to burning down villages.
Zippo lighters used by American soldiers during the Vietnam War have become collector’s items. The soldiers who faced death and stood on the brink of hell, carrying their Zippos, transformed these simple lighters into an integral part of their own bodies and souls…
“IN HONOR OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND OF THOSE WHO REMAIN MISSING ARE INSCRIBED IN THE ORDER THEY WERE TAKEN FROM US.”
On November 9, 2003, I had the opportunity to visit ‘The Moving Wall’ in West Richland, WA. It is a half -size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for more than twenty years.
Some of the fallen soldiers (whose names are printed on the wall) were from my hometown in Iowa and many of them, I served with in Vietnam while with Charlie Troop 1/9th, 1st Air Cavalry Division.
Sgt Gregory Peffer, a Blues platoon sergeant, was one of the names of which I was searching. I was no longer with the Blues the day Greg paid the ultimate sacrifice but had the honor to serve with him months before. He was a short-timer when he went out that day, but felt a duty to be with his men.
Viewing ‘The Moving Wall’ that afternoon proved to be emotional for me as well as many others that attended the event…
Vietnamese cemetery somewhere along the road from Phuoc Vinh to Long Binh (photo by Chris Bussells, HHC 31st Eng Bn)
The Viet Cong were well aware of the importance of religion in Vietnamese life. They used people’s beliefs in any way they could, although they did not always respect the beliefs.
All the world’s great religions can be found in Vietnam. At least four major beliefs have had a profound impact on the people. These are Animism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Christianity entered Vietnam later and is now a religious force. Other beliefs such as Bahaism also have gained followings.
The first Army chaplain in Vietnam arrived on 26 Feb. 1962, with some 3,000 U.S. troops in country. The numbers of serving chaplains roughly kept pace with the troop levels; peaking at over 300 chaplains in the field in 1967.
While in flight to our next mission we had to deal with many different emotions. It was just a matter of minutes before our feet hit the ground and our fate was uncertain.
That’s when I turned to prayer…
I was sitting there minding my own business when I heard a strange noise beneath me. I glanced down between my legs, and could see daylight and a face staring upward. Needless to say I was a bit startled, and I think that made two of us! It was mama-san pulling out the waste container from the back side of the latrine. These containers were usually sawed off fifty-five gallon drums and its contents were burned nearby with the help of either gasoline or kerosene.
The US Government typically hired local village people for this task.
At 90th Replacement in Long Binh I saw my first Viet Cong or perhaps I should say former Viet Cong. I was a FNG (F**king New Guy in Country) and I saw him when I walked into a latrine. There he was squatting (not sitting) over a latrine seat sort of what they were accustomed to in the jungle. He still had on black pajamas, so I knew he was relatively new in the Chieu Hoi program.
I must admit I felt a bit uncomfortable…
The men pictured here are former Viet Cong. Under the Chieu Hoi program, they abandoned the Communist side and were outfitted to fight for the government in Saigon. (1970)
Front:
Back:
Jesus Angel Martinez from Spain emailed the two above pictures of a leaflet he has in his possession.
Many thanks for your contribution Jesus!
The Chieu Hoi (Open Arms) program was the biggest and most expensive psychological operation (PSYOP) campaign of the 10-year Vietnam War.
Leaflet # SP-2141 depicts a mother crying over the image of her dead son, killed while fighting. The leaflet is designed to encourage enemy soldiers to rally to the government side before being killed in battle. PSYOP records indicate that 15 million copies of this leaflet were prepared in December 1967 and forwarded to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Pleiku, Bien Hoa, and Can Tho. The text on the front of the leaflet is:
We cry for the dead
We are bitter because of the Communists
have destroyed our families.
When will mothers and children be reunited?
The text on the back explains all the advantage of rallying:
EACH RETURNEE WILL RECEIVE FROM THE GOVERNMENT:
1. Good treatment.
2. Citizenship papers.
3. Health care at the “Open Arms Center.”
4. A Reunion with his family.
5. 30 Piasters for food each day.
6. 200 Piasters pocket money each month while living at the “Open Arms Center.”
7. Reward for returned weapons – 500 to 7,800 Piasters.
8. Two suits of clothing valued at 1,000 Piasters.
9. 1,000 Piasters for transportation to go home.
10. Help in finding a job.
11. Returnees living in the “Open Arms” village will receive: cement, metal roofing material, 10,000 Piasters for building costs, 2,000 Piasters for furniture, and a six-month supply of rice.
I connected with another Charlie Trooper over the weekend. Specialist 5 Jordan Green was a Cobra mechanic with Charlie Troop 1/9th (September 1969-70) and now resides in Yakima, WA. He made a two hour trip east to my home in Kennewick where we traded stories of different events while stationed in Phuoc Vinh. He also shared his photos which I am using in this blog entry.
Thanks Jordan!
The Maintenance platoon’s main job was to keep Charlie Troop’s aircraft running in tip-top condition, which was critical for the success of our missions.
Quite often a helicopter mechanic would ride with the pilot on a test flight. Jordan recalled one particular time he flew front seat on a Cobra on one such flight. He said the pilot was short and had a mustache. We both agreed it could have been Randy Zahn (“Snake Pilot“) who after gaining altitude, shut the engine down…
While in the ‘bush’ with the Blues we counted on each other to keep a clear head, otherwise it could have spelled disaster for all of us. Imagine trying to rappel from a hovering chopper into the jungle full of unfriendlies while under the influence of drugs. That would have been nearly impossible.
I became Charlie Troop mail clerk during the final months of my tour. My duties included confiscating contraband being sent through the mail. Most of it was marijuana , and I recall the day ‘Top’ (First Sergeant Herder) suggested we burn my stash of weed. We put it in a sawed off fifty-five gallon drum behind the Orderly Room and with the help of a little fuel, we had a roaring fire. Of course we stood upwind as we both knew how nasty that smoke was.
As I recall the event drew quite a crowd downwind…
It was going to be another hot sunny day in Vietnam, but this would go down as one of my most memorable days by far.
A hand full of Charlie Troopers including Roy McDonald and myself hitched a ride in the back of a 3/4 ton Jeep and headed to Long Binh to attend the Bob Hope USO Christmas Show.
I was fortunate enough to be Charlie Troop’s mail clerk when Christmas Day rolled around. Had I still been with the Blues, I would not have made the trip.
Bob was accompanied by Les Brown & his Band of Renown, Miss Universe, Jennifer Hosten, Lola FaLana, Johnny Bench and the Gold Diggers.
This is where I sat on that hot and sunny Christmas Day. A few GI’s climbed trees and telephone poles to get a better view of the stage.
The show ended with everyone singing “Silent Night” and not a dry eye anywhere.
The following four photos were taken by Staff Sgt Dave Roger at the 1969 Bob Hope Christmas Show in Lai Khe.
The show lasted 2 1/2 hours and included Connie Stevens, The Goldiggers, Theresa Graves from Laugh – In, Miss World from Austria, Les Brown and his Band of Renown, and surprise guest Neil Armstrong.
In Dave’s letters home, he described how emotional it was to hear Silent Night; not a dry eye to be found.
United States servicemen on a twelve-month tour of duty were given seven days R & R outside Vietnam. Sydney Australia was my choice.
Heading to ‘The Land Down Under’
It was November 1970, almost eight months, since I first set foot in Vietnam. It was time for a much needed break, so I put in for R & R at Sydney Australia.
It wasn’t long and my wish was granted. I had orders to leave for Sydney on November 23rd and had only a week or so to get prepared. The only clothes I had in my possession was jungle fatigues, and I had to find some stateside clothes real quick. One of the ‘Blues’ came through by lending a pair of jeans, shirt and shoes to wear until I bought something more fashionable in Sydney.
On the morning of the 23rd I hitched a ride on a C-130 cargo plane out of Phuoc Vinh to Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon. From there the flight to Sydney was about 4,000 miles with one stop at Darwin, which is in the northern most part of Australia. The plane was jam-packed with other GIs like myself seeking a week getaway in the ‘Land Down Under’.
Upon arrival in Sydney, we were bussed from the airport to the United States R & R Center in the King’s Cross section of the city. There we were briefed on what Sydney had to offer GIs for the next seven days. My first stop was a clothing store, and they definitely saw me coming. I walked out looking like a ‘Hippie’ on the TV program “The Mod Squad” and a hundred bucks lighter.
I still had to find a place to stay for the week. King’s Cross is where the night life was supposed to be, so I checked into a hotel in that area of the city with-in walking distance of the hot spots. As I was leaving the hotel I was approached by a young lady that offered me a better deal. She talked me into staying the week in a house close to Bondi Beach with some of her friends at half the price of the hotel…
Down Under and Broke
The young lady and I caught a cab and headed to the house owned by her friends. That was my first ride in a civilian vehicle in over eight months and what a ride it was. In Sydney, they drove on the left side of the road (which freaked me out) and apparently had no speed limits. We pulled up in front of an older two story house, paid the cab driver and went inside. Her friends were a young married couple that looked to be in their early twenties. They were expecting a baby, and I learned he was a GI that went to Sydney on R & R, met his wife to be and failed to return to Vietnam (AWOL). I believe he was from Michigan, but chose not to discuss it because he would probably never return.
I was given a room close to the front door which would be mine for the next seven days. After I got settled, I walked down to Bondi Beach, which was just a short walk from the house. It was springtime in this part of the world and the weather was too cool to swim so the beach was almost vacant. I took my shoes off and got my feet wet so I could say I was in the Tasman Sea.
It was now time to check out the much talked about King’s Cross night life. I took a cab downtown and ended up at the hottest bar in town the ‘Whisky a Go Go’. After another taxi cab ride that night back to my living quarters at Bondi, I wished I would have kept my hotel room in King’s Cross.
The next day when I was getting ready to go back downtown the unthinkable happened. I reached into my back pocket and my wallet was missing. The first thing I did was head to the R & R Center and see if someone turned it in. Sure enough it was turned in by a taxi cab driver, and he took all my money. I was happy to get my wallet back with all my important papers, even if my money was gone. It must have fallen out of my back pocket the night before while riding back to Bondi in a cab.
What a feeling! Five days left in Sydney and no money.
Then I remembered Marv Lundervold was also on this trip. Marv and I both served with the ‘Blues’ when I first came to Charlie Troop. We went separate ways upon arrival in Sydney. I managed to locate Marv, and he saved the day, which was not uncommon for a fellow ‘Blue’. He loaned me three hundred bucks of which most got spent at the ‘Wiskey a Go Go’ at King’s Cross in the evenings to follow.
Besides just partying that week I went horseback riding, bus tour of the city and ate at some mighty fine restaurants. It was a great city to visit and would love to return someday…
When I first set foot in Vietnam (March 19, 1970) I was planning on a typical one year tour of duty in Country. That all changed when I was offered a five month early out of the Army toward the end of my tour. All I had to do was extend an extra 35-days in Nam, and it was a done deal. That sounded like the thing to do because I was no longer in the bush with the ‘Blues’ and the only real danger was the frequent mortar attacks at our firebase. I decided to take my chances and my tour ended up being 400-days, which seemed like an eternity.
My Vietnam Experience 
