They left their families to fight in a war that wasnt popular. 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. 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. Like suburban sprawl, the largest American bases just kept getting bigger, Lair said. It's kind of both complicated and disjointed, it was a struggle to be sure. For the government ofLudwig Erhard (October 1963-November 1966) it was ultimately fatal. They wore dirty boots and dog tags hanging around their necks. Ask me or any other serviceperson and they will tell you they are proud of their service, Shkurti said. 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. Those aircraft were used for military airlift, medical transport, and cargo transport operations in the United States and internationally. 2. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where they have been for the past 40 years. 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. Thanks, your message has been sent successfully. I was thinking I would have a better chance of determining where I would be sent.. 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. 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. 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 WebThe Vietnam War exposed this problematic dimension in the U.S.-German relationship most dramatically. The big problem was that Saigon was Sodom and Gomorrah. They worked in intelligence. Everyone else went directly to Vietnam, or a few were sent to Ft. Benning to attend the NCO School or Airborne Training. He says it was completely random, some bodies had to go to 7th Army and his lucky number came up. However, their wartime ally, the Soviet Union, soon became an enemy. In response the Corps of Engineers drastically reduced the size of EUD and reconstituted it as the Europe District. They also ate pretty well. 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. 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. He remembers his commanding officer Abrams as a political genius who turned the war around.. Health Care 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. Involved in the Vietnam War A rare photo of East of Underground in performance. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. 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. We had each other, and we understood it takes so much honor to serve during the tough times. This is the official public website of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 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. That was where I met my wife. Being Stationed in Germany The sky swarmed with helicopters. Germany To make it even more complicated, just what is a combat veteran? Attention A T users. 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. I volunteered for the draft and was sent to Ft. Lewis, Wa. 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. They have rock climbing, paddle boarding, BBQ grills, a restaurant, hiking trails, and more. Is it just the guy with the gun? Those recordings were lost for decades, until a collector discovered an East of Underground LP in 1997. Vietnam War Most of all, Army bands will strive to honor General George Washington's observation, "Nothing is more agreeable and ornamental than good music. You would think (serving in Germany) would be a great duty, but it wasnt.. 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. Powered by Invision Community, Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in W.Germany, South Korea, and CONUS, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. 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. 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. Dave. May 31, 2017 in MILITARY HISTORY DISCUSSIONS. WebIn An Army in Crisis Alexander Vazansky analyzes the social crisis that developed among the U.S. Army forces stationed in Germany between 1968 and 1975. 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). If you enlisted you would serve 3 years and chose your MOS. Error, please try again. In Vietnam everyone knew everyone and what job they had. I say 16 months because his orders were involuntarily extended because he was in the ROK when the USS Pueblo was taken. None would be here if Vietnam never happened, so it creates bittersweet feelings but no regrets, Thornton said. One colonel joked, If we ever really got attacked, the V.C. C-123 Airplanes and Agent Orange Residue - Public Health Hitt says he had already been in one Army band by the time he joined the group. "I met the singers and the other players and we got together and played, and it just kind of all meshed together.". During that time, I was assigned to the sick officers quarters, sadly watching many men pass away. As my husband likes to preach: expectation management.. 2) Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Drug abuse, overdoses, crime and traffic accidents led to several deaths within his unit. 1. After graduating AIT at Fort Knox I was sent to their NCO Armor School. Abook describes and analyzes the important Engineer effort in Europe. The mood around the country was not good for the military, not like today with cheers and applause for returning members. Huge streams of paperwork came through military intelligence offices that allowed Lomperis a birds eye view of the war and how it functioned. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. This lasted for 5 months, then we were told, Okanawa. Like all the other members, he was a draftee, and had come from a tiny town in Mississippi. was told," you are going to Germany, get your wives in german class". Out of our entire class I believe two, maybe three guys got orders for Korea. Vietnam 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. Peace activists, however, saw them as a threat and held massive demonstrations. of United States Army installations in Germany More military personnel played support roles than combat ones. Then, there was the shopping. An Army in Crisis In addition to meeting locals, walks off-base could provide valuable intelligence. I think I never knew, or know even today, of any Vietnam-era vets I would not embrace as brothers. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. WebThe United States Army has 40 military installations in Germany, two of which are scheduled to close. So many servicemen came home and saw how the story (of the Vietnam War) was being told. "I'm just amazed that [the band's] three singers didn't have hit records after they left the Army. This often creates barriers to their full integration into German society. Men facing shipping out exhibited many types of behavior. I was going for many reasons, but the most important was to close a chapter of history I felt needed closing, Thornton said. Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Army Staff Medal First Class and is the author of four books about Vietnam including The War Everyone Lost and Won.. 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. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. 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. Country western music blared all over Saigon, Lomperis said. 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. Ammunition storage facility, Heilbronn, West Germany (left); "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. The question became: When will someone tell what my war was like? Lair said. 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. 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. The guys with the gear in the rear. I talked to many men who felt sheepish that they didnt have those (combat) stories to share, Lair said. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. They lived in an apprehensive state. I can only speak from my own experiences. 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. This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. But in Vietnam, the Cold War became an inferno. Your message has not been sent. Its kind of like playing goalie for a soccer team. He could take that information back to the base. They wore fatigues and carried M16s. "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. They were the rear echelon. Both Germany and Vietnam were on the front lines of the Cold War. Its ironic because we were there to protect them. I am focused on peace and conflict reduction on a global and local scale, he said. 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. Tomorrow is too unpredictable, especially during deployment, he 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. Reflecting back, Im more skeptical whether a war of choice can help defend a country in the long run. 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. If you dig into it, it becomes a very grey war, he said. Over 220 others have already been closed, mostly following the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. 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. He now is an adjunct professor in the John Glenn College of Public Service. 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. So many popular movies feature the combat side of war ground combat or maybe the air war. stationed in Germany The Office of History, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Army Center of Military History jointly published this book,Building for Peace: U.S. Army Engineers in Europe, 1945-1991 written by Robert P. Grathwol and Donita Moorhus. have hearing loss. 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. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). The cover of East of Underground's self-titled LP. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). The US Army employed 17,000 American civilians in Germany in 2019. It was painful to even be around them. The enemy was the Soviet Union and the other signatories of the Warsaw Pact, including the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. 7) Cologne, Germany. 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. I had surgery shortly after the fire, then spent convalescent leave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Outdoor Recreation Center. "I've done my own searches on Google and so forth, but I cannot find anything," Hitt says. File a claim online. Today, he cautions people not to draw quick lessons from the war. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links. Germany 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. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. 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. Germany During 6) Berlin, Germany. Over the years the US Army has become firmly entrenched in the German landscape. 5) Venice, Italy. 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. Their lot was really rugged, Lomperis said. Find out if you qualify for VA health care. In retirement he wrote Soldiering On in a Dying War focusing on the Vietnam drawdown and The Ohio State University in the Sixties.. He never carried a gun because if he was shot, the enemy soldier could have claimed it was self-defense, he said. Knowing that the threat is so close by is an incentive for people to work together. 8) Bruges, Belgium. The rockets, armed with nuclear warheads, became a political issue. People dont understand how consequential the decisions were that were being made at headquarters, he said. In 1972 Thornton enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 and trained to be a hospital corpsman. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. Only about one out of seven were combat troops, said historian Chris Appy, history professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 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. Their story got eliminated. Germany 2 weeks before we graduated they told us, " Class 17, RVN". Even before Erhard succeeded Konrad Adenauer as West Germany's second chancellor, the conflict in Vietnam had I worked in an air-conditioned office and wore khakis, starched shirts, spit-shined shoes and a belt with a shiny brass buckle. Napoleon said, An army marches on its stomach, and the U.S. military followed his advice. Home was tough because my parents did not agree with my volunteering. One strong memory I have is how tough it was for the families, Thornton said. visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for more resources. 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. His unit lost more men to overdose and traffic accidents in Germany than to combat in Vietnam. 18th Military Police Brigade (United States At any moment all hell could break loose, Lair said. 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.. 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. Don't forget Panama and Alaska, Alaska itself in that time period had two Infantry Brigades separate stationed there. Engineers and USACE remained in Europe, still proud of their contribution to defending Western Europe and ending the Cold War. "So this was a very viable way to avoid active duty in Southeast Asia.". An average of 311,870 troops were stationed in Europe per year during 19861990. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then there was the two infantry brigades in Alaska, the 171st and 172nd, both gave up one battalion each for transfer to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii before it left there for South Vietnam, two full battalions had to be raised to replace the ones sent away. 3) Paris, France. 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.". If you call it wrong, thousands of people could end up being killed, he said. The U.S. military presence in Germany peaked at 274,119 in 1962, nearly eight times its level last year. The entire emphasis is on the narrow combat experience, Lair said. 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. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. ". The following individuals may qualify for benefits related to Agent Orange exposure: Veterans may file a claim for disability compensation for health problems they believe are related to exposure to Agent Orange residue on post-Vietnam C-123 airplanes. During the war, these men felt like they were part of the military endeavor, but its not what the public celebrates. 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.. Mastering these complicated and delicate international arrangements, EUD accomplished a large and complex construction program, especially during the 1980s. Im also more respectful of what servicepeople endure. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. 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. 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. 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. We had an Infantry MOS Soldiers on one of our Sheridan Tanks. There were Viet Cong all over the place, but if you were street-smart you stayed safe, Lomperis said. He served as budget director for the state of Ohio from 1985 to 1987. Its important for people to know they exist. They were touted as filling an important gap in NATO's deterrent shield against the Warsaw Pact. When they got home they were all the same (veterans), but they did not all have an equal experience. Arriving in West Germany, was a shocking experience for the new Army recruit. These facilities supported the large American and NATO forces stationed for almost fifty years on the front lines of the conflict between East and West, ready to confront a Soviet invasion. 9) Luxembourg Deploy network infrastructure faster and easier than ever before, with pre-packaged yet massively scalable infrastructure components for top packet and optical systems. The Federal Republic of Germany became an important strategic location during the Cold War. Many veterans struggled with feeling that their experience didnt measure up. No matter where veterans served in Vietnam, they were a close witness to danger. In their spare time, servicepeople could go to the library, join a service club or take a spin on the go-kart track. I had an uncle that was drafted out of Brooklyn, NY. 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. Based on the HMD report, VA has decided to acknowledge exposure to Agent Orange for personnel whose military service involved regular contact with the contaminated C-123 aircraft. He is seen here waving to his fans at Bremerhaven train station. 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. When support servicemen crossed paths with combat troops, We felt guilty. 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. "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. At the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused induction into the United States Army, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the conflict. They gave up their lives back home. One would fly overhead about every 60 seconds, remembers the professor emeritus of political science at Saint Louis University. Saigon was considered relatively safe, but life wasnt easy and violence erupted.
John Henry Johnson Obituary,
Artificial Insemination Classes For Cattle In Wisconsin,
Warren County, Nj Most Wanted,
Vaporesso Swag Puff Counter Reset,
Ada County Court Calendar,
Articles S