Viet Nam

[Abbey Marie]

Love this photo- 1st Cavalry, Vietnam Nam rice paddy, 1966:

http://www.debatepolicy.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11214&stc=1

[CSM]

Been there, done that. I did not love it.

That being said, that experience(s) made me what I am today...for good and ill.

[Gunny]

Love this photo- 1st Cavalry, Vietnam Nam rice paddy, 1966:

http://www.debatepolicy.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11214&stc=1That grunt doesn't look like he's loving much at all :laugh:

[CSM]

That grunt doesn't look like he's loving much at all :laugh:

Well, an educated guess on my part but I don't think he's learning to swim. By the way, does anyone want to know how they fertilize those rice paddies?

[Abbey Marie]

That grunt doesn't look like he's loving much at all :laugh:

I'm sure he is far from loving it. Which is what makes it a great photo.

Imagine how cool it would be if one of us recognized him? I always scour war pics for my father and brother.

[Abbey Marie]

Well, an educated guess on my part but I don't think he's learning to swim. By the way, does anyone want to know how they fertilize those rice paddies?


Yeah, lol. The description said, "Taking cover at the edge of a rice paddy".

[Gunny]

Well, an educated guess on my part but I don't think he's learning to swim. By the way, does anyone want to know how they fertilize those rice paddies?I already know but by all means, Sergeant Major ... educate the uneducated :laugh:

[Abbey Marie]

Well, an educated guess on my part but I don't think he's learning to swim. By the way, does anyone want to know how they fertilize those rice paddies?

Hmm. Well, I've seen lots of images of water buffaloes there...

[CSM]

I'm sure he is far from loving it! Which is what makes it a great photo.

Imagine how cool it would be if one of us if recognized him? I always scour war pics for my father and brother.

1966 was two years before my time.

I often think that soon enough, Viet Nam will just be another forgotten war .... much like Korea for example. These photos and others like them are very important. Not to glorify war but rather to remind us all that real live men and women did things that were asked of them in the name of the civilian citizens of this country.

[Gunny]

I'm sure he is far from loving it! Which is what makes it a great photo.

Imagine how cool it would be if one of us if recognized him? I always scour war pics for my father and brother.I learned to not do that after awhile. (Not Nam, but SWA). I recognized a couple of names from Beiruit, and Afghanistan. I stopped looking.

[CSM]

Hmm. Well, I've seen lots of images of water buffaloes there...

Water buffaloes were for the "rich" farmers....

Truthfully, it depends on the time of year and of course the rotation of crops, etc.

[Abbey Marie]

1966 was two years before my time.

I often think that soon enough, Viet Nam will just be another forgotten war .... much like Korea for example. These photos and others like them are very important. Not to glorify war but rather to remind us all that real live men and women did things that were asked of them in the name of the civilian citizens of this country.


Amen to that. :salute:

[Gunny]

Water buffaloes were for the "rich" farmers....

Truthfully, it depends on the time of year and of course the rotation of crops, etc.Water buffaloes, huh?:laugh2:

[Abbey Marie]

Water buffaloes, huh?:laugh2:

C'mon Gunny, I know you are dying to tell us!

[Gunny]

C'mon Gunny, I know you are dying to tell us!Papa-san, Mama-san and the baby-sans don't pay for "fertilizer". :)

[CSM]

Funny thing about those beasts..... usually only one or two per village. The VC would kill them if the village didn't cooperate. They also used them to sweep for mines and detect an ambush. VC patrols would guide the critter ahead of them (usually at night) and invariably, some grunt who was part of an ambush along the trail would hear it coming and set off the claymores.... if it didn't kill the darn thing it would go charging off into the brush and who knows where. Funny now when I think about it.... charging buffalo don't care if you us or VC...they are just MAD!

[Abbey Marie]

Papa-san, Mama-san and the baby-sans don't pay for "fertilizer". :)

One big outhouse.

[CSM]

One big outhouse.

LOL.... one pungent aroma for sure....

[aboutime]

One big outhouse.

Abbey. Ask them about the Philippines, and a place called "Sh*t River", and Monkey brains.

I never touched land there, so I really can't call myself a NAM VET. But I was in boot camp in 1964, and the rest is History.

[Gunny]

Abbey. Ask them about the Philippines, and a place called "Sh*t River", and Monkey brains.

I never touched land there, so I really can't call myself a NAM VET. But I was in boot camp in 1964, and the rest is History.AhhhhShit River .....

The river is where the Filipinos do EVERYTHING that requires water. Cleanliness not required. I think it's actually and open sewage canal. Been awhile (not as long as AT :poke:) You toss a quarter or coin in ans the Flip kids will dive off the bridge into the water for it. I didn't see the humor in it but a bunch of knuckleheads did and I wasn't going to mess up my R&R over it. It was happening with or without me.

Which brings to mind ... if you REALLY want to know who you're hanging out with? Go on liberty with them in a foreign country and watch how they treat the locals. You would be surprised what you don't know or didn't realize about someone until they turn into obnoxious GI off the boat in a poor country man. There ARE people out there I won't have anything to do with to this day because of their behavior.

[CSM]

ahhhhshit river .....

The river is where the filipinos do everything that requires water. Cleanliness not required. I think it's actually and open sewage canal. Been awhile (not as long as at :poke:) you toss a quarter or coin in ans the flip kids will dive off the bridge into the water for it. I didn't see the humor in it but a bunch of knuckleheads did and i wasn't going to mess up my r&r over it. It was happening with or without me.

Which brings to mind ... If you really want to know who you're hanging out with? Go on liberty with them in a foreign country and watch how they treat the locals. You would be surprised what you don't know or didn't realize about someone until they turn into obnoxious gi off the boat in a poor country man. There are people out there i won't have anything to do with to this day because of their behavior.

sooooo true!!

[aboutime]

AhhhhShit River .....

The river is where the Filipinos do EVERYTHING that requires water. Cleanliness not required. I think it's actually and open sewage canal. Been awhile (not as long as AT :poke:) You toss a quarter or coin in ans the Flip kids will dive off the bridge into the water for it. I didn't see the humor in it but a bunch of knuckleheads did and I wasn't going to mess up my R&R over it. It was happening with or without me.

Which brings to mind ... if you REALLY want to know who you're hanging out with? Go on liberty with them in a foreign country and watch how they treat the locals. You would be surprised what you don't know or didn't realize about someone until they turn into obnoxious GI off the boat in a poor country man. There ARE people out there I won't have anything to do with to this day because of their behavior.

I know what you mean Gunny. I've seen it many times. Married Officers, and Enlisted...at the pier, just as we were getting underway from home....slowly taking off their wedding rings with a smile..saying stupid stuff like...."Well, for the next six, or seven months...I'm a single man again!" There is NO HONOR in people like that, and I avoided them. Not to mention how they bragged about those Little Things walkin' around for a few bucks!

The Corpsmen knew who they were after we were underway from liberty ports too!
I could write a book about it....if I had the time, and could go into WITNESS PROTECTION.:laugh:

[Gunny]

I know what you mean Gunny. I've seen it many times. Married Officers, and Enlisted...at the pier, just as we were getting underway from home....slowly taking off their wedding rings with a smile..saying stupid stuff like...."Well, for the next six, or seven months...I'm a single man again!" There is NO HONOR in people like that, and I avoided them. Not to mention how they bragged about those Little Things walkin' around for a few bucks!

The Corpsmen knew who they were after we were underway from liberty ports too!
I could write a book about it....if I had the time, and could go into WITNESS PROTECTION.:laugh:Witness protection :laugh:
I didn't even get into the crap officers and senior NCOs did right in front of the troops. Then bitched because the troops weren't behaving. "Well, Sir, MAYBE if you wren't up on that whore's bar dancing with her and getting a bit friendly and obviously drunk as Hell, the Marines might not think it's okay?":rolleyes:

What used to REALLY crack me up is when we'd get back underway. No one would look you in the eye for days.:laugh: "Who is he and what did he see me do?":laugh:

[aboutime]

Witness protection :laugh:
I didn't even get into the crap officers and senior NCOs did right in front of the troops. Then bitched because the troops weren't behaving. "Well, Sir, MAYBE if you wren't up on that whore's bar dancing with her and getting a bit friendly and obviously drunk as Hell, the Marines might not think it's okay?":rolleyes:

What used to REALLY crack me up is when we'd get back underway. No one would look you in the eye for days.:laugh: "Who is he and what did he see me do?":laugh:

Oddly enough Gunny. Being the LPO in radio, where 50 or more members of the crew worked 3 shifts every day. I got to hear, and see how protective bragging sailors are...wondering if they got in trouble on liberty. Radiomen, and Operation Specialists, with Signalmen were all in the same division on ship...so LOOSE LIPS couldn't be tolerated....but we laughed a lot.:laugh:
Since I was the oldest in many radio rooms. I got tagged with friendly names like Pop, and Gramps during my last 15 years. In fact. Many of the younger guys...before we had women onboard, looked to me as a father figure. Which was good, and sometimes, a real pain in the ass. I had no privacy, and generally only got about 3 or 4 hours sleep during deployments.
All of them knew. They could lose their Security Clearances if they went over, and got plastered all the time. But some just never learned.
When we had Marines onboard. We made friends, but limited it to the uniform differences since many of the Grunts didn't want to be seen with Squids...(their words, not mine). But we in radio had the unusual tasks of TYPING reports for messages for USMC, and USN. So we got to read all of the bad, and good news as well.
Maybe you remember during Operation Desert Storm...when a Marine got a video from a friend who was having an affair with the Marine's wife????
We learned about that in message traffic. It wasn't nice.
So..the Babysitting never ended.

[Gunny]

Oddly enough Gunny. Being the LPO in radio, where 50 or more members of the crew worked 3 shifts every day. I got to hear, and see how protective bragging sailors are...wondering if they got in trouble on liberty. Radiomen, and Operation Specialists, with Signalmen were all in the same division on ship...so LOOSE LIPS couldn't be tolerated....but we laughed a lot.:laugh:
Since I was the oldest in many radio rooms. I got tagged with friendly names like Pop, and Gramps during my last 15 years. In fact. Many of the younger guys...before we had women onboard, looked to me as a father figure. Which was good, and sometimes, a real pain in the ass. I had no privacy, and generally only got about 3 or 4 hours sleep during deployments.
All of them knew. They could lose their Security Clearances if they went over, and got plastered all the time. But some just never learned.
When we had Marines onboard. We made friends, but limited it to the uniform differences since many of the Grunts didn't want to be seen with Squids...(their words, not mine). But we in radio had the unusual tasks of TYPING reports for messages for USMC, and USN. So we got to read all of the bad, and good news as well.
Maybe you remember during Operation Desert Storm...when a Marine got a video from a friend who was having an affair with the Marine's wife????
We learned about that in message traffic. It wasn't nice.
So..the Babysitting never ended.I was different ranks on deployment. Troop, NCO, then SNCO. They were all different. Most people were afraid of me and stayed away from me which I found hilarious. It amounted to judging a book by its cover. I've never done anything mean to anyone (except my little brother and they don't count). I just look mean. Curse and a blessing. I don't get bothered much :laugh: But that assumption has also caused some serious misunderstands.

I got along with the squids that wanted to get along with me. The rest were just there. I got into with only one. This HUGE, even bigger than I was, 1st Class decided to get his belligerent bro on with me in the well deck of the Boxer coming back aboard and refused to show me his ID and started talking all kinds of crap. The Master Chief and SgtMaj were there and took care of him :laugh: I was like crap. I had gotten back aboard in time to shower shave get dressed and assume duty and I had to get Jim Brown in my face :laugh: I HATED midnight duty :laugh:

[aboutime]

I was different ranks on deployment. Troop, NCO, then SNCO. They were all different. Most people were afraid of me and stayed away from me which I found hilarious. It amounted to judging a book by its cover. I've never done anything mean to anyone (except my little brother and they don't count). I just look mean. Curse and a blessing. I don't get bothered much :laugh: But that assumption has also caused some serious misunderstands.

I got along with the squids that wanted to get along with me. The rest were just there. I got into with only one. This HUGE, even bigger than I was, 1st Class decided to get his belligerent bro on with me in the well deck of the Boxer coming back aboard and refused to show me his ID and started talking all kinds of crap. The Master Chief and SgtMaj were there and took care of him :laugh: I was like crap. I had gotten back aboard in time to shower shave get dressed and assume duty and I had to get Jim Brown in my face :laugh: I HATED midnight duty :laugh:

Gunny. I hated having duty in port. I had my normal duties in radio all day, and after everybody left the ship. Then, after supper. Back to radio to type messages, file, download incoming traffic, sort it out for the officers, make copies, distribute them, and get ready for the Mid-watch on the quarterdeck as OOD. Midnight to Zero Four Hundred, then back to radio to process more incoming traffic, answer the door for the officers, get breakfast, and back to radio to wait for morning muster....starting a new day..NOTICE...NO SLEEP.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

AhhhhShit River .....

The river is where the Filipinos do EVERYTHING that requires water. Cleanliness not required. I think it's actually and open sewage canal. Been awhile (not as long as AT :poke:) You toss a quarter or coin in ans the Flip kids will dive off the bridge into the water for it. I didn't see the humor in it but a bunch of knuckleheads did and I wasn't going to mess up my R&R over it. It was happening with or without me.

Which brings to mind ... if you REALLY want to know who you're hanging out with? Go on liberty with them in a foreign country and watch how they treat the locals. You would be surprised what you don't know or didn't realize about someone until they turn into obnoxious GI off the boat in a poor country man. There ARE people out there I won't have anything to do with to this day because of their behavior.



Cleanliness not required. I think it's actually and open sewage canal. Been awhile (not as long as AT :poke:) You toss a quarter or coin in ans the Flip kids will dive off the bridge into the water for it. I didn't see the humor in it

YOU SEE, IT IS SORRY-ASS PEOPLE DOING CRAP LIKE THAT IS WHY I COULD HAVE NEVER MADE IT IN THE MILITARY--AS I WOULD HAVE BEEN KNOCKING THE HELL OUT OF THEM-- FOR THEIR ENGAGING IN CHILD ABUSE.
I've been to the PHILIPPINES AND HAVE SEEN KIDS LIVING ON BARELY ENOUGH FOOD TO STAY ALIVE..
Trust me, this is not idle boasting on my part.
As a young man , I had a rage in me just dying to get out..
Which is why my working as a bouncer was actually therapy of sorts. I got to fight and get paid for it. I got to do something about that kind of asshole in the club...
Sometimes, I miss those days, even tho' it is better now to not be involved in fights.
My family always comes first...--Tyr

[Gunny]

Gunny. I hated having duty in port. I had my normal duties in radio all day, and after everybody left the ship. Then, after supper. Back to radio to type messages, file, download incoming traffic, sort it out for the officers, make copies, distribute them, and get ready for the Mid-watch on the quarterdeck as OOD. Midnight to Zero Four Hundred, then back to radio to process more incoming traffic, answer the door for the officers, get breakfast, and back to radio to wait for morning muster....starting a new day..NOTICE...NO SLEEP.I don't know which was worse, being a troop or a SNCO. As a troop, train, eat, crappy detail, eat, train, crappy detail,eat, go to berthing and stare at the bulkhead until time to start over.

As a SNCO, it was Eat (maybe), account for ll your ducklings, stupid meeting, stupid meeting on training, train, got to the gym or eat, stupid meeting on training, training, account for ducklings, eat, stupid meeting on what went wrong in training, meeting after the meeting with CO so he could bitch about what went wrong in training he wasn't there for, assess blame on LCpl he didn't like that particular day ... maybe 4 hours of sleep, Repeat. In between all that was LFOC watch and Duty SNCO.

Don't know how they did it on the East Coast, but on the West Coast, when you lose an hour every other day or so they take it at midnight. Coming back and gaining an hour, they added it at 1300, By the 3rd month EVERYONE is on your hit list. And the CO, who has a state room and comes and goes when he pleases asks: "What's Wrong, SSgt? You look pissed ..." :smoke: Good thing he couldn't read minds :)

[CSM]

I don't know which was worse, being a troop or a SNCO. As a troop, train, eat, crappy detail, eat, train, crappy detail,eat, go to berthing and stare at the bulkhead until time to start over.

As a SNCO, it was Eat (maybe), account for ll your ducklings, stupid meeting, stupid meeting on training, train, got to the gym or eat, stupid meeting on training, training, account for ducklings, eat, stupid meeting on what went wrong in training, meeting after the meeting with CO so he could bitch about what went wrong in training he wasn't there for, assess blame on LCpl he didn't like that particular day ... maybe 4 hours of sleep, Repeat. In between all that was LFOC watch and Duty SNCO.

Don't know how they did it on the East Coast, but on the West Coast, when you lose an hour every other day or so they take it at midnight. Coming back and gaining an hour, they added it at 1300, By the 3rd month EVERYONE is on your hit list. And the CO, who has a state room and comes and goes when he pleases asks: "What's Wrong, SSgt? You look pissed ..." :smoke: Good thing he couldn't read minds :)

aint nuttin grumpier than an old SNCO...

[Gunny]

I was completely content and happy when someone wasn't f-ng something up. That was ... ummmm .... yeah ....:laugh:

[High_Plains_Drifter]

Witness protection :laugh:
I didn't even get into the crap officers and senior NCOs did right in front of the troops. Then bitched because the troops weren't behaving. "Well, Sir, MAYBE if you wren't up on that whore's bar dancing with her and getting a bit friendly and obviously drunk as Hell, the Marines might not think it's okay?":rolleyes:

What used to REALLY crack me up is when we'd get back underway. No one would look you in the eye for days.:laugh: "Who is he and what did he see me do?":laugh:
Sounds like the time we had a squadron party for an NCO of ours that finished his college and went through OTC and got his butter bars. Our Specialist NCOIC, MSgt Gleaseman, giving us our Friday safety briefing at the AMU said, "OK people, our safety message for this week is DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE... ok the KEG IS TAPPED OUT BACK."

Nothing like a little good ole military hypocrisy... :saluting2:

[Gunny]

Sounds like the time we had a squadron party for an NCO of ours that finished his college and went through OTC and got his butter bars. Our Specialist NCOIC, MSgt Gleaseman, giving us our Friday safety briefing at the AMU said, "OK people, our safety message for this week is DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE... ok the KEG IS TAPPED OUT BACK."

Nothing like a little good ole military hypocrisy... :saluting2:You're REALLY time-stamping yourself. That crap don't fly anymore. If you requisition beer, you have to get X number of sodas per beer and X amount of food. That's if you can find a unit commander with enough stones to let you use their AOs. Even if you go off base and it looks, tastes and smells like a unit function, they're going to start at the top frying people if something goes wrong.

The hypocrisy NOW is they turn around and bitch like Hell that no one is supporting the NCO Clubs. Really? You mean the ones with two MPs in each parking lot? Wonder why THAT would be :rolleyes:

[High_Plains_Drifter]

You're REALLY time-stamping yourself. That crap don't fly anymore. If you requisition beer, you have to get X number of sodas per beer and X amount of food. That's if you can find a unit commander with enough stones to let you use their AOs. Even if you go off base and it looks, tastes and smells like a unit function, they're going to start at the top frying people if something goes wrong.

The hypocrisy NOW is they turn around and bitch like Hell that no one is supporting the NCO Clubs. Really? You mean the ones with two MPs in each parking lot? Wonder why THAT would be :rolleyes:
We always had pop and water along with a keg at a squadron party, because this was Vegas, it was HOT, and heat stroke was all to real of a danger. We usually had food too but yeah, we're talking like 1980-81... we still had to stand in formation for 3510 inspection, but that took 10 minutes. There wasn't many specialists on a shift. But we had several big squadron kegger parties while I was at Nellis. We never had a big get together without a keg, even if we were just having some big meeting in a hanger, we had a keg. I have pics, I should scan them. Yeah... we REALLY had it ROUGH in the Air Force... :laugh:

I was in late 1979 to late 1987, all through the cold war, never saw combat, but we damn sure trained like hell for it.

[Gunny]

We always had pop and water along with a keg at a squadron party, because this was Vegas, it was HOT, and heat stroke was all to real of a danger. We usually had food too but yeah, we're talking like 1980-81... we still had to stand in formation for 3510 inspection, but that took 10 minutes. There wasn't many specialists on a shift. But we had several big squadron kegger parties while I was at Nellis. We never had a big get together without a keg, even if we were just having some big meeting in a hanger, we had a keg. I have pics, I should scan them. Yeah... we REALLY had it ROUGH in the Air Force... :laugh:

I was in late 1979 to late 1987, all through the cold war, never saw combat, but we damn sure trained like hell for it.80-81 we had some legendary Bn parties that were nothing but beer-fests. There was leftover beer we had so much.

And wouldn't you know CSM, the leftover beer went straight into the SgtMaj's office.:laugh:

[CSM]

80-81 we had some legendary Bn parties that were nothing but beer-fests. There was leftover beer we had so much.

And wouldn't you know CSM, the leftover beer went straight into the SgtMaj's office.:laugh:

say it aint so!!!

[Gunny]

say it aint so!!!I actually liked the pre-computer days. "Re-locating" supplies was considered a skill set :laugh:

[CSM]

I actually liked the pre-computer days. "Re-locating" supplies was considered a skill set :laugh:

I used to refer to it "liberating" supplies....

[Gunny]

I used to refer to it "liberating" supplies....Hah! :laugh: We were out on a Combined Arms Exercise (CAX) in 29 Palms, which is right at the edge of the Mojave Desert. Bout 1500 it was 120 in the shade so we took a ride to mainside, drove up to the O-Club and Golf Course (yes, even the sandbox from Hell has a golf course), loaded 6 shitcans of ice from the ice machine and drove off like we owned it. No one said a word to us. :laugh2: