How Ridiculous Did the Vietnam War Get? A Veteran Explains
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ค. 2024
- Larry Brockman enlisted in the Army in July of 1969 and served as a mechanic, crew chief, and flight engineer with the 213th Assault Support Helicopter Company. Brockman left active duty following the war and eventually joined the reserves in 1973. He would later deploy to Kuwait for Desert Storm in 1991 and deploy again ten years later during the invasion of Iraq. After over thirty-nine years of service, Brockman retired from the military.
🌎 Support the mission: www.patreon.com/TheVietnamExp...
🎤 Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
📸 Get behind the scenes content on Instagram: thevietname...
Chapters
0:00 - Combat Missions
1:02 - Ridiculous Rules
3:52 - Race Issues?
5:02 - Overdue Welcome Home
7:58 - Veteran Brotherhood
9:14 - Vietnam Stigma
10:28 - Times Have Changed (Desert Storm)
11:47 - Reflections
Welcome to the largest TH-cam channel exclusively dedicated to the Vietnam War. We strive to build a better future by learning from the past. All participants - and their military citations - have been vetted. For the sake of privacy, we do not share veteran contact information.
Do you know a Vietnam veteran, survivor or witness that should be interviewed? Send us an email at the address below.
Thevnexperience@gmail.com - บันเทิง
![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA W2D2 | Summer | โหดจัด ซัดไม่เลี้ยง](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TJa9d7tpSP4/mqdefault.jpg)
Listen to our podcast 🎤: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vietnam-experience/id1732962685
My Dad was a medic/corpsman in Vietnam. One year at Christmas when I was about 10 we were Christmas shopping and a man came running up to my Dad and said “It’s you!! You carried me on your back in Vietnam! I will never forget your face!” We we’re all dumbstruck, my Dad was speechless. The guy introduced his whole family to my Dad and just exuded gratitude. After his family went on their way, I asked my Dad “Do you remember that guy?” He said “nope. I carried a lot of guys on my back” and that was all he said about it. Bless all Vietnam vets. All veterans.
Your Dad was a hero to many
Your dad is a man of honor god bless him
Bless your father.
He carried him only to believe there is no such thing as Democracy.
💖
Welcome home soldier.
No person of your quality should ever be denied a proper welcome home.
I'll tell you who benefitted from Vietnam and Iraq. The defense contractors. They made a huge fortune.
"Those who profit from war should not make the decision to go to war". General David Shoup.
My grandfather was a Marine at Tarawa, lead by then Colonel Shoup. That's what got me looking into him.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_M._Shoup
And the people who built the roller coasters
& the banks
Col Douglas Macgregor was right. Democracy never existed and won't exist.
General Patton said we defeated the wrong enemy
Wow.. you’re so deep..
One of my high school friends was a Marine Sniper in Vietnam. When he returned, he was on prescription drugs to help him either forget, or find a way out of his mental hell. He was one of those lost in Vietnam, even though he returned, he never came back "home".
My neighbor and best friend committed suicide a couple of years ago. I don't think he could ever forget. He had a purple heart and other medals. Viet Nam was and for many is still a hell on Earth.
🫡💜🇺🇸🥀
A kid I went to high school with got so messed over in 'Nam that he jumped off a bridge here at home because he no longer could take the mental anguish. When your 19-20 years-old and younger, and you see things no one should ever see, it can do a number on you. How in the hell were we supposed to put shit like we saw behind us?
@@felixmadison5736 RIP 🥀 to your friend 🫡💜🇺🇸 many of our homeless are Vets w under or mistreated traumatic brain injuries, I'm doubling down on my donation efforts to food banks and homeless shelters this coming year ...
It’s so sad. I recently read “Fortunate Son” by Louis Puller Jr. Lost both legs.. but came back and made it til age 38, then shot himself. Amazing read.. won the Pulitzer Prize. Broke my heart for all those young men. 🥲🥲
I was in the USMC over there, ‘67, a ground pounder, 60mm mortars. Imagine the absurdity of a war fought where your airplanes are expected to dogfight with enemy aircraft but you’re forbidden from taking out their airfields. We hogtied ourselves repeatedly over there. I wasn’t upset in the least when none of my sons elected to join the military.
I served in a time of relative peace. Knowing how wrong our government can go, I had reservations when one of my grandsons joined the National Guard. I trust his company commander to do right way more than I trust our current civilian chain of command. I'm saddened I don't have the patriotic zeal I once did for our institutions. Maybe it's because of age or I've read too much history. The history doesn't lie. Semper Fi Marine, God Bless you.
I coached kids that went Iraq and Afghanistan, they all came back damaged, some physically most mentally. May the politicians rot in hell for oil, natural resource and drugs, we guarded the opium fields and they shipped back heroin the plague of our youth.
I did RVN '66-'67, E/2/1 1st Mar. Div. 0311, who were you with?
@@boondocker7964 India co., 3/5 (hence my icon). Started around Chu Lai, spent most of my tour in Que Son Valley, then we ended up about 50mi. south of Da Nang. Went home in the middle of Tet at beginning of ‘68.
Did Union 1 and Union 2, down there, was thinking about extending for 6 months, the M-16's, changed my mind, if I extended, I would have been back in the world either in Feb. or Mar. '68, glad that I did not extend. Did Hastings, up near the Rockpile in '66, were you there?@@lightningdriver81
I guess this is the reason we never win anything anymore. No one can defeat us. We defeat ourselves with absolute stupidity.
I guess that's true, United states literally uses other countries as playground to make their men serve to always balance the fact that they need struggle to keep strong men showing to the world how great the soldiers they have.
But USA has a little need for conquering territories other than oil. That's why they always leave.
Yes i completely agree. Your society is in absolute decay and yet somehow the American government thinks it has the moral ascendency to police the world. What a shame.
@@aveteranplayer6403not to mention job security for the military industrial complex and arms manufacturers.
It’s very difficult to defeat another country in their own country. Russia is learning that first hand. Hell they did it in Afghanistan and then we made the same mistake. We should have never been in Vietnam to begin with.
This is true
I had a roommate who was a vet. He said the strangest thing for him about the war was the transition(or lack of) from the war to being at home. Like, on Tuesday he was in Viet Nam being shot at, then later that same week he was walking around Los Angeles.
Yup. We had a buddy that was a perfect example of that. They turned him into a combat killing machine, and within 24 hours he rotated out and was in a big city. That didn't go well for him at all. These guys needed a cooling off period. Even as recently as 10 years ago we have seen this at work when we hire recent vets.
And it worked just the opposite way too. You get on a plane in the states and the next day you land in a jungle with people trying to kill you every day. You learn quick! I went to Vietnam in July, 1969. Hot and humid as a son of a bitch, and then the monsoons. We get off the plane almost dropping from the humidity and a sgt. is telling us to fill sand bags to get used to the heat. Then the 'fun' starts.
@@justadbeer My father didn't have it nearly as rough, being Radio-teletype with Schinook choppers on a base most of his tenure, in the Mekong Delta. Except, yeah it was the Delta. they were mortered quite often. he's 77 now and ever since he got home he tells me he struggles with loud noises. his transition was easier than what you and the OC had examples of, but never easy I imagine.
Yeah that was a mistake. In other wars units transitioned and out. Here it was individuals shipped in and out and as you say, one day in the shit and 3 days later at home. That'll screw anyone up.
The war was mostly about hunting pedophiles. At that time they claimed to be combatting communism but it was mostly about pedophiles.
My dad was in Nam and he never talks about it. Sir, you had me in tears. Total respect.
How? talking about beauracy?
If you haven't, make sure your dad knows you're open to listening to whatever he may want to say about his time in service.
EDIT: Assuming you _are_ open to it. 🤣
@@justinsmith4562sit down
Shame on your dad for believing Democracy was real.
@@kaecake9575 What do you know about his feelings on democracy ?
I was just asked to do a speech on the Vietnam war as a combat veteran. I’m going to tell them about the lies like the gulf of Tonkin incident and the unfairness of the draft. The McNamara morons and the way the rich evaded the draft.
Some of those rich couldn’t go because the had heal spurs. Who’d guess they could still be potus.
Give them hell! Can you get the press there?
Bonespurs were an epidemic then I hear.
Don't forget the way we were neglected by the VA for 40 years.
Read the Pentagon papers.
Partner it’s only gotten worse since then . I was in Afghanistan & a Taliban walked up in front of a gun tower & fired a RPG that hit me disabling me & the tower never returned a shot . The reason they gave was the ROE was unless a armed insurgent was actively going through the wire they were not allowed to engage . Yeh that was the norm . My life was permanently altered because some political decision to send me there & not protect myself.
Thank You for Your service. More people need to hear this.
Ignoring stupid orders is the only way to stay alive. Vietnam veterans would have told you that but we had been silenced. Don't listen to us, we're all crazy, right? The two things we knew were how to stay alive and to never believe anything officers or politicians say. It was true then and it's true now and it's the knowledge that they fear most.
you signed up to get paid to work for the most evil organization in the world.
@@neilreynolds3858advancement in comms have made that difficult. In Vietnam if a door gunner returned fire the only way command would know is if they had someone watching or counting ammo. Now when they don't have someone watching on their cameras they will know soon enough when the insurgents posted it on Instagram
You had a choice. You chose to join the military knowing how other vets are treated.
I had very similar experiences in Viet Nam during my tour from September 1970 to July 1971. My last duty station was with the 243 Assault Support Helicopter Co DBT RVN which was a Chinook Helicopter company at Dong Ba Thin near Cam Rahn Bay. The rules of engagement were unbelievable. We had a new company commander that took our weapons away, I believe early 1971 or there a-bouts. One night when the mortars coming in and we had no weapons. We had to stand in line while under attach in order to be issued our M16s in case we needed to defend ourselves. I will never forgive the stupidity of the Army and the Company Commander for that act. I experienced the same distain when returning home after my service. It took Desert Storm before the appreciation of our troops was changed in the minds of the public.
We rarely see old men shed a tear, but I'm 73 and can tear up easily under certain circumstances. Old men have tender feelings often and there's no shame in getting teary-eyed, usually you power through the crisis but later when you are in private you can get emotional where no one sees.
True. Even with movies.
@gymshoe8862 - I'm 52 and know the vets of Desert Storm, Bosnia (forgotten), Afghanistan and Iraq. Troops in Bosnia saw the mass graves. Society shows no pity for a man crying despite all the shit they say. That's why many just compartmentalize it. You have to function.
NEVER apologise for showing emotion. It just means that you're human.
... modern warfare ain't no on picnic the munitions are getting more and more powerful, brain scrambling bad 😔 RIP 🥀 to our fallen 🪖 s. A small reminder many of our homeless are our VETS 🫡💜🇺🇸 please consider a food or cash donation to a local food pantry or shelter Salvation Army has very low operational costs high impact, and Gospel Missions, USA wide every big city has em I try to get a ham or 🦃 out annually. I used to participate in a free thanksgiving feast delivery in Denver CO I think I found one to help assemble free meals here in metro Phoenix 🌵 happy holidays to all that read this but especially our Veterans today 🫡💜🇺🇸
@@rup54I get very upset when I see American movies about Vietnam because they refuse to show your most loyal Ally ,you write us out of history 🇦🇺
I was drafted in 1966 was sent to Vietnam when I came home for a thirty day leave in 1968 I was sent to South Carolina. While I was waiting at the airport a person came up to me and noticed I was wearing a combat infantryman badge. I thought he was going to say welcome home. He asked me how many babies did I kill. When I was discharged I didn’t admit to serving in Vietnam for over twenty years. I didn’t get a thank you until the gulf war.
Welcome home, I'm glad you made it.
Some real ignorant people out there. Stand tall Stand proud, Sir.
I had to lie to get a job for 15 years after serving in Nam. One manager let me go after a coworker ratted on me. After that, I didn't say anything to anyone.
@@jackblack3886 Bloody disgrace to treat you like that.
From one Nam veteran to another….Welcome home.
Served on a river patrol boat in the Mekong Delta in 1970. Was given a few days to decompress in Saigon. Arrived in raggedy fatigues and told by MP's I had to fix my appearance. Had to buy new fatigues on the black market with my own money. We ate WW-II vintage K rations from the brown cans and shot WW-II vintage ammo. We survived on WW-II vintage K-rations and, because our water was contaminated by fuel oil, canned beer and soda. We got drunk a lot which didn't help combat readiness. When I meet another VN vet and tell him welcome home, we both get emotional, even after 50+ years.
Buddy of mine was on a PBR in the delta in 69. Best mechanic I know, taught me everything I know about working on diesel engines.
I totally remember the WW II Rats! Ham and eggs LOL, Beanie Weenies, and a pack of cigarettes with each box! The peaches or pears were only OK! Crackers were like plaster !
that stuff made spam taste good. The local food made us pretty sick as our bodies were introduced to a totally different biota. And no bottled water back then! Go figure,
Welcome home, had 1 brother in Vietnam as a river rat and another in the Army doing some crazy shit ( he was in, did his tour of vietnam, got out, went back in and said I want to go back to vietnam, i want stay a combat engineer but I want 6 months as a door gunner or I won't reenlist. They said ok. During the tet offensive, my two brothers were according to them, about 3 miles apart, of course they didn't know it until later.
It was a weird period of history. After serving a combat tour in Vietnam with a Marine rifle company, I was discharged as a 20 year old veteran. I was refused being served a beer at a bar and was rejected trying to buy a box of .22 rifle shells at a sporting goods store. Both because I was not old enough. I was not in a healthy frame of mind at that time.
I've always thought that was bizarre. You're not old enough to drink or buy a firearm, but you ARE old enough to die for your country. Priorities...
You had to be 21 to buy bullets? Kind of crazy that you walked around carrying all sorts of ammunition to kill people with and grenades and everything else, but back home you couldn’t buy ammo to kill gophers with. That is pretty baffling. Filled you poor kids full of pills, beer, and hard liquor but had to drop everything when you came home. The whole thing is just ugly.
@@FirstLast-vr7esHypocrisy in action!!
@@FirstLast-vr7es It was probably a good thing you couldn't purchase ammunition at that time!
What?.. the age for buying ammunition has always been 18 and the drinking age wasn’t raised to 21 until 1984. Stop lying
I'm a Republic of Vietnam OH 6A (67v20) helicopter crew chief. I was drafted in 1967 and my next door neighbor, Alex Zsigo 173rd, was killed in June at the Battle of the Slopes, the same month I went off to the Army. I was given a promotion to Specialist 5 in 5 months. I was sent to 2 Army helicopter schools and held a total of 3 MOSs. I spent a fortnight in a Vietnam field hospital. I got out of the Army in 1970 because of the lifer drunks. May God have mercy on you. Interesting interview here.
Respect & A Salute to you, I,m a 10 year US Army Veteran Sept.78-88 I was a 67V (OH-58A) Crew-chief... God Bless..
Fortnight? Are you british?
Hahaha hahaha. Pardner, I'm Texan with many fancy degrees, thanks to uncle Sam and the GI bill. Hahaha. Originally from Michigan. My gg grandparents were from England near Chasing, Kent.
Count another 67Victor here...B-7/17th, Camp Holloway, Pleiku, Graduate of the Clash of 1970. Glad you made it back to the World, brothers. And I still miss my Cayuse. Loved that ship. Quite often it feels as if that's the Only thing I've done in my life that was completely worthwhile.
God Bless you brother!! I got to work on a OH-6 with the NY National Guard, they had 6 of the beautiful Egg with a hard on!! But within a few months they were gone..Sold to Israel.. I was with the 1St Armored Div, 501St Combat Aviation Battalion, Nuremberg, (West) Germany.. @@rpmhart
70’s was a strange time. As truck drivers, we could lock and load out of the gate, and could fire back when fired on. We always supposed it was because the brass expected their booze, bullets, and sundries. We also had immediate air support
An ex brother in law drove on Rt 1. He said more than once he pulled in with all tires shot out, 15 empty mags for his M-16, 5 empty mags for a grease gun he wasnt supposed to have and was down to his last round in his .45.
Great interview. I’m also a Vietnam veteran 69-70 Huey crew chief also was with the 1st Aviation Brigade. I experienced the same issues as you. When we were mortared our gun ships saw the VC running but could not fire back until the village government or whatever they were called would give approval. Welcome Home Brother
Was a field wire man in an assault helicopter company with the 1st Aviation Brigade 71-72. It got chicken shit. Would take up to halve a hour for POS South Vietnamese to give approval to return fire in way too many areas We had a great captain that think was on his third Nam tour and came close to stop flying because of the BS. He told his crew chief to make sure his Hueys was loaded up on Christmas Eve. Told him he was going out early Christmas day to " do a test run ".When he got back crew chief reminded him of the 24 hour Christmas truce. He said there was no truce in Cambodia. He used up every rocket & mini gun round. Heard he died of cancer maybe 20 years ago. Often wonder if Agent Orange caused his cancer.
@@garbo8962
Thanks for your service. It took too many years for us to finally be recognized for our service.
Meanwhile, the higher ups who make these moronic rules of engagement, are home enjoying their families while you’re fighting their wars.
Thank you for everything that you and your boys did over there. Glad that you made it home and hope that you’ve had a great life afterwards.
We fired back asked for forgiveness later. After a while they stopped shooting from the village. Your information on the village sucked if ( if none of the village dogs were not barking and it was completely black VC were moving through or setting up for mortars) hit them on more than one occasion before they got their first round off or had predetermined grid for counter fire.
Larry, Welcome Home and thank you.
My uncle who served in Vietnam told me at a young age that any time I met a Vietnam Vet to shake their hand, look them in the eye and say Welcome Home. I have never missed that chance since he told me that.
I never heard him share any experiences he had while serving there (my mother said not too, I kind of wish I had asked him now), and family only found out shortly prior to his death in 2010 that he had received 2 Purple Hearts, and that was only because his wife had convinced him to get a Purple Heart license plate for his truck. Still have no idea what happened, as he never shared exactly what happened to anyone, even his wife or kids.
You got screwed at that time, and you deserved better. I am glad you were able to experience the correct way of being welcomed home, even though it took several decades. I wish more Vietnam vets were able to have that experience.
Thanks for sharing this story.
Thank you but the best thing you can do is to stop the US from starting another pointless war only because some country won't do what we tell them.
@@neilreynolds3858 I wish I had that ability, but don't, so will continue to welcome home all vets, especially those that served in Vietnam and did not get the welcome home they deserved.
29 years after I came home, I was at an SA gas station. A guy was selling buddy poppy's, I mumbled I was a Vietnam Vet and said I'd buy one. He looked me the eyes put his hands on my shoulder and quietly said, "welcome Home." I burst into tears. I'd never heard that from anyone and didn't know those deep feeling were there.
I was with the 2/502 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. I spent my whole tour on the DMZ, mostly in the A Shaw Valley and sometimes on both sides of the Laos boarder. We were in a free fire zone, if I saw a target an NVA solder, I walked point my whole tour and was supposed to be the team sniper but we were short of men. All units had different operational systems they used. I never experienced anything like he did.
We spent 330 days in the jungle and had no base camp to work out of. We would get a 2 day stand down (Break) at Camp Eagle, medical and dental work. Few of us shared the same experience in that war ... we were extremely well train, and Airborne Assault team. every four days we would get a "Kick out of food, ammo, medical supplies... there were NO drugs, where the hell were we supposed to get them? There were no villages, villagers, roads, just mountains.
Finally the reason we were their... ask Eisenhowe, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon, finally Ford...maybe they knew... we would take a position and then leave only to go back to do it all over again.
I was there with the 82abn. Combat medic
You were. Making the people you mentioned plus the Senators and Congressmen Money. You were keeping unemployment down and providing high paying jobs for the Economy. You were not supposed to win just hold the status.
I can never THANK YOU enough for your service especially in Vietnam. Vietnam vets deserved better. God bless you my brother!
We would all be speaking Vietnamese if it wasn't for their sacrifice
A lot of em spoke Chinese. From a Vietnam combat vet 1968
@@eugenemurray2708 no we wouldn’t have good grief!!
Depends on "Service" ...to the Rich muscle Flexers, or Capitalism or showing who is the big Dog on the Planet. Not to USA Citizens (with no military industry $).
@@Kickyourass484 Yea, I saw a Vietnam vet speak of unmistakable Chinese soldiers fighting alongside the NVA. His missions were more covert and said Chinese #'s were "light". He said this was because Vietnamese/Chinese felt the 🇺🇸 would retaliate with nukes if they found China entered the war. He was emphatic that he fought against Chinese soldiers on several occasions. I thought that was pretty interesting.
I experienced Pease ARB myself coming home from Iraq in Mar 2011. I believe that’s the place he was talking about. The people there met our plane at 3am. It brought me to tears. Hundreds and hundreds of residents there waving signs, dishing out coffee and homemade breakfast. They let us use their cell phones, chatted, hugged us, and just thanked us. I’ll never forget that moment. If one of those people is reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was broken and you helped me so much.
There’s something so humbling the way these particular vets talk. My dad told me that on his way back from Vietnam they stopped in Alaska for a day and when he went to the mess the cashier said “if you boys had done better I wouldn’t charge you.”
That “welcome back”, from Iraq, is heartwarming… I recently, asked my dad, age 93, how he came home Korea, in 51… now my dad, at age 21, was drafted and went to fort Campbell Kentucky, for boot camp, for basics, but, previously had never been out of his home county of northern NY… so, draft, really showed him the world…
I didn’t know, if he flew home, or, landed east, or west coast…, so, I’m asking a 93 yr old man, that even now, really isn’t fully aware of the entire Country…
He told me, “troop ship, to the west coast, and he landed on some island (age 93:)… “he said, most of the soldiers went for a bar to celebrate, but, myself, I wanted home, on the continent… so, I saw a giant bridge, about a mile away, and started walking… finally got to the bridge, and it was a BIG bridge… seems like, I walked 1/2 mile, on the bridge, and wasn’t nearly over it,,, and a car stopped, and offered me a lift… “
(Myself, I realized my dad was on the Golden Gate Bridge, but he didn’t know that:), “when we got off the bridge, he let me out of his car, I got down, and kissed the United States…”
Your. Dad was in fort Mason, that's where the troop ships came to load unload troops for the Korean war, the golden gate bridge is one mile away, fort Mason is still there, run by the national Park service, I worked there many years
@@dogsense3773 , thank you…, I’m still learning from my dad…:)
Dang, that's a cool story.
This happened because they had a PR campaign so they were able to sell the next war.
When I came back from Panama I was a hero. All the family guys had wives and kids waiting for them when we got back, but I had nobody. Nobody was waiting for me, nobody seemed happy I survived. I remember feeling really lonely and I walked inside and went upstairs to my barracks and unpacked. Same exact experience after the Gulf war. I was just a dumb kid back then. But now that I have a family of my own and I’m much older, these memories come back harder and harder because now I actually understand what happened and the sheer waste of it all.
I was in Vietnam in 69-70. When I got back in Seattle WA. I missed my flight to Michigan. I was broke, alone and very tired. I spent 5 days waiting on military
standby for a flight. Was treated like s_ _ t.
I think it was almost as memorable as being mortared all night...I will never forget that...and will never forgive.
I was also there in 69/70! March. When I arrived at St. Louis on my way to Kentucky several "hippies" commented on my AF uniform and suntan. Thank you for your service and so sorry for the way you were treated!
Thank Yall for Serving....
@@Suncast45 Yeah, when a buddy who went to basic and AIT and I got out together, it was late at night in Seattle and we had no idea where to go or what to do. A couple of hippies drove us around town to see the sights and gave us a place to crash until the next day. I was treated worse by the people who supported the war but wanted nothing to do with the guys who fought the war. You never know what people are like from the outside or their politics.
Yeah my pops threw out all his medals and burned his uniforms and grew his hair out and a big beard and identified with anti war sentiment after his time there. So much life lost in such horrible ways for absolutely nothing. To take a hill and then give it back to the enemy . Insane
Dude people died over there and you mad about a 5 day wait
I am getting worried about my Father who has Stage 5 Alzheimers right now. He told me a few 'Nam Stories' over the years but nothing that was overly disturbing, partly due to his MOS (Radio-teletype) on a base in the Mekong Delta for almost the entirety of 1 year. I am just waiting for the day when he recovers something from that time and blurts it out only to be able to hear a pin drop around our relatives. Thankfully most of us understand, and ALL of us love and respect him. He may have come home underappreciated but he worked his ass off the rest of his life and people know him as a kind, gentle and giving person. He's the best man I ever knew.
Please continue to Thank the Veterans you see.
Thank you for sharing that story. I wish you all the best for your father--mine died with dementia and I know how cruel it is to all who are affected by it.
@@jamc204 AMEN. It's absolutely awful to see and really hits home when it's a close relative as you know. He's got a couple good years I hope, maybe 5+ total if luck finds him. thank you and sorry for your loss
My gunsmith was in a SOG unit in Laos during Nam. Believe me he never really came home. He’s still fighting the war. He keeps a kit and a loaded and cocked .45 at arms reach, even with his kids walking around. Says he’s ready to go into the woods 24-7. Still has a price on his head, and can never go back. He told me some of his exploits in Laos, and I wondered how he ever survived. Many of the other teams didn’t. He said whatever you do only receive, but never broadcast on the radio, and only use enemy weapons to fight with. He is a great gunsmith and knows his weapons, and obviously how to use them. Where do we find men like that now?
Hanging out in bars silently drinking.
There's still a few running around, but we are running out of them. With the way the gulf war guys were treated nobody should enlist anymore. Your own government will stab you in the back, and the high ranking brass will help them.
@@bobclifton8021 I was at the SLC V.A. for an appointment and a guy with trench coat stopped me and asked if I would watch his coat for a second while he got a prescription. He looked like he was right out of the bush. He set it on the curb and I heard all the hardware. He came back quick. Seemed he and some other Vets lived in the mountains and wanted nothing to do with society. they couldn't or didn't want to adjust. I understand that. At 70 I still haven't completely adjusted and probably won't.
@@bradcurtis5324 How does one adjust to a government that stabbed us in the back and ignores us every opportunity it gets.
Cool story bro.
I came home in 72. After the worst year of my life it was punctuated with a hateful welcome home. Even the VFW didn't want us. College kids were the worst. I was stunned and later disgusted. I was a Medic in 3rd corp. 1st Aviation and temp. 1st cav. Didn't talk about it for 30 years. I was a refugee in my own country. My wife didn't know much it until I started having flash backs. The V.A. was not good after 95 and many younger people had no respect for the Veterans they served. They tried the welcome back later, but it was way to late.
I remember after coming home in 1970, if you went to a party with college kids, never say you're a Vietnam Vet. Especially if you want to meet a college girl. Years later the same people who hated you say 'thank you for your service'. Fifty years later. Geez what changed? I didn't.
That's right! The VFW didn't consider us veterans of a foreign war. Never had anything more to do with them.
As a young 24yr old Buck SGT, thank you for your service. I am so sorry you had to go through that. Some much fighting and terrors just to come back and fight an internal conflict and pretty much be spit on by those that didn’t fight. Welcome home🦾❣️
They wouldn’t let me in a vfw. Stopped me at the door. The ww2 vets disliked us. Dishonored us. Now they want us to join. Fuck that organization forever. And fuck those guys too.
When people thank me for my service, I'm polite but in my head I think, You have no idea what I did. I've started out having conversations with people even now in a Navy town and suddenly you can see their face change when they realize I'm not talking from theory but from experience. They get scared.
I served in Nam on an air base in Chu Lai 68-69 1st MAW MAG 12. But other than incoming, I was never in any danger while I was there. Just like today, these MANY years later, I really never knew why I was there, other than being told to go there. Coming home, I never had ANY trouble with anyone at SF airport or at Love Field. I don’t know why because I was in my uniform. What was weird was, NO ONE…family, relatives, coworkers and friends…ever asked me about Nam, not that I had anything to tell.
It's easy to think that taking incoming is not a big deal until you sit outside during an attack and realize that you're the only guy outside. I have a suspicion that it must be scary.
Have you ever heard the song “19” by Paul Hardcastle? It sums up that sentiment if not knowing what was going on.. great song.
@@neilreynolds3858
TBH…I was only scared twice when we had incoming. The first time I heard the explosions and that was on my second day there. And that one time when I knew the rounds were really close. Other than that, when we heard the rounds hit, we rarely went to the bunkers because the base was so big.
A friend of mine was over there in charge of dump trucks, he removed the governors off of them, an MP tried to stop him for speeding and they couldn’t catch him in there Jeeps LMFAOOO ..!!
I returned to the states in may 1973. We landed at Travis AFB and I got me discharge from active duty there. Several of us hired a cab to take us to San Francisco IAP for a flight to return home. As soon as I got to the airport it was obvious that I had to get in my civies ASAP. I went into a bathroom and changed putting my 1505s in a trash can. It's hard to forget about those scumbags who were spitting at servicemen and calling them names right out there in public.
Much apreciation to Larry for sharing his experiences in the military over so many years and war zones.
There can't be many people left alive who can match his extraordinary military career in terms of years and theatres of war in which he served which makes his candid and at times emotional reminiscences so valuable.
Bravo Larry and best wishes. May your story become school history for future generations.
I served my Army Career as a bandsman (Flute & Piccolo). We often played for soldier coming home to their families. The energy on the tarmac is incredible! It breaks my heart that so many Vietnam Era soldiers were not welcomed home after what they went through. Bless his heart
I am happy for you that you never had to experience actual combat I plaud you that you played for returning veterans alive or dead
It was our own government that refused to back us up. The disgrace is on their shoulders. A government does not send it citizens to war and not back them up. Except ours.
Gonna be blunt.
No one who fought for the banker's empire deserves a heroes welcome. That these folks are heroes is one of the lies destroying the USA. The Pentagon and the US military has been used to do things that are in direct conflict with the ideals of liberty and freedom for a great many decades now.
Yes, some good people are fooled into serving. Yes, DEFENDING the USA is a noble thing. But they serve evil, and do not defend overseas. That we as a society do not fully recognize this, is one of the reasons the USA is crumbling.
Realize you were fooled. Spread the word you were. STOP pretending you were hero for being a fool.
I was there in 1970. I was with 81mm and 60mm mortar, then went to the grunts. We were on patrol and started taking fire and had to call the rear to ask permission to return fire. My platoon sat up a night position and were hit by a massive explosion. It threw me over 100 feet. We had to call back and ask for permission to return fire. When I got back home we were called murderers, baby killers, animals. People threw rocks, rotting food and human feces on us. The American people never saw the atrocities that the communist regime did to the Viet Nam civilians. We saw it firsthand. We were proud to defend them.
I too landed in Maine after returning from Iraq. I was handed a cell phone to call my family. I'll never forget that day and the way Maine welcomed us home. It was 2 in the morning and a high school band was there playing national anthem, God bless America and kept going. It was amazing. Glad to be home but then reality set in not everyone we left with was there and then joy turned to sadness.
When we got back from Afghanistan in 2012 we had a very warm welcome from a grade school that was put together by the mwr or something. It was so incredible seeing these children and how happy they were, how happy they made us all feel welcoming us home. I was a medic in a light infantry unit in Ft. Drum. They only children I saw while deployed were all in need of medical care or they were bachi boys being abused and traded like toys. It took some time to process this later, but seeing those healthy happy children was an intense feeling.
Those grade schoolers didn't get nothing but seeing your butt leave with no honor.
You mean to tell me they fuck somthing other than goats?!?! 🐐
Did you know that the taliban kept those pedophiles in check before the invasion by the US?? I remember the story of the soldier that disobeyed a direct order by his commander to ignore it n instead beat the afghan military police guy to death I believe, that was raping a boy just outside of the base and put him in military prison I believe. Green Beret Charles Martland is his name.
I watched a video of a nurse who was in Afghanistan. She said that women were sent to them for examination to find out why they weren't getting pregnant. They found nothing wrong with them physically, so they were asked how they had sex. Their husbands didn't know any way to have sex except through the back door. When the men were told how to get their wives pregnant, they were appalled. They considered it dirty. What a mentality!
Loving your interviews! It's heartbreaking to see how these men were treated so poorly, the bureaucracy that stifled the war.
Ultimately, it was the American voters who were to blame. When they had wasted 58,000+ lives just in the war itself, they wanted nothing to do with us. There were probably as many who died right after the war from neglect because people didn't want to be reminded. I was almost one of them.
All veterans are being treated like crap by our government regardless of when or where they served. If the government truly cared there would be no need for organizations like "The Wounded Warrior Project"
The bureaucracy that started the war in the first place.
One friend i had got hit in the head with brick when he got off the plane, my brother in law came home hitch hiking in a snowstorm when the neighbors saw him they dropped their shovels a carried his bag the rest of the way home. RIP Harold
My father was a LRRP in Vietnam and I know for a fact these teams had immense respect for helicopter pilots who would routinely risk their lives to extract them.
Was he MACV-SOG then?
These teams were usually made up of MACV-SOG trained members, a unit which had a casualty rate of over 150% meaning every single one of them was wounded at least once and the majority were wounded twice. They went on to become the 75th Ranger Reg.
I was wounded severely by mortar fire in December, 1969. If not for helicopters and their pilots I would have bled out and wouldn't be here today typing this.
@@lostwizardcat9910 LRRPs and SOG were completely separate entities. LRP (later conflated to LRRPs).
@@michaelscott466 "usually made up of MACV-SOG *trained members* "
@@michaelscott466 LRRPs were nothing but a job my guy, there were units assigned specially to them. So saying "my father was an LRRP" could mean literally anything from "my dad sorts MREs for teams conducting LRRPs" all the way to "my father does sneaky shit in the woods"
Also some MACV-SOG teams actually conducted LRRPs, and they also trained every member of LRRP units.
Had you said something like "my father was a member of the 101st Airborne Division, 1st Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Division or one of the four Battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade." then i wouldn't have needed to ask.
My dad was on the America carrier during Vietnam. He said coming home everyone was very supportive. He lived in a small town in Missouri. My uncle was an officer in Vietnam and he also said he didn't have any bad experience coming home. I am just so pissed off that people would take out anger on the troops.
It was the leftist Doing it. The same intolerable left we have today.
I spent a lot of time in jail during the 90's and it was full of Vietnam vets and I always loved listening to their stories, I couldn't get enough and it was in a place where they felt really safe talking about them and how it made them feel
Self preservation should over ride stupid suicidal commands. GOD bless you Brother.
2009 on leave from Deplyoment in Iraq I got off the plane in Texas, because of a bad snow storm in ATL, about 2am there was a line of ppl there to greet us when we touched down!! It was the best feeling in the world!!
I was born in 1968 and I have always wanted to learn more about Vietnam, I buy every book I can find about it, I watch everything I can about it. Thank you for getting these stories out so we can learn and know what really happened there. Those who ignore the past will repeat mistakes if the past. We need to honor these guys that gave so much for the freedoms many take for granted.
I came home on leave after my first tour dec.70 went back for my second tour I wore my uniform both times I wore it with pride I was a ground pounder I was waiting for some one to spit at me or call me names they never did I guess they could see the look in my eyes so I didn't have any problems
My husband, a 1st Cav Field Medic p, also never saw any of the spitting, etc. in uniform. As I recall, those incidents were not recorded at the time, but "recalled" later.
My dad was a crew chief on evac hueys attached to the 9th infantry division in Vinh Long 66-67. Crazy job in those days...
Thank you for sharing and telling it like it is. Your service is appreciated regardless of deployment.
I was in the UTANG and did a 15 month deployment to Iraq in '03 (3 months at Fort Lewis training/waiting 12 in Iraq). Coming home from Deployment, the plane landed in Bangor, Maine. The reception we got walking down the concourse was wonderful, everyone was welcoming and appreciated us. The short time I spent in Bangor is special to me.
Thank you, everyone from Bangor!
2 am June 2007. Probably 15 people there greet us. Yea, those are some awesome folks.
Small base I was at in Uzbekistan had a 15 mph speed limit. No issues until a new safety officer needed OER bullet points. Changed to 5mph. That lasted until many trucks were deadlined due to bad transmissions. Crawling around in first gear destroyed a quarter of the fleet.
Every unit has it's own "special" idiot assigned to screw things up.
It blows my mind how many random bases the US has or had around the world at some point. I take it that was used to help stage the conflict in the Middle East in the early-mid 2000s?
Greetings from Kyrgyzstan
It's 0938 17c
Usa had base here too until 2014
😊
I remember flying through their in and out of theater. Had a 2 beer limit. We thought it was paradise. haha.
@@joebidet2050
All I can do and say.... I appreciate all of you men and women on all parts of war. All respect from me.
I didn't learn about what happened to my father after Vietnam until after his death, it helped me understand something things about him.
My uncle was in this same outfit, 213th blackcats.. He did a tour and a half. The only time he spoke of what he went thru was when he got a little drunk and still didn't give much info. One thing that always sticks out is how he had to recover the dead bodies. He came home from Vietnam, but not really. He suffered until the day he died of cancer in his 50's. As a side note, Phu Loi was the number one storage facility of agent orange and agent white in all of Vietnam. They practically swam in it, drank it etc.
wow, and he died of cancer in his 50's, that's fucking tradgic Randy, sorry for your loss.
Phu Loi or Phuoc Vinh?
I served in Iraq in 2004 & 2005 and vividly remember being welcomed home in Bangor, ME. Just as this gentleman describes, we landed and the plane had to wait for 10-15 minutes or so before we pulled up to the gate. As we stepped off the plane the next thing I saw were dozens and dozens of people cheering, waving flags, holding up signs, hugging us, welcoming us home. A gentleman with a local veterans organization came up and handed us cell phones to call our families, I called my mother to let her know that I was back on US soil.
A huge thank you to the citizens of the city of Bangor, ME!
The airport in Maine was Bangor. The Troop Greeters met flights day and night for years as soldiers returned home from the Iraq. This soldier’s experience tells you why those folks lovingly did that.
Bangor, Maine. I came through OIF after the surge. Those people are wonderful. The reception was unbelievable. Bikers escorted the buses back to Fort Lewis. It was really cool. All I could think about was the experience Vietnam veterans had, but I was grateful guys didn't have to experience that this time.
I am sorry that my parents generation behaved so despicably towards you men who served in the armed forces. Please know that many children of that generation are ashamed that our parents vented their frustration at the soldiers instead of at the politicians. It’s misplaced hatred. Thank you for your service, sir. We care about and appreciate you all.
Misplaced? When one obeys an illegal order to kill people in a far off land that did not attack us, that person shares the blame with the politicians. People blindly following orders -is and has been- the reason for so much pain. He didn't even learn from the first war. He then went to Iraq. Guy likes being part of a team. His sentimentality and yours is ridiculous.
I will never understand why people would swear a loyalty to a government that would treat you like your life doesnt matter. So much so that they give orders purposefully putting your life at unnessecary risk.
We don't do it for the government. I still stand by my oath to uphold and defend our Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. In the thick of it, you do it for the Marine on your right and the Marine on your left - not the the government.
I grew up wondering why we fought this war. As an adult, sitting in the bar and talking, we all wondered why we fought this war with such ridiculous rules of engagement. Everyone wanted to blame McNamara. Now, I believe that I know why, the same reason for Iraq and Afghanistan, it's so simple. All of these wars were fought to benefit the billionaire class, the military, industrial, banking complex. It's all so sick.
It’s an amazing feeling to feel the appreciation for your service…the appreciation from a complete stranger. It’s extremely overwhelming for some people.
I had a complete stranger in the barber shop a couple months ago thank me for my service. Maybe three times I've heard that since I came back from Vietnam in 1970. That was after I was wounded in 1969 and sent home to army hospital.
@@felixmadison5736 thank you for paving the way for me and my fellow servicemen. I was an aircraft hydraulic mechanic. ‘98-2018. I heard a lot of stories how things changed from the old crusty TSgt’s. Welcome Home.
@@Hullified Thank you.
I had a friend who spent 1 year in Vietnam. He told me that one night they had to take heavy fire and mortars but even though they had the capability of retaliation, were forbiden to do so. He lost many buddies. I heard quite a few times the same situation, were military personel were forbiden to answer fire and foot soldiers say the same than this gentemen says: "We didn't understand why we couldn't respond". There were motivations for this -- the US Government wanted the war to continue (for geo-political and economic reasons). Sources of info: Daniel Ellsberg's the Pentagon papers. PBS investigation on this matter. "A war's secret history finally emerges" -Lyle Denniston. CIA literature from insiders is plentiful; one must just dig into this particular subject in well provided Libraries and Universities' Libraries.
Thank you Larry, words could not convey my gratitude for all you have given and shared.
My uncle served in Vietnam and he was spit on when he got home. I’m glad you finally got the welcome you should have gotten all those years ago. God bless you.
Thank you vets. Welcome back each and everyone one of you.
My dad was a forward combat air controller on operation rolling thunder, where we sent B52s to bomb Hanoi. My number came up at the draft board the same year that the draft ended, so I was never sent to Vietnam. After taking all the DOD exams in high school, military recruiters were asking me to join, but I saw too many guys come home who were “nervous from the service”. That’s what the polite service wives would say when someone was an alcoholic.
I'll never, never! Forgive the political leaders for how they handled that war, or what they did to the soldiers.
LBJ right ?
The generals were just as bad and the American voters supported them all even when they were flat out lying. The worst of the worst ended up getting promoted and honored and the best of us that managed to make it out alive were shunned. The public had no problem with that.
Don't forget what Jane Fonda did. Literal treason and got away with it
We didn't have any real leaders back then. There wasn't a single leader in the entire batch.
LBJ was the worst of the worst--he was crooked all his life. He saw vietnam was his big chance to be the new FDR but he failed miserably. Finally he just gave up, retired. He disappeared from history. I wonder how much $$ he had in retirement.@@bobclifton8021
I spent 1969 on top of a mountain in Korea and could sometimes listen in on the radio nets in Vietnam, the war was still pretty hot then. I remember being told during my mustering out at Ft Lewis in Feb 1970 that we should not wear a uniform for our trip home because the army could not guaranty our safety, I remember thinking what a kick it the nuts that must have been for those coming home from Vietnam.o
I noticed his hat was from the213th AVN company. I was attached to that unit for all of 1987 as a CW2 Chinook pilot. It was in Pyoung Tec Korea. It was a great time and place. One of my best tours of duty of my 6 years in the Army.
at 19 I wanted them to send me to Vietnam, I was tough, would run 6 miles, 150 sit ups and 75 pushups every night. I was mad when they didn't send me, now I thank god. I have so much respect for any combat vet. A number of my class mates who saw combat in Vietnam drank themselves into an early grave
You can thank Westmorland for that. He’s the one who issued the order. It happened to our grunt battalions, too.
Don't forget, they promoted Westmoreland for being such a screwup.
@@neilreynolds3858 he’s a perfect example of The Peter Principle at work. He came out to our hill (fire base) for a photo op and spent about ten minutes on the ground. What a douchebag.
Thanks, Larry. For everything.
WELCOME HOME SIR,
My dad joined the Army in 66' he did 2 tours in Vietnam, his last tour was with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vietnam.
He passed away in December of 2020.
My father did 4 years in Vietnam in the 25th infantry. It was a nightmare that never should have happened
I have a close friend that was in the 25th. He went on to LRRP unit. The stories he lived eventually were told in a book Phantom warriors 2
No it just should have been taken more seriously.
I never asked for permission to use my M60. I just announced "receiving fire" and opened up. Screw the permission thing.
I didn't need anyone's permission.
Larry, I heard about all of this crap, and began to protest against the war. Thanks for confirming it again.
This video went in a direction I did not expect. Wow!
I'm an Air Force veteran (1998-2008), and I find it impossible to see a Vietnam Veteran at a restaurant and let him pay for a meal. As a #GenX'er, I've always looked up to these guys.
I salute you for your character and integrity. However, may I say something in disagreement? I served like thousands of others. Nobody owes me anything. I prefer to pay for my own meal. I stopped wearing hats and pins to not attract attention. Vietnam was over 50 years ago and I try not to think about it. There's only one guy left alive who I talk to and he's 80. Thank you for being a fine man.
Whats to look up???? Have you guys ever defended your land from direct attack??? When there was a direct attack on US soil, where were you guys??? Instead of attacking Saudi , you’ll went into Iraq to ruin it. Your politicians can be easily bought with money, and the army are just a bunch of sheeple...
I have no empathy for people who can not think for themselves and act like sheeple ...
Karma will hit back big time from within....
Stop the dumb colonial attitude and learn from past mistakes.
The land you are on belonged to the natives.
Bunch of colonial barbaric settlers whining and crying. Start thinking first why you are in this situation in the first place.
There is hardly anything to be proud to be a US veteran ... most of your lives are lost in an unjust cause...
Just finished reading "Escape from Laos" by Dieter Dengler. It gave me full appreciation for what those that served might have endured if captured.
God bless this brave man and all the vets who answer the call ✊
Really powerful. He reminds me so much of father (RIP), his practical and straight-talking recounting of events.
My best friend's father, Henry Clay Cauthen was KIA in 67 or 8. A Dust Off pilot. He left behind a wife and 4 children. My father was the AST of the local N/G engineer unit and Clay's dad had been one of the rotary wing group pilots of the Battalion. They needed pilots and the word went out. Big Henry said he couldn't wear the uniform with the skills he had and not answer the call, according to my dad. Welcome home to all of you.
As an E-4, I flew left seat in a CH-46 a couple times but only away from our main base.
Thank you SIRR for all your SERVICE.
Thank you very much for sharing!
I just wanna say to all Vietnam vets .. Welcome Home soldier and thank you .
This choked me up. This guy is about my age. During his deployment I was part of the antiwar movement. But I NEVER disrespected a returning soldier. As he said, "all I was doing was following my orders." It wasn't his fault. And as he says, the whole mess accomplished nothing. I respect him for his courage and his candor.
Such a precious tender man. God bless you. His logic and sensibility defies leadership common sense.
Larry, thank you for your years of service to this country .
If you see a Vet on the street, PLEASE help them out with a meal, a few dollars, kind words, prayers.
To all the Vets in the comments, thank you so much for your sacrifice and your service. ❤
It might have been a silly war, but my squadron of A-6s flew off the Saratoga. We lost our skipper and our XO. The bombardier navigator who flew with the XO was captured, but returned alive. Those were bad times, and I can never forget what happened there.
The loss of Naval aviators was tremendous, and it was classified for a number of years afterwards. I worked with a woman whose husband was shot down and killed. What can you say to her except give her a sympathetic, respectful look. I was going to tell her it was a tough situation, but he probably wrote letters telling her not to worry, there was no danger.
spads !! respect
Guys, Here is our Savior
YaH The Heavenly FATHER (Genesis 1) HIMSELF was Who they Crucified/Pierced for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF”
From the Ancient Semitic:
"Yad He Vav He" is what Moshe (Moses) wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3)
Ancient Semitic Direct Translation
Yad - "Behold The Hand"
He - "Behold the Breath"
Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
Thanks and welcome back.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
GOD BLESS !
I'm so sorry what they did to you when you came home from Nam...
You boys served and sacrificed so much and so many....
WELCOME HOME BROTHER.
Thank you all you've done.
Always remember there's folks in this country who love you and are proud of you. My great uncle was a Nam vet. He helped raise me, so I've seen first hand what that war did the the mentality of you boys.. I'm 34 years old, and I'm ashamed of the way they treated you guys..
If you love your family and friends, stay with them. Invading other countries so that billionaires can get richer, is not a good life choice
To all Vietnam vets…volunteers and volun-tolds….Welcome Home and thank you for your service.
You will *NOT* be forgotten! 🤝 thank you!
Oh, excellent interview. 👍
Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine. We support the vets, up here. Thank you for your service. USN '04-'08, here.
I was at Long Thanh flying otters from April '70 to Feb '71. You are 100٪ correct. A lot of this BS seemed to start around September. Coming home was definitely a mixed bag of emotions.
Sep 70 was when I left. There were already officers who were stupid enough to want to be saluted. I was the longest serving medic in the battalion and got sent to the rear to be a clerk. I hated the rear and got myself sent back out as an RTO. I have a low tolerance for BS and it was almost all BS at that point. When has a war ever been won by BS? So we lost.
Liberals see vietnam as their greatest victory. They "defeated" the US.@@neilreynolds3858
To understand what's going on read Major General Smidley Butlers book, "War is a Racket."
Viet Nam vet.
I got lucky, I went in the AF in '76 by the stern advice of my brother (2 tours airborne) and brother-in-law (navy seal 2+ tours). They were adamant ... go in the AF or Navy ... PERIOD! They tried to protect me from these horrors of war. My brother was never the same, and brother-in-law got thru very well until he was pushed too far and would snap into military mode (I pity the poor people he had to beat the hell out of). Godspeed to you guys who served on the battlefield/war zone in any capacity (I was an F-4 mechanic). ✌