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After graduating AIT at Fort Knox I was sent to their NCO Armor School. Vietnam War If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, We had an Infantry MOS Soldiers on one of our Sheridan Tanks. Arriving in West Germany, was a shocking experience for the new Army recruit. The stress of military life was constant. Abook describes and analyzes the important Engineer effort in Europe. Their silence carried a message and concealed the fact that many veterans served in the rear echelon and not in combat capacity, Lair said. They gave up their lives back home. There were swimming pools, bars, cheap booze, entertainment, dancers and strippers, American TV. Our AIT class in 1971 at A.P.G. His unit lost more men to overdose and traffic accidents in Germany than to combat in Vietnam. Your message has not been sent. 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.. They deserve our respect. "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. More military personnel played support roles than combat ones. Hollander says it's not a mistake to read a hint of resistance into the band's repertoire. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. Is it if you might be in danger of a mortar attack versus projecting violence and delivering it to the enemy? Over 220 others have already been closed, mostly following the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. 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. 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. 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. Germany During At any moment all hell could break loose, Lair said. 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. 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. Most of all, Army bands will strive to honor General George Washington's observation, "Nothing is more agreeable and ornamental than good music. 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. Many veterans struggled with feeling that their experience didnt measure up. At the end of his service, Shkurti was an executive officer with the 6th Armored Cavalry at Fort Meade, Maryland. While older Germans were friendly, younger ones were hostile and aloof, Shkurti said. Germany WebActivated during the Vietnam War, the Brigade oversaw all Military Police operations in the country for a large portion of the conflict, undertaking a wide variety of missions throughout the country and providing command and control for other military police groups in the region. An official website of the United States government, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, About the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, Historical Vignette 105 - Engineers Played an Important Role in Europe During the Cold War, Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant Program (DNPPP), Regional Environmental and Energy Offices REEOs, Industry Information Re: COVID-19 Support, Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, G-1 Reserve Component Augmentation, Office of Human Resources Directorate, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. TCDD, the toxic substance in Agent Orange, may be inhaled as an aerosol or ingested by contaminated food or water or from hand-to-mouth transfer. 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. An Army in Crisis Country western music blared all over Saigon, Lomperis said. Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in To make it even more complicated, just what is a combat veteran? He never carried a gun because if he was shot, the enemy soldier could have claimed it was self-defense, he said. 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. 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. 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. He says it was completely random, some bodies had to go to 7th Army and his lucky number came up. Vietnam 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. 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. The big problem was that Saigon was Sodom and Gomorrah. 6) Berlin, Germany. Maybe they didnt risk their lives but they risked risking their lives, said Meredith Lair, a Vietnam War historian at George Mason University and author of Armed with Abundance: Consumerism and Soldiering in the Vietnam War, which examines the non-combat experiences of American soldiers in Vietnam. 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. Adopting a variety of organizational arrangements, including an engineer command from 1966 to 1974, USAREUR and its engineers attempted to find the most efficient and effective means to use the scarce resources available for construction and maintenance. He was friendly with street urchins who would badger him for chocolate and other small treats. With two sons already in the war, they felt I should not go. I am focused on peace and conflict reduction on a global and local scale, he said. From the end of World War II until the end of the war in Southeast Asia, the Army component command in Germany, the U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR), managed military construction in the theater with its own Engineer organizations. Thanks, your message has been sent successfully. For military intelligence officer Timothy Lomperis, the constant whup, whup, whup of helicopters flying overhead is one of many things that stand out in his mind about the time he spent helping make critical war decisions in Saigon serving under Gen. Creighton Abrams, commander of U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, from 1968 to 1972. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. Built over time for more than $130 million, Long Binh eventually had 3,500 buildings and 180 miles of road covering an area bigger than Cleveland. Germany One strong memory I have is how tough it was for the families, Thornton said. 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. East of Underground was one such band a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Six out of seven served on bases. C-123 Airplanes and Agent Orange Residue - Public Health One of the biggest lessons Dr. Additionally, not all Vietnam-era veterans served in-country. Anyone who served in the military during the war faced the possibility of being sent to Vietnam, though. You could watch The Beverly Hillbillies, Appy said. The US Army employed 17,000 American civilians in Germany in 2019. Ask me or any other serviceperson and they will tell you they are proud of their service, Shkurti 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. Dotted around US bases are numerous residential districts for American soldiers and their families, such as this residential district in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. 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. In response the Corps of Engineers drastically reduced the size of EUD and reconstituted it as the Europe District. 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. Over the years the US Army has become firmly entrenched in the German landscape. He is seen here waving to his fans at Bremerhaven train station. It was painful to even be around them. This is the official public website of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Some 20 years later, US President George W. Bush went to war with Iraq over its alleged program to develop weapons of mass destruction. It's there to boost morale, it's there to provide entertainment and comfort for soldiers, it's there to sort of represent what the U.S. is musically, culturally to the rest of the world.". Buddy C. Thornton learned from his military service was Always live for the day. 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. Heavily guarded Pershing-II rockets were brought to the US base in Mutlangen in 1983. The guys with the beer with hot food and hot showers, Appy said. HMD released its report, Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft, Jan. 9, 2015. Instead of breaking them up, Army brass sent them on tour. I didnt carry a gun, Lomperis said. There werent enough NCOs (non-commissioned officers), not enough support or spare parts. Their story got eliminated. 18th Military Police Brigade (United States Reflecting back, Im more skeptical whether a war of choice can help defend a country in the long run. At least in our case. So many servicemen came home and saw how the story (of the Vietnam War) was being told. Youre in the hot seat. They wore fatigues and carried M16s. I thought it would be easy, but it was actually tough, said Shkurti, who served as a fire direction officer and supervised a six-person team. 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. This includes individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reservewho regularly operated, maintained, or served onboard C-123 aircraft known to have been used to spray herbicides during the Vietnam era. Youth activity centers in Germany included this facility in Wiesbaden. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. Expert architecture and design solutions for private carriers, next-generation metro and long-haul optical networks, ultra low-latency networks, and Internet backbones. The rockets, armed with nuclear warheads, became a political issue. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. A new compilation pulls together some of those old records it's called East of Underground: Hell Below. He attributed it to where he happened to be standing in a formation. I personally met over the years quite a few guys in my neighborhood that enlisted in the Army, 3 years like you said, interesting thing was that not one served in South Vietnam, even up to two duty station changes, in example serving in CONUS then Panama, etc, I recall one guy I met in a bar who enlisted for 3 1967-70, an Ordnance guy, said he served his whole three years after Basic (Bliss) and AIT (Aberdeen) as wheeled vehicle mechanic at West Point, you know in the regular army component at the academy. Its kind of like playing goalie for a soccer team. This often creates barriers to their full integration into German society. My close friend had a similar experience in 69-70. They have rock climbing, paddle boarding, BBQ grills, a restaurant, hiking trails, and more. He could take that information back to the base. ". 7) Cologne, Germany. Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed in order to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. For the next 17 years the Europe Division of the Corps executed the Army and Air Force construction programs in Europe and supported the NATO construction program. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. 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 That was where I met my wife. Well, one. We served honorably. In 1972 Thornton enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 and trained to be a hospital corpsman. In Vietnam everyone knew everyone and what job they had. The mood around the country was not good for the military, not like today with cheers and applause for returning members. One colonel joked, If we ever really got attacked, the V.C. If you call it wrong, thousands of people could end up being killed, he said. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. 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. Their lot was really rugged, Lomperis said. They also ate pretty well. Tomorrow is too unpredictable, especially during deployment, he 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). 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. The enemy was the Soviet Union and the other signatories of the Warsaw Pact, including the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. The band formed while its members were stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War. The sky swarmed with helicopters. In their spare time, servicepeople could go to the library, join a service club or take a spin on the go-kart track. The US soldiers also brought American culture to Germany. I say 16 months because his orders were involuntarily extended because he was in the ROK when the USS Pueblo was taken. Supercharge your procurement process, with industry leading expertise in sourcing of network backbone, colocation, and packet/optical network infrastructure. Error, please try again. The book became the first volume in aCenter of Military History series, U.S. Army in the Cold War. 8) Bruges, Belgium. Hitt says he had already been in one Army band by the time he joined the group. I was going for many reasons, but the most important was to close a chapter of history I felt needed closing, Thornton said. I was in Boston when the Chelsea fire occurred in October 1973, received a meritorious unit citation for fighting the fire that consumed a large portion of Chelsea 18 blocks one way, 16 blocks another. This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. They lived in an apprehensive state. This was because they had relatives (brothers) already serving in Vietnam. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. During 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. From sundries like razors and cigarettes, apple juice and chocolate milk to diamond jewelry and Rolex watches, stereos and kitchen appliances, servicepeople could buy just about anything even cars for their wives or girlfriends back home, said Lomperis. You had no say in what your MOS would be. Im also more respectful of what servicepeople endure. Huge streams of paperwork came through military intelligence offices that allowed Lomperis a birds eye view of the war and how it functioned. I was able to get into a band there. So there was a great need for personnel outside South Vietnam through out the entire period, and the refusal to mobilize the Reserves and National Guard only exacerbated the problem. You guessed it, my last name started with a T. Got a question 11Cav, during the Vietnam era/60s early 70s period, was there a difference between volunteering for the draft and outright enlisting? VA decides these claims on a case-by-case basis. I know that was very dependent upon where you called home, but that was my reality, Thornton said. 5) Venice, Italy. During that time, I was assigned to the sick officers quarters, sadly watching many men pass away. Reservists who were assigned to flight, ground, or medical crew duties at the following locations between 1969 and 1986, and who developed an Agent Orange related disability. They were also stationed in Germany, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, Guam and the continental United States. Many celebrities joined in the protests. That led to deep divisions between Washington and Berlin. Back at home over the decades, veterans themselves may have helped camouflage the roles they played during the war. And there were the German-American friendship weeks every year. They left their families to fight in a war that wasnt popular. They wore dirty boots and dog tags hanging around their necks. Being a noncombatant doesnt mean they didnt feel scared, that there wasnt a looming sense of danger even onthe biggest bases that were considered safer areas, Lair said. 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. They proudly served their country, but were derided by combat troops as REMFs or rear echelon mother (insert expletive here), Appy said. 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. 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. 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. During the war, these men felt like they were part of the military endeavor, but its not what the public celebrates. Dave. The rule was to always go out in groups of two or three, but I often went by myself unarmed. I was thinking I would have a better chance of determining where I would be sent.. Its easy to forget how large a US military presence in West Germany and Korea was maintained during the late 60s and early 70s aside from the forces fighting in Vietnam. 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. 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. Soldiers bought goods with their ration cards, which were punched when purchases were made, Lair said. Deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our Nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk. 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. German Chancellor Gerhard Schrder, knowing the majority of voters supported him, ruled out Germany's involvement. The songs East of Underground played weren't your run-of-the-mill patriotic marches in fact, some of them included controversial lyrics about race and politics. Sign up for a new account in our community. There are different degrees of experience. I worked in an air-conditioned office and wore khakis, starched shirts, spit-shined shoes and a belt with a shiny brass buckle. File a claim online. Troop Deployment, 1950-2003 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. "So this was a very viable way to avoid active duty in Southeast Asia.". 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.. Lewis Hitt played guitar in East of Underground. I expected it would be worse in Vietnam, but it was a more satisfying experience, Shkurti said. Don't forget Panama and Alaska, Alaska itself in that time period had two Infantry Brigades separate stationed there. The Ramstein base is especially significant, since it is also headquarters of the United States Air Forces in Europe. 3) Paris, France. The cover of East of Underground's self-titled LP. of United States Army installations in Germany Pew Research Center I had an uncle that was drafted out of Brooklyn, NY. Involved in the Vietnam War The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. They worked in intelligence. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) oakleaf777, 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. Because he was one of the last there in that formation and those three went to the ROK. I was in Infantry AIT at Ft. Polk Nov. 68-Jan 69. 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. They were so talented, I just assumed they would have a contract with the first studio they walked into.". Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. 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. "I've done my own searches on Google and so forth, but I cannot find anything," Hitt says. Stationed Today, he cautions people not to draw quick lessons from the war. This is not about being negative or complaining, but simply having a balanced outlook for your transition. Since his older two brothers were already serving in Vietnam he was not allowed to go. I can only speak from my own experiences. So many popular movies feature the combat side of war ground combat or maybe the air war. Is it just the guy with the gun? 2018 Petabit Scale, All Rights Reserved. Opposition to the war made military personnel band together. I volunteered for the draft and was sent to Ft. Lewis, Wa. 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. He was stationed in Gillenhausen, protecting a valley called Folda Gap. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. 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. Only about one out of seven were combat troops, said historian Chris Appy, history professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Its ironic because we were there to protect them. 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. 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). Home was tough because my parents did not agree with my volunteering. I assisted a medical officer suture up a Marine after a bar fight who was so drunk he didnt need an anesthetic. After completing Field Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Shkurti was sent to Germany not Vietnam. 3. Why is Netflix pouring billions into South Korean shows? There were Viet Cong all over the place, but if you were street-smart you stayed safe, Lomperis said. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). "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. Napoleon said, An army marches on its stomach, and the U.S. military followed his advice.