On Retelling Vietnam: Veterans recount war stories

Posted on March 16 at 3:01 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Let me begin with a short history of myself. I am a Korean war veteran - not treated badly. I was in the 4th Inf. Division when we were sent to Berlin at the time the wall was erected. It was a learning experience. Went to a school in 1967 (still in the Army) in Rochester, NY with 4 other soldiers. Military purchased civilian clothing for us and we were told not to wear uniforms. One weekend, we decided to go to Canada. We were in uniform as the Canadians did not charge us entry fees, etc. Stopped at Sears Auto Department (in the basement). As we went down the stairs, we saw a group of college-age persons at the bottom. As we reached the bottom, they started up. On about the 5th step, they turned around and started hissing and calling us names. They then spit at us. We had had instruction on how to respond to just such a situation so we did exactly as we were told - ignored the behavior and continued on our way. You see, we were to act as ambassadors to the public whenever we were in uniform and that meant not responding in like conduct to incidents such as this. By the way, the Canadians treated us with the utmost respect.
In 1967-68, I was stationed at CuChi in VietNam with the 1st Signal Brigade. We were rocketed many nights, mess halls blown up by booby traps, etc. On one occasion, the North Vietnamese did manage in infiltrate our area and blew up several helicopters, killing some of our personnel.
When I returned to the States, the first thing I did was change into civilian clothes and proceed home to my wife and children.
So, you see, I am writing as a veteran who went through these experiences personally. It DID happen and not just to me.