Question for our Vietnam vets

[Abbey Marie]

I think we have one or two here.

I am reading a novel called Matterhorn, which is an account of Marines fighting in Vietnam, written by a Marine veteran. It's fiction, but also a lot of his recounting, I believe.

Anyway, many of the Marines seem very unmotivated and not at all into being there. It kind of surprised me as I thought Marines were volunteers, elite fighters, and would have been more into it.

So, it got me wondering: Were Marines drafted back then, or was the draft really just for the Army?

Thanks!
Abbey :salute:

[Psychoblues]

I think we have one or two here.

I am reading a novel called Matterhorn, which is an account of Marines fighting in Vietnam, written by a Marine veteran. It's fiction, but also a lot of his recounting, I believe.

Anyway, many of the Marines seem very unmotivated and not at all into being there. It kind of surprised me as I thought Marines were volunteers, elite fighters, and would have been more into it.

So, it got me wondering: Were Marines drafted back then, or was the draft really just for the Army?

Thanks!
Abbey :salute:

I cannot speak for the nation but in the inductment center in Memphis, Tn. one of the inductors would go down the line of draftees and count the potential troops, 1,2,3,4,5 you're a Marine, 1,2,3,4,5 you're a Marine and on and on. I understand there were other policies where they just went out and arbitrarily picked a bunch out and told them they were Marines. There was a lot of chaos back then. Aside from that, there were also a good number of volunteer Marines that were just sick of Viet Nam and recognized the injustice of our being there. That's a tough load to bare with all that death, destruction, etc. Many otherwise career Marines simply got out prior to retirement because they could not in any honesty continue that travesty of an American experiment in so-called saving democracy.

I hope others will share, abbey. You have asked a GREAT QUESTION and something that needs serious discussion, IMHO.

On edit: abbey, it was not always the case that certain troops were pulled out of the draft line for Marine service but only when the Marines were calling for them. I did not intend to allow that to remain unclear.

Psychoblues

[Abbey Marie]

Thank you, PB. That was a lot of interesting information on the topic, and it explains a lot. I guess I was always under the mistaken impression that even during a draft, the Marines were all-volunteer. However it was decided, it wasn't all gung-ho volunteerism.

Btw, in case you haven't read it, Matterhorn is excellent. It came out last year.

Thanks again for enlightening me,
Abbey

[Gaffer]

Sounds like an interesting book. I can't say anyone wanted to be there, but some were more gung ho than others. And yes, during Vietnam the Marines did draft. They took about a dozen from the group I was in at the induction center. They passed me up and took the guy next to me.

When my brigade moved north to Chu Li we were attached to the 3rd Marine Div. We worked with them a lot. What is the time frame of the book? I was there in 67.

[Abbey Marie]

Sounds like an interesting book. I can't say anyone wanted to be there, but some were more gung ho than others. And yes, during Vietnam the Marines did draft. They took about a dozen from the group I was in at the induction center. They passed me up and took the guy next to me.

When my brigade moved north to Chu Li we were attached to the 3rd Marine Div. We worked with them a lot. What is the time frame of the book? I was there in 67.

Thanks, Gaffer. It takes place in 1969. So far, they are on a fictional hill between Laos and the DMZ, and possibly on their way at some point to a place called Cam Lo.

I would recommend the book, it is very well-written.

Here's Amazon:

"Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2010: Matterhorn is a marvel--a living, breathing book with Lieutenant Waino Mellas and the men of Bravo Company at its raw and battered heart. Karl Marlantes doesn't introduce you to Vietnam in his brilliant war epic--he unceremoniously drops you into the jungle, disoriented and dripping with leeches, with only the newbie lieutenant as your guide. Mellas is a bundle of anxiety and ambition, a college kid who never imagined being part of a "war that none of his friends thought was worth fighting," who realized too late that "because of his desire to look good coming home from a war, he might never come home at all." A highly decorated Vietnam veteran himself, Marlantes brings the horrors and heroism of war to life with the finesse of a seasoned writer, exposing not just the things they carry, but the fears they bury, the friends they lose, and the men they follow. Matterhorn is as much about the development of Mellas from boy to man, from the kind of man you fight beside to the man you fight for, as it is about the war itself. Through his untrained eyes, readers gain a new perspective on the ravages of war, the politics and bureaucracy of the military, and the peculiar beauty of brotherhood". --Daphne Durham
http://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes/dp/080211928X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295214648&sr=1-1

[Binky]

I cannot speak for the nation but in the inductment center in Memphis, Tn. one of the inductors would go down the line of draftees and count the potential troops, 1,2,3,4,5 you're a Marine, 1,2,3,4,5 you're a Marine and on and on. I understand there were other policies where they just went out and arbitrarily picked a bunch out and told them they were Marines. There was a lot of chaos back then. Aside from that, there were also a good number of volunteer Marines that were just sick of Viet Nam and recognized the injustice of our being there. That's a tough load to bare with all that death, destruction, etc. Many otherwise career Marines simply got out prior to retirement because they could not in any honesty continue that travesty of an American experiment in so-called saving democracy.

I hope others will share, abbey. You have asked a GREAT QUESTION and something that needs serious discussion, IMHO.

On edit: abbey, it was not always the case that certain troops were pulled out of the draft line for Marine service but only when the Marines were calling for them. I did not intend to allow that to remain unclear.

Psychoblues

My hubby has told me that when he got drafted he was put in the army. No choice. But those that went in as a voluntary draftee, got a choice of which branch they wanted to serve in. However, he did get a choice as to what sort of job he wanted to do while in. So he asked for armor which included tanks and artillery. And he went to artillery and missile school because his math scores were so high. And he said that at one time or another, they did go down the line just like that and tell you which branch you'd be in. But since he went in during the Viet Nam war they chose not to do it that way. At least not at that particular time and place which was Fort Wayne Ind.

[Binky]

I think we have one or two here.

I am reading a novel called Matterhorn, which is an account of Marines fighting in Vietnam, written by a Marine veteran. It's fiction, but also a lot of his recounting, I believe.

Anyway, many of the Marines seem very unmotivated and not at all into being there. It kind of surprised me as I thought Marines were volunteers, elite fighters, and would have been more into it.

So, it got me wondering: Were Marines drafted back then, or was the draft really just for the Army?

Thanks!
Abbey :salute:

Abbey, if you're interested in war stories you might want to check out the book my hubby wrote, called Drafted, by William C. Stodgel. And not to be confused with another book of the same name by someone called "Rich." It's a true story which starts out in his childhood and works up to getting drafted and sent on to Viet Nam. He has told it as he saw and experienced it. There are funny parts. And there are very sad ones. And the war scenes are mesmerizing. Lots of excitement. It's for sale on Amazon.com for $16.95.

[Gaffer]

Abbey, if you're interested in war stories you might want to check out the book my hubby wrote, called Drafted, by William C. Stodgel. And not to be confused with another book of the same name by someone called "Rich." It's a true story which starts out in his childhood and works up to getting drafted and sent on to Viet Nam. He has told it as he saw and experienced it. There are funny parts. And there are very sad ones. And the war scenes are mesmerizing. Lots of excitement. It's for sale on Amazon.com for $16.95.

I have it and read it and recommend it.

[trobinett]

I was in from '65 thru '68, and went through Oakland, CA. as a volunteer. There were many more draftees, but I don't recall ANY Marines or Air Force, certainly can't recall a shout out about being a drafted Marine.:dunno:

[Gaffer]

Based on talking with Marines from that time, there were a number of draftees, but they were "encouraged" to enlist. The serial numbers issued at that time reflected draftee status. A US at the beginning meant drafted. An RM meant enlistment. A Marine with a US was likely to catch all the shit jobs. Enlistments were for three years verse two years for draftees.

Everyone had six years commitment to serve. If you were drafted and served two years you were placed on inactive reserve and could be recalled at any time during that four years.

[Psychoblues]

Trobby maks an interesting point. There were no Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard draftees that I knew anything about. I believe all draftees were Army/Marine ground pounders and that, IMHO, is a major disgrace in the history of this country. I hope the US will always maintain a voluntary and/or contract armed force. I have always preferred to work with people that knew and liked who they were working with and what they were doing. Overeducated and personnally connected assholes need not apply.

Psychoblues