re: Any Viet Nam vets here? do you want to share your experience?

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Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP), 173rd Airborne Brigade

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My dad was with this unit in Vietnam and he was at Dak To. He never went into any depth about what he saw but some of the comments he'd make from time to time was enough to make your skin crawl.
He did say that his entire platoon was killed, along with his company commander, trying to take a hill and most of the rest of his company was killed by friendly fire when a 500lb bomb was dropped on their location by accident.

My Dad was with the USMC 1/5 1967. He was involved in operation Union and Union 2 (Que Sung Valley mostly, I believe)

In the last 5 years or so he has been going to some reunions and talking with one of the guys he served with on a regular basis. I think it has helped him a good bit.

I didn't notice any problems he had growing up but I can see now things were pretty tough on him and still are at times.

I have heard a fair amount of stories and a few from his friend. Can't even imagine watching a friend take his last breath while asking for Mama...

He always said booby traps scared him way more than a fire fight.

I told this story here once. Just to get an idea of their brotherhood or whatever you wish to call it.

I was in Vegas in 2006-08. I played golf at Rio Secco which is a 30-45 minute trip. Took an “executive shuttle” back. 60 ish year old black man in a sweet Escalade. I was by myself and decided to split the ride with a group in the clubhouse waiting. Two sons and their dad. Dad and the driver were both in Vietnam. I can’t recall what brought it up. Just a 45 minute ride. Something small like a marine logo on something?

Anyway they get to talking. They were both in Vietnam at near the same time and pretty close to each other. Dates and units and camp info all checked out between the two of them. With a nod or a grunt of approval or “whew”. I was in the front seat so I could see the drivers face and the dads face through angles in the mirrors and reflection. I realized as they talked, the driver was welling up. Mind you ZERO stories were told. The two sons were dead silent like “oh shite dads talking about Vietnam”.

When the ride ended the driver got out and pulled the dads bag out first. They hugged and cried!! Perfect strangers who met less than an hour prior. One black and one white. Me and the two sons didn’t make a fricking peep. Lol

Not the most riveting story but ..... my dad was a dentist in the Navy stationed in San Diego aboard a hospital ship. They were deployed to Vietnam and while underway the ship had major mechanical issues and was returned to SD. Another ship was sent instead. He wouldn't have seen any action obviously but it worked out good for the crew being able to stay home with families etc. He had to do reconstructive dental work on soldiers returned from nam and he said it was life-changing/altering. Guys with their faces scalded/ part blown off, some blind, missing limbs, ears, etc. Sad all around.

Like I said, not the greatest story but guess I just wanted to mention my late Dad since he did serve our country. RIP Dad, miss you.

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I did not do a tour but I did burn my draft card and protest the war heavily while in college. Heady times.

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a friend of mine's brother said hell no, we won't go and went to Mexico and Japan, somehow got through med school during the war, his bil was on Trey Prather's hs football team, when Trey got killed almost the entire football team joined the Marines to go get some payback, he saw some very heavy shite and was wounded, I've been to a lot of family get togethers with them over the years and to this day they have to keep their distance from each other

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He was my neighbor growing up. I never heard him talk much about it, one time he mentioned the smell of dead bodies was something he'd never forget.

Richard was one of the best hunters I've ever known. He could walk through an open hardwood bottom and you would never know he was there. Always killed or trapped more game than anyone I knew.

He had two brothers that fought as well. His oldest brother retired from the Army. His youngest brother was in the airforce. He had a girlfriend there that was killed while they were trying to pull out of the country. When he came home he wouldn't talk to anyone but his mother for a very long time.

It's a damn shame what those boys went through over there and when they got back.

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One of his buddies didn’t like how the superior treated him putting him on the front line. So they killed the superior. Shot him in the head as they crossed a levee.

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Not sure what to say here....

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Was there on day one in Iraq. Never went to Afghanistan.

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I was the opposite, deployed twice to Afghanistan. 21B, route clearance, 2007 and 2009. I look back and it’s hard to believe it’s already been +10 years. After the military, when I started undergrad at LSU most the kids in my classes were in diapers when 9/11 hit.

My Dad was a paratrooper, served 2 tours in Viet Nam. We drank many beers together, talked about many different topics. We were pretty dam close. I asked a couple of times about his experience, he just shake his head and say I wouldnt understand.
I saw the demons and emotional scars he took from that war. I have never been in the military, but Dad help me understand(best i could) price paid for our freedom as Americans. So many young people dont have any idea....