One of the toughest parts of service was seeing people whose lives were ruined or lost because of the war, he said. 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. For guys drafted during Vietnam, what really were the odds they would be sent to Vietnam as opposed to remaining stateside, or sent to Germany or Korea? WebThe entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. 4) The Alps Swiss, German or French. The winners toured other military bases and made records. The Federal Republic of Germany became an important strategic location during the Cold War. "I was shocked when I found that out myself, but it kind of makes sense," Hollander tells Guy Raz, host of weekends on All Things Considered. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, Germany will remain strategically important for the US. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY Veterans (including some Reservists) who state that they flew on or worked on a C-123 aircraft between 1969 and 1986 are eligible for the Agent Orange Registry. This is the official public website of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. File a claim online. 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. He now is an adjunct professor in the John Glenn College of Public Service. 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. Here are a few of their stories. It was a huge fire. More military personnel played support roles than combat ones. I know that was very dependent upon where you called home, but that was my reality, Thornton said. Peace activists, however, saw them as a threat and held massive demonstrations. Its ironic because we were there to protect them. I was thinking I would have a better chance of determining where I would be sent.. 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. I say 16 months because his orders were involuntarily extended because he was in the ROK when the USS Pueblo was taken. I can only speak from my own experiences. At the end of the Vietnam War, the United States adopted a volunteer Army, but declining military expenditures made it difficult to keep the American forces combat ready and maintain the quality of life for soldiers and their families. So many servicemen came home and saw how the story (of the Vietnam War) was being told. The cover of East of Underground's self-titled LP. There were more prostitutes than bureaucrats, and every kind of club and bar from high-class to low-class. May 31, 2017 in MILITARY HISTORY DISCUSSIONS. A new compilation pulls together some of those old records it's called East of Underground: Hell Below. Hollander says it's not a mistake to read a hint of resistance into the band's repertoire. 7) Cologne, Germany. They were selected during something called "The U.S. Army's Original Magnificent Special Services Entertainment Showband Contest" let's just call it a battle of the bands. This massive program to improve American weaponry and conditions for troops and their families, supported by the commitment of huge resources to building the facilities required, was one factor in shaking the resolve of Soviet leaders and exposing the hidden weaknesses of the Soviet military and political systems. "I initially was stationed in Korea. To prop up sinking morale and keep soldiers safe on base rather than heading into Vietnamese towns, the U.S. military strove to make bases as home-like as possible, Appy said. One colonel joked, If we ever really got attacked, the V.C. I talked to many men who felt sheepish that they didnt have those (combat) stories to share, Lair said. Country western music blared all over Saigon, Lomperis said. Given the popular conception that being drafted during Vietnam was a guaranteed ticket to the combat zone, Ive always found it amazing how many of the people I know who served in the Army or USMC during the Vietnam War never actually went to Vietnam. Their silence carried a message and concealed the fact that many veterans served in the rear echelon and not in combat capacity, Lair said. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. The King of Rock 'n' Roll, as Elvis Presley would eventually become known, was drafted in as a soldier and began his military service in Germany in 1958. They have rock climbing, paddle boarding, BBQ grills, a restaurant, hiking trails, and more. 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. Error, please try again. The sky swarmed with helicopters. Despite separate residential districts, there has always been contact and exchange between German and American families. Of his entire graduating platoon, only he and one other trooper were sent to West Germany, all the others got orders to RVN. This was because they had relatives (brothers) already serving in Vietnam. There werent enough NCOs (non-commissioned officers), not enough support or spare parts. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. An average of 311,870 troops were stationed in Europe per year during 19861990. Anyone who served in the military during the war faced the possibility of being sent to Vietnam, though. The guys with the beer with hot food and hot showers, Appy said. After graduating AIT at Fort Knox I was sent to their NCO Armor School. Knowing that the threat is so close by is an incentive for people to work together. In Germany the U.S. military was protecting West Germany against the threat of Russian invasion, but it wasnt imminent, Shkurti said. I ask this because many guys of draft age enlisted, enlisted specifically for three years to chose their MOS, and in a great many cases avoid serving in South Vietnam. I would have been called a coward by others from the small town I grew up in, so I never considered not volunteering. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. Then, there was the shopping. From the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991, Army Engineers played a key role in providing the facilities for arming, supplying, training, and housing American soldiers and airmen and their families in Europe. If you call it wrong, thousands of people could end up being killed, he said. 6) Berlin, Germany. was told," you are going to Germany, get your wives in german class". Tomorrow is too unpredictable, especially during deployment, he said. Powered by Invision Community, Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in W.Germany, South Korea, and CONUS, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. David Hollander produced the compilation. 8) Bruges, Belgium. It's kind of both complicated and disjointed, it was a struggle to be sure. They proudly served their country, but were derided by combat troops as REMFs or rear echelon mother (insert expletive here), Appy said. Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. When we graduated we lined up in front of a building that you entered one at a time on one side and after getting your paper work you exited out the other side. He also wrote the liner notes, which reveal a surprising fact: The U.S. Army spends an estimated $200 million a year on music, and is the largest single employer of musicians in the country. After Boston, Thornton served at Marines Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. VA decides these claims on a case-by-case basis. They were the rear echelon. They also ate pretty well. Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy urges more effective air defense, Ukraine: Russia continues to target civilian sites, Ukraine's counteroffensive: Goals, opportunities, risks. Arriving in West Germany, was a shocking experience for the new Army recruit. Morale was bad, and there were racial problems, Shkurti said. In addition to meeting locals, walks off-base could provide valuable intelligence. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. Our AIT class in 1971 at A.P.G. Most of all, Army bands will strive to honor General George Washington's observation, "Nothing is more agreeable and ornamental than good music. There are different degrees of experience. Heavily guarded Pershing-II rockets were brought to the US base in Mutlangen in 1983. In 1972 Thornton enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 and trained to be a hospital corpsman. Out of our entire class I believe two, maybe three guys got orders for Korea. Men facing shipping out exhibited many types of behavior. Its important for people to know they exist. Eventually Shkurti was sent to Vietnam and served as an artillery officer with B Battery 2 / 35th Artillery at Fire Support Base Lanyard on the Cambodian border in 1970-71. They were so talented, I just assumed they would have a contract with the first studio they walked into.". Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. My close friend had a similar experience in 69-70. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). To preserve morale, the ration program ensured that all personnel were able to buy highend goods, but it was limited due to the possibility they might resell goods on the black market, Lair said. Well, one. While having a positive attitude about any PCS is important, its equally important to have realistic expectations. One of the biggest lessons Dr. 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. "I've done my own searches on Google and so forth, but I cannot find anything," Hitt says. 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. During World War 2 Volunteering for the draft was a common term, that is that after a point enlistment in the Army was halted for the duration, only draftees where accepted (This is for the Army only, the Navy and Marine Corps still took enlistees), and if a 18 year old or in many cases older guys in their 20s/30s who have not yet received a notice, or had a deferment, and gave up their deferment could "Volunteer for the Draft", this also applied (within the Army) for those 17 year old's who wanted to go into the Army. With pressures on USAREUR in the mid-1970s to reduce the size of its headquarters and budget, the command asked the Corps of Engineers to take responsibility for military construction in the theater. Huge streams of paperwork came through military intelligence offices that allowed Lomperis a birds eye view of the war and how it functioned. People dont understand how consequential the decisions were that were being made at headquarters, he said. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. "All the branches of the armed services have always included music as part of their mission. Only about one out of seven were combat troops, said historian Chris Appy, history professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where they have been for the past 40 years. At least we all went to the same unit, one guy and I went through basic together. Situated in a remote area with the enemy about 300 yards away over the border, Shkurtis unit was constantly in harms way. would have to use the scheduled bus service to get around the base, Lair wrote in Armed with Abundance.. Regardless of how we each served, part of our soul was left in that place with those who never came back alive, and with those who suffered and died after, and we should be honored for our collective loss if for no other reason. The experience that most people likely associate with Vietnam is the horror and deprivation of war, so its ironic that that wasnt the real experience of most Vietnam veterans, Lair said. We had each other, and we understood it takes so much honor to serve during the tough times. 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. Its kind of like playing goalie for a soccer team. Dave. 5) Venice, Italy. Their lot was really rugged, Lomperis said. They worked in intelligence. He wasn't wealthy or connected in anyway and he also had an Infantry MOS and he was one of three soldiers out of his basic training platoon that went to the ROK.
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