Vietnam Veterans Day

[BuckeyeCrappie]

[TerryD]

I had two uncles and an older brother that served in Vietnam. I welcome each of you home and thank you for your service and many sacrifices. God bless each and every one of you.

["D"]

As a Viet Nam era veteran, I did not go to Viet Nam, but went to Florida and Germany. In 1975 I worked at a tent city in north Florida on Eglin AFB receiving some of those Vietnamese that were able to get out of there on the US airlifts. My job was to help clothe and feed them as well as supply them with necessities. Those people were tired, hungry, and scared as can be. Can you imagine getting on a plane not knowing where you will be going, what to expect, hoping it will be better and only having the clothes you were wearing . No money, hungry, in need of a bath, and not able to speak the language. Babies in tow in only a diaper and crying for something to eat. No, I did not make it to Viet Nam, but would have gone in a heart beat if that was my calling. But what I saw and the people I met, so to speak, who were scared to even look at us, I WILL NEVER FORGET. I am actually FB friends with a guy who thinks he came through our area as a baby, but his Mom is gone and he never knew for sure exactly where. I also met a lady who owned a store on Toledo Bend who may have come through there, but was reluctant to talk about it. Sorry for the long winded post, but the memories of then and my time in the USAF has been on my mind a lot. Thank you for thinking of us today and God bless all Veterans.

[CrappiePappy]

As a Viet Nam era veteran, I did not go to Viet Nam, but went to Florida and Germany. In 1975 I worked at a tent city in north Florida on Eglin AFB receiving some of those Vietnamese that were able to get out of there on the US airlifts. My job was to help clothe and feed them as well as supply them with necessities. Those people were tired, hungry, and scared as can be. Can you imagine getting on a plane not knowing where you will be going, what to expect, hoping it will be better and only having the clothes you were wearing . No money, hungry, in need of a bath, and not able to speak the language. Babies in tow in only a diaper and crying for something to eat. No, I did not make it to Viet Nam, but would have gone in a heart beat if that was my calling. But what I saw and the people I met, so to speak, who were scared to even look at us, I WILL NEVER FORGET. I am actually FB friends with a guy who thinks he came through our area as a baby, but his Mom is gone and he never knew for sure exactly where. I also met a lady who owned a store on Toledo Bend who may have come through there, but was reluctant to talk about it. Sorry for the long winded post, but the memories of then and my time in the USAF has been on my mind a lot. Thank you for thinking of us today and God bless all Veterans.

I'm an "era" vet, as well, "D" ... served my overseas time in South Korea. Made some good friends there among the Korean workers at the train depot warehouses where I "worked". Spent a lot of my time there on QRF (quick reation force) as truck driver & M60 gunner (though I never fired it or qualified for it, it's just what the driver did). Quartermaster Corp MOS 76p20 (Stock Control/accounting), or basically what I did in civilian life at the Univ. of Ky Medical Center Pharmacy & Central Supply. When I went to get my MOS the desk clerk asked me what I did for a living & when I told him I worked in the Pharmacy at a hospital he asked if I wanted to be a "corpsman" .... (knowing what that was ... ie a Medic) I explained that I worked with medical supply stock, hence getting the SC/A MOS.

Came close to going to Nam with a Small Parts Repair Company, attached to the 82nd Airborne, when I finished OJT training (where I spent most of those 8weeks as a barracks guard & learned nothing about stock control/accounting). A "levee" came down for Korea & Germany (12mo Korea - 18mo Germany), but the Germany one wouldn't get there before the company would have been shipped out, so I went with the Korea one. Turned out that if I had less than 6mo left after serving the 12months overseas, they'd drop the remaining time. That made my decision much easier, and I did get a little over 5mo's dropped !!

Had two schoolmates KIA in Nam & 1 that made it home. My fishing buddy from back in the late 1970's was a Marine MP in Nam, and my current fishing buddy was a Seabee in Nam. Luck of the draw for me.

That's why I do the unboxing & laying of the wreaths at Camp Nelson National Cemetery every year, for the real Military Vets/Heros.

[NIMROD]

Prayers for our veterans . We have a special one on here ''billbob''

[BobC]

I am an USAF era veteran as well. I consider myself very fortunate that I was in the Southeast Asia theater but lucky to spend my year in Thailand. Vietnam was a life changing event for everyone who went there. Out of my classmates that served in country only one came back relatively the same. Something was missing from the others, and not in a good way. Several just drifted through life, it was like they lost their ambition.
Bob