The U.S. military presence in Germany peaked at 274,119 in 1962, nearly eight times its level last year. The mood around the country was not good for the military, not like today with cheers and applause for returning members. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. 6) Berlin, Germany. He never carried a gun because if he was shot, the enemy soldier could have claimed it was self-defense, he said. My middle brother died five years ago from extended PTSD and the ravages of the drug addiction he endured while trying to cope with his memories from Vietnam. He served as budget director for the state of Ohio from 1985 to 1987. 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. That led to deep divisions between Washington and Berlin. He was awarded the U.S. Engineers and USACE remained in Europe, still proud of their contribution to defending Western Europe and ending the Cold War. You would think (serving in Germany) would be a great duty, but it wasnt.. WebDuring the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force used C-123 aircraft to spray Agent Orange to clear jungles that provided enemy cover in Vietnam. When they got home they were all the same (veterans), but they did not all have an equal experience. His unit in Germany lacked the leadership and necessities to get their job done, he said. Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed in order to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. "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. Well, one. Patches, In 1968 you could volunteer for the draft and serve 2 years active duty. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. 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 Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. The challenge was figuring out what the enemy would do. At the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused induction into the United States Army, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the conflict. Not enrolled in the VA health care system? Only about one out of seven were combat troops, said historian Chris Appy, history professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst. In addition to meeting locals, walks off-base could provide valuable intelligence. In-depth strategy and insight into critical interconnection ecosystems, datacenter connectivity, product optimization, fiber route development, and more. 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. would have to use the scheduled bus service to get around the base, Lair wrote in Armed with Abundance.. When I left Korea, the first thing I did when I got to Germany was to find Special Services, which happened to be right next to my barracks," Hitt recalls. Over the years the US Army has become firmly entrenched in the German landscape. He was friendly with street urchins who would badger him for chocolate and other small treats. I would have been called a coward by others from the small town I grew up in, so I never considered not volunteering. When we got home, everybody was the same, said Lomperis, a Saigon warrior who served in a support capacity at MACV (U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam), also known as mafia HQ or Pentagon East.. It's from here that controversial drone missions are flown against targets in Africa and Asia. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. Arriving in West Germany, was a shocking experience for the new Army recruit. 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. Some people feel the term Vietnam veteran should refer only to those who served in Vietnam, but the U.S. government defines them all as Vietnam-era veterans according to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 any veteran who served on active duty during the official time frame of the Vietnam War (1961-1975). They would tell him not to go down certain streets because it wasnt safe, so you would know something was brewing there, Lomperis said. While having a positive attitude about any PCS is important, its equally important to have realistic expectations. The US Army employed 17,000 American civilians in Germany in 2019. One strong memory I have is how tough it was for the families, Thornton said. I worked in an air-conditioned office and wore khakis, starched shirts, spit-shined shoes and a belt with a shiny brass buckle. 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. 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. This lasted for 5 months, then we were told, Okanawa. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. At least we all went to the same unit, one guy and I went through basic together. I had surgery shortly after the fire, then spent convalescent leave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They gave up their lives back home. A rare photo of East of Underground in performance. Error, please try again. This often creates barriers to their full integration into German society. 3) Paris, France. There were Viet Cong all over the place, but if you were street-smart you stayed safe, Lomperis said. The question became: When will someone tell what my war was like? Lair said. WebThe 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. 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. WebThe Vietnam War exposed this problematic dimension in the U.S.-German relationship most dramatically. They deserve our respect. I served at the naval hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts, for 18 months. I was in Infantry AIT at Ft. Polk Nov. 68-Jan 69. Lewis Hitt played guitar in East of Underground. The war changed and dealt cruelty to many families, not just mine, but I have seen the sadness in my fathers eyes, and we both know what is there, and what is missing.. 2) Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Sign up for a new account in our community. Vietnam has come to symbolize certain things that arent necessarily true. I volunteered for the draft and was sent to Ft. Lewis, Wa. Expert architecture and design solutions for private carriers, next-generation metro and long-haul optical networks, ultra low-latency networks, and Internet backbones. He is seen here waving to his fans at Bremerhaven train station. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. They wore dirty boots and dog tags hanging around their necks. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. Long Binh was not a standard base, but it was home to the Armys Vietnam headquarters and showed the abundance and consumerism that was possible to create. 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. 7) Cologne, Germany. During the era of the Vietnam War, American troops and facilities were neglected forcing Engineers to marshal their slender resources augmented by host nation contributions to keep American forces ready for war and take care of Army and Air Force personnel and their families. It was a huge fire. We would take orders from Washington and from the five information streams (personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics and political implications) and use all that information to create an order of the day, Lomperis said. Back at home over the decades, veterans themselves may have helped camouflage the roles they played during the war. 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. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). Some 20 years later, US President George W. Bush went to war with Iraq over its alleged program to develop weapons of mass destruction. visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for more resources. They proudly served their country, but were derided by combat troops as REMFs or rear echelon mother (insert expletive here), Appy said. Is it just the guy with the gun? The report determined that it is possible that this exposure contributed to some adverse health effects. In retirement he wrote Soldiering On in a Dying War focusing on the Vietnam drawdown and The Ohio State University in the Sixties.. While older Germans were friendly, younger ones were hostile and aloof, Shkurti said. Like all the other members, he was a draftee, and had come from a tiny town in Mississippi. Six out of seven served on bases. Responding to these concerns, VA asked the Health and Medicine Division (HMD) (formally known as the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study possible exposure and increase in adverse health effects in C-123 crew members. Anyone who served in the military during the war faced the possibility of being sent to Vietnam, though. Heavily guarded Pershing-II rockets were brought to the US base in Mutlangen in 1983. "The song selection includes songs that were playing in the States, and very much expressed the countercultural sentiments of political resistance in this country at that time," Hollander says. Thats not how the military works, though. Brutal tactics were the norm during the Vietnam War, and no one suffered more than the Vietnamese themselves, both in the North and the South. I assisted a medical officer suture up a Marine after a bar fight who was so drunk he didnt need an anesthetic. It was a game of cat and mouse that almost turned deadly when he was nearly killed by some drunk Vietnamese soldiers, Lomperis said. Despite separate residential districts, there has always been contact and exchange between German and American families. In the late 65 through 1966, the Army Divisions outside of Vietnam, specifically CONUS and West Germany were hemorrhaging personnel for service in South Vietnam, these being primarily if not exclusively volunteers, these numbers had to be made good.
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