stationed in germany during vietnam war

I assisted a medical officer suture up a Marine after a bar fight who was so drunk he didnt need an anesthetic. The chow halls tried to replicate moms home cooking with menus of grilled hamburgers, roast beef with gravy, French-fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, buttered corn and asparagus, ice cream, vanilla pudding and cherry pie, Lair said. Another difference was the sense of solidarity he felt. Thornton returned to school later in life and is now finishing his doctorate in business administration in the field of cross-cultural competency and conflict management. Active duty personnel who served in a regular USAF unit location where a contaminated C-123 was assigned who had regular contact with the aircraft through flight, ground, or medical duties between 1969 and 1986, and who developed an Agent Orange related disability. Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed in order to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. 4) The Alps Swiss, German or French. Opposition to the war made military personnel band together. So many servicemen came home and saw how the story (of the Vietnam War) was being told. I was able to get into a band there. 5) Venice, Italy. Most of his time was spent protecting government buildings from Vietnam War protesters. 18th Military Police Brigade (United States Historical Vignettes One of the toughest parts of service was seeing people whose lives were ruined or lost because of the war, he said. The sky swarmed with helicopters. Is it if you might be in danger of a mortar attack versus projecting violence and delivering it to the enemy? Dotted around US bases are numerous residential districts for American soldiers and their families, such as this residential district in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. The book became the first volume in aCenter of Military History series, U.S. Army in the Cold War. Hollander says it isn't clear what the Army planned to do with these recordings, especially since so few copies of them have surfaced just three dozen in East of Underground's case. At least we all went to the same unit, one guy and I went through basic together. oakleaf777, Today, he cautions people not to draw quick lessons from the war. For the government ofLudwig Erhard (October 1963-November 1966) it was ultimately fatal. At the end of his service, Shkurti was an executive officer with the 6th Armored Cavalry at Fort Meade, Maryland. He attributed it to where he happened to be standing in a formation. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY If you have health concerns about Agent Orange, talk to your health care provider or contact yourlocal VA Environmental Health Coordinatorto help you get more information from a health care provider. For website corrections, write to [email protected]. [Today in History] Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the 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. 6) Berlin, Germany. "Bear in mind that these bands were all engaged in a show band contest in 1971 and 1972, and the winners of the that contest would then be able to tour Europe, and would also record an LP in the Armed Forces Network studios in Frankfurt. Especially from the minority groups, our black comrades, because they bore the brunt of the draft, were very unappreciated, and made the ultimate sacrifice above and beyond other groups, and for what? Thornton said. They were the rear echelon. Additionally, not all Vietnam-era veterans served in-country. After completing Field Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Shkurti was sent to Germany not Vietnam. No matter where veterans served in Vietnam, they were a close witness to danger. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. "I met the singers and the other players and we got together and played, and it just kind of all meshed together.". The Federal Republic of Germany became an important strategic location during the Cold War. 800-829-4833, Veterans Crisis Line: Their lot was really rugged, Lomperis said. Many veterans struggled with feeling that their experience didnt measure up. 9) Luxembourg The goal of keeping soldiers well-fed was that they would be happy, stay out of trouble and avoid vices like drugs or prostitution, she said. Engineers and USACE remained in Europe, still proud of their contribution to defending Western Europe and ending the Cold War. Im also more respectful of what servicepeople endure. Thanks, your message has been sent successfully. Office of Accountability & Whistleblower Protection, Training - Exposure - Experience (TEE) Tournament, Military Exposure Related Health Concerns, War Related Illness & Injury Study Center, Clinical Trainees (Academic Affiliations), Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft, local VA Environmental Health Coordinator, Find out if you qualify for VA health care, diseases related to Agent Orange exposure, Call TTY if you In retirement he wrote Soldiering On in a Dying War focusing on the Vietnam drawdown and The Ohio State University in the Sixties.. 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. 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. Hollander says it's not a mistake to read a hint of resistance into the band's repertoire. Of his entire graduating platoon, only he and one other trooper were sent to West Germany, all the others got orders to RVN. Some 20 years later, US President George W. Bush went to war with Iraq over its alleged program to develop weapons of mass destruction. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. This lasted for 5 months, then we were told, Okanawa. In Germany the U.S. military was protecting West Germany against the threat of Russian invasion, but it wasnt imminent, Shkurti said. Lockbourne/Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio (906th and 907th Tactical Air Groups or 355th and 356th Tactical Airlift Squadron), Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts (731st Tactical Air Squadron and 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, International Airport (758th Airlift Squadron). They worked in intelligence. Huge streams of paperwork came through military intelligence offices that allowed Lomperis a birds eye view of the war and how it functioned. At the end of the spraying campaign in 1971, the remaining C-123 planes were reassigned to reserve units in the U.S. for routine cargo and medical evacuation missions spanning the next 10 years. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. Those recordings were lost for decades, until a collector discovered an East of Underground LP in 1997. As the Soviet system, like the Berlin Wall, collapsed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it appeared that American and allied forces in Europe had accomplished their mission without war. Executing the construction program was a complex affair because American forces in West Germany had to use German construction offices and procedures to build facilities. Napoleon said, An army marches on its stomach, and the U.S. military followed his advice. With two sons already in the war, they felt I should not go. Out of our entire class I believe two, maybe three guys got orders for Korea. This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. Stationed He remembers his commanding officer Abrams as a political genius who turned the war around.. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. Error, please try again. After Nazi Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, four countries representing the Allies (the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France) asserted joint authority Deploy network infrastructure faster and easier than ever before, with pre-packaged yet massively scalable infrastructure components for top packet and optical systems. This is not about being negative or complaining, but simply having a balanced outlook for your transition. The Ramstein base is especially significant, since it is also headquarters of the United States Air Forces in Europe. 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. of United States Army installations in Germany Hitt says he had already been in one Army band by the time he joined the group. The rockets, armed with nuclear warheads, became a political issue. "I initially was stationed in Korea. After graduating AIT at Fort Knox I was sent to their NCO Armor School. I was in Infantry AIT at Ft. Polk Nov. 68-Jan 69. I say 16 months because his orders were involuntarily extended because he was in the ROK when the USS Pueblo was taken. 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. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). Supercharge your procurement process, with industry leading expertise in sourcing of network backbone, colocation, and packet/optical network infrastructure. Upon graduating they lined us and announced that if your last name started with A through J your orders were Germany and K through Z your orders were Vietnam. In the early years, dances were held on the streets of Berlin in summer months and in winter, the US Army organized Christmas parties for local children. Germany will remain strategically important for the US. 7) Cologne, Germany. Boy, I thought I had it made, Shkurti said with a small laugh. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. Germany During "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. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where they have been for the past 40 years. Combat veterans offered a truly unique and special contribution to the war, but that doesnt mean it wasnt a sacrifice for people who served as support, Lair said. The entire emphasis is on the narrow combat experience, Lair said. GRAFENWOEHR, Germany More than 30 veterans of the Vietnam War living in Germany were awarded pins Tuesday by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post in recognition of their service. Patches, In 1968 you could volunteer for the draft and serve 2 years active duty. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) 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. 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? I served at the naval hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts, for 18 months. Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. WebHere are our top 13 places to see while youre stationed in Germany: (click on any city name below to learn more) 1) Prague, Czech Republic. There were more prostitutes than bureaucrats, and every kind of club and bar from high-class to low-class. You could watch The Beverly Hillbillies, Appy said. He now is an adjunct professor in the John Glenn College of Public Service. The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Peace activists, however, saw them as a threat and held massive demonstrations. They were also stationed in Germany, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, Guam and the continental United States. One would fly overhead about every 60 seconds, remembers the professor emeritus of political science at Saint Louis University. Attention A T users. would have to use the scheduled bus service to get around the base, Lair wrote in Armed with Abundance.. 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. The conventional wisdom was that everybody carried a rifle, patrolled the jungle and faced death daily, but thats false, said William Shkurti, who served as an artillery officer in a remote area about 300 yards from the Cambodian border in fall 1970. Youth activity centers in Germany included this facility in Wiesbaden. 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. We had each other, and we understood it takes so much honor to serve during the tough times. Country western music blared all over Saigon, Lomperis said. But as the confrontation between the Soviet Union, our former ally, intensified with the Berlin blockade and the outbreak of the Korean War, American leaders grew fearful that the next target of international communism was Western Europe, which contained our most important democratic allies and a rapidly rebuilding capitalist economy. Even today, many see otherwise, but only at home., One place the guys in the rear and combat soldiers would cross paths was at rearward bases, which ranged from isolated fire bases less than a city block in size to major bases like Long Binh Post that resembled an American city, said Chris Appy, author of three books about the American war in Vietnam: American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity, Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides and Working- Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam.. As my husband likes to preach: expectation management.. 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. was told," you are going to Germany, get your wives in german class". Upon graduating, I was the only one in our Company sent to Ft. Knox Ky.. All of the other Draftees in our class stayed at Ft Lewis in Infantry. Vietnam War WebAs 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. I know that was very dependent upon where you called home, but that was my reality, Thornton said. There were swimming pools, bars, cheap booze, entertainment, dancers and strippers, American TV. For recreation there were basketball, volleyball, tennis and multipurpose courts, football fields, miniature golf courses, a driving range, an archery range and a skeet-shooting range. One colonel joked, If we ever really got attacked, the V.C. You made a deal in Saigon, and the car arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, said Lomperis, who bought himself a $30 radio cassette player during the war, brought it home and kept it until about 2000. Lewis Hitt played guitar in East of Underground. Vietnam War They lived in an apprehensive state. In their spare time, servicepeople could go to the library, join a service club or take a spin on the go-kart track. 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.