Vietnam vets on motorized bikes

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Tinsmith

Well-Known Member
May 15, 2009
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Maryland
Moto & Tom and the rest who responded, I'm sure your sentiments are shared and appreciated by many of us. Being in the Air Wing my experiences were quite different than my "Grunt" buddies, but never the less by the time the war was winding down you couldn't even wear your uniform in an airport when traveling and not have somone confront you. Pretty dark period for military service. I think that is why today when I travel and see someone in uniform I usually go out of my way to thank them

Some years ago my wife and I were fortunate enough to be in Ireland and at the airport (Dublin I think) when a whole plane load of Army personnel rolled in. We were happy and proud to see them. I struck up a conversation with a couple of them and said something to the effect "It must be great to be headed home". Bad assumption on my part, they were headed to war. I had a complete meltdown and had to leave the conversation. My wife covered for me and informed them of when I served and appologized. A little later one of those soldiers came and thanked me. First time that had ever happened but I'll never forget. I hope they all made it back.

Thanks to all you old **** . I'm proud of all of you!

Dan
 
2door

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
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Littleton, Colorado
Maybe I was just lucky, maybe I never encounterd folks with the animosity that i've heard so much about but I never once felt or heard it. I did a lot of traveling through civilian airports due to multiple TDY trips and never once had anyone say an unkind or hateful word to me and I always traveled in uniform.

I did have an encounter with an U.S Army bird colonel late one evening in Guam. He looked at me, shook his head and gave me the most condescending expression obviously unimpressed with my sweat and oil stained flight suit, too long hair and I needed a shave.

I'd been on planes for the preceeding 20 hours trying to get home from a TDY. It was a rushed trip and I had no clean uniform except for the flight suit, and it was anything but clean. I was tired, depressed and just a little angry at my situation and his apparent dissatisfaction with my un-military appearance.

I've never been very good at discretion so I asked him, "Do you have a problem with me?"
I should tell you that his uniform looked as if he just came from West Point. The colonel stared back and told me I needed a hair cut. I told him I'd just spent the last two months in a combat area and I was trying to get home. I told him my luggage, what there was of it, was on another flight and the flight suit was all I had to wear. I went on to say, after I saw no Viet Nam service ribbon on his uniform that after he did his tour and saw what life was like 'over there' that then he'd have a right to tell me to get a haircut at 3AM in the morning. "Until then, leave me the **** alone".

This was enough to get me court marshaled but I really didn't care. Instead of calling for the MPs the colonel turned, walked away and said over his shoulder, "Hope you get home safe, captain." I never saw him again.
But I did get a haircut when I got back to the base two days later :)

Tom
 
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