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I would like to say hi and also a Big thankyou for all of you veterans on this forum. I hope you don't mind me taking part of this forum as I am not a vet. I am though a military brat. I come from a very long line of military history in my family. Ever since the days of the revolutionary war. And ever since then, I am the very first to have not served. I wanted to so very much, but the lord must have meant for me to sit it out. As I was born with a heart murmur, and when I was a young child, I lost about 10% of my hearing. My great great grandfather was one of the confederate soldiers that led the charge against the yankees at gettysburg. My grandfather was in the marine corps over in france, and my father was a marine sgt over in korea. As stated a very long line of veterans in my family history. I have the upmost respect each and every one of you that did serve! Thankyou! In reding some of the comments here, I hate it when others claim to have been a vet. To me that is one of the most rude and disrespectful things a person can do to our vets and they should be hung upside down by there nutsack! But also throughtout my life , I would have to say that 75% of my best friends have been vietnam vets. I may not be a vet, but I do count myself as a true patiot of my country. Whatever my father didn't teach me, my nam vet buddies taught me so much that I am so gratefull for. So if and when the day comes that our nation is in total chaos, I do and will put those things I have learned to good use. In ending this I hope you don't mind me being on here, And I say again Thankyou for your service to our country! quote:Long live the Republic, keep your pwder dry and your guns locked and loaded
54,
There is no shame in not being a vet. I have four sons and none of then elected to join the military. We all have our place. The important thing is you recognize the value of the military and support those who have served and those currently serving.[:)]
I just stumbled on this forum and it brings back memories. Many years ago, SOF magazine held an annual convention at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. It was an insane party and a good place to get some great prices on gear. I walked into the pool bar to get a drink and there was a guy sitting by himself at the end of the bar. He was down and out and rather ragged looking and wearing an old ragged green jungle jacket like 99.9% of us wore "in country" and not cammies like 99.5% of the convention commandos were wearing. He held up his empty Bud and asked "Would anyone care to buy a beer for the only snuffy Marine here who wasn't f
Force Recon?" I bought him several. I think I was the only doorgunner there who wasn't on gunships and had 459 kills.
quote:Originally posted by kickinitforever
I just stumbled on this forum and it brings back memories. Many years ago, SOF magazine held an annual convention at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. It was an insane party and a good place to get some great prices on gear. I walked into the pool bar to get a drink and there was a guy sitting by himself at the end of the bar. He was down and out and rather ragged looking and wearing an old ragged green jungle jacket like 99.9% of us wore "in country" and not cammies like 99.5% of the convention commandos were wearing. He held up his empty Bud and asked "Would anyone care to buy a beer for the only snuffy Marine here who wasn't f
Force Recon?" I bought him several. I think I was the only doorgunner there who wasn't on gunships and had 459 kills.[?]
Well I logged over 1400 hrs flying the friendly skies of RVN seated on the left side of a Huey with an M-60 and I fired 10,000's of rounds (10,000 a day a couple of times) and would find that number of kills a little hard to swallow!!!!!!
I think I miss read your post. Sorry kickin.[:I]
You were making light of those there who were bragging about all there 'kills'. I never counted my 'jumps' or my 'kills'. I know both were in the double digits though.[;)]
Man, I am so glad I was sent to Germany from Jan 68 to july 69!
I heard it was hot as hell in Nam, and when it rained, it lasted for months.
Thanks to all the guys that served in Nam! Germany was no fun in the Winter, but I sure as hell am glad I got sent there where the only person I fought with was my Sargent.
Please keep sharing war stories so we all will know what to expect when the SHTF again in the real world.
I volunteered for VietNam to get away from Germany. I'm a desert rat and my skinny little butt couldn't handle the cold. In retrospect, it probably isn't the smartest thing I've done in this life. But I survived a few rather traumatic days and made it home OK
After tet offensive I also ask to go but they said I only had about six months left in the army and was too short to go.
Kinda glad I missed it because while in AIT I was the first killed in jungle training.
Thanks for taking my shift.....
Hope you came back with all parts working.
Can you tell me about some of the good as well as the bad times while you were in country. We lost 11 guys in one weekend of training and two of them died in my arms. I was so damn angry!
Never want to ever see that happen again! Had nightmeres for years after my tour of duty. What a waste of good American blood.
Wish I could have saved them so they could have returned to their love ones too!
It was so very many years ago and I'm still angry.
Welcome home! Glad you made it back!
quote:Originally posted by kickinitforever
I volunteered for VietNam to get away from Germany. I'm a desert rat and my skinny little butt couldn't handle the cold. In retrospect, it probably isn't the smartest thing I've done in this life. But I survived a few rather traumatic days and made it home OK
CIA?...Asassin?...SF? A couple of years ago a friend, who owns a car lot, told me about a "wannabe" that had recently been to his car lot. He was with a "hot chick" and my friend couldn't figure out why a gal that looked as good as she did would have anything to do with a guy like him. Anyhow, he was going to buy her ANY vehicle she wanted, up to $35,000.
She picked out a fancy 4X4 deisel($35,000). They went into the office to begin finalizing the deal. He asked the young man how he wished to pay for the truck...he replied "with cash"! And it was to be put into the young ladies name. He then handed the dealer a bank ATM card. The dealer told him that he couldn't take an ATM card, but that the man could go over to the bank and withdraw the money...to which the man replied, " No, I can't do that...I can't be on any camera or photographed, I am in the military and that is all I can tell you."
Confused, the dealer said that financing it may be an option. The man said ok but when the dealer asked him for his SS number the man said " I can't tell you that, my identity is a secret."
The girl was getting quiet upset and had walked outside. He noticed that she was talking to his mother-in-law, who just happened to be at the dealership. He and the man talked for a bit longer and te man said he would get the money and be back the next day to get the truck.
After they left his mother-in-law told him about her conversation with the young lady. The gal told here that this man was an assasin for the military, CIA or something like that. He was her fiance's best friend. He had told her a few months earlier about his secret life and that he had 3 months off to R&R. His superiors told him to fing a lady to relax with and at the end of his R&R they would authorize $35,000 to buy her anything she wanted. BUT, if she took him up on this offer she could not tell ANNYONE about it as that would compromise his cover and she and whomever she told could be targeted for immediate termination.Mommy-ini-law told her that that was the biggest pile of crap she had ever heard and she needed to dump the dude.
Well, they didn't come back for the truck...but the dealer did some checking about and found out the man was a stock clerk at Wal-Mart in another town.
Morale of the story: He got to bang a FOX for 90 days and now she has to keep the secret of HER undercover life!
Served my first tour in Vietnam in 65 played "silly buggers in the bush" a couple more times. When I left the military I started working in the film industry.
While on location in 1982 I was shooting a film called "MOTHERLOAD" the crew from "RAMBO" were staying at the same hotel. A couple of the teamsters knew I had been in the service and in Vietnam. In the bar one night they told me I had to meet Sylvester Stallone's bodyguard who had been in SF and had 52 handkills from his one man missions. I let him buy me drinks and tell me stories all evening without saying anything...I did call friends in North Carolina and related his name and story.....
Funny thing was a few days later he was fired. Ran into him about 10 years ago when he was Micky Rourke's bodyguard (he had become a Seal by that time) I just laughed and departed the AO.
I get a good charge of laughter when some so called Vets come to my shop and tell me the storys of the 60ds and where they were during that time laps, I sell to veterans at low prices at my shop, i will not make money off a Real Veteran, I have heard storys that are during the time i was incountry and get really sadden on what these so call vets have to say and what they did, Then i ask for some ID like even a VA card , OH I don't carry it with me , Sure Mac heard that one before or the best one is when i take gun orders over the phone and ask them to bring their DD214 with them and they say whats a DD214. BUSTED. 67 68 69 PBR 535
quote:Originally posted by LittleBearGuns
I get a good charge of laughter when some so called Vets come to my shop and tell me the storys of the 60ds and where they were during that time laps, I sell to veterans at low prices at my shop, i will not make money off a Real Veteran, I have heard storys that are during the time i was incountry and get really sadden on what these so call vets have to say and what they did, Then i ask for some ID like even a VA card , OH I don't carry it with me , Sure Mac heard that one before or the best one is when i take gun orders over the phone and ask them to bring their DD214 with them and they say whats a DD214. BUSTED. 67 68 69 PBR 535
Thanks,
We old farts (vets)[:D] need all the help we can get!!!
Got ya beat Little Bear. I only turn 57 next month. Darn near missed the SE Asia War Games. I still got my hair and everything functions.....except apparently my thought processes. By a complicated formula of hero claims X war years X Jack Daniels factor, I came up with figures of 435,00 Navy Seals, 614,000 Greem Berets, 368,000 Recon Marines, and 1,204,000 assorted CIA/Air America spooks, with a total medal count of 3,549,003 Silver Stars and Purple Hearts awarded. Total body count is somewhere over 32 million. Hitler was a newbie punk compared to us. But I definitely must be getting senile, cuz I don't remember ever running into any of these guys in country.
I've ridden a motorcycle ride called Run For The Wall since 2003 it starts in LA and goes to the Wall in DC (a large amount of real Vietnam Vets), if you want to see wannabees get called out and run off its on this ride. They don't get to the end of there story before someone calls them out. Here is a little info I came across somewhere.
Interesting Census Stats and "Been There" Wanabees:
As of the current Census taken during August 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.
quote:Originally posted by rivethook
I've ridden a motorcycle ride called Run For The Wall since 2003 it starts in LA and goes to the Wall in DC (a large amount of real Vietnam Vets), if you want to see wannabees get called out and run off its on this ride. They don't get to the end of there story before someone calls them out. Here is a little info I came across somewhere.
Interesting Census Stats and "Been There" Wanabees:
As of the current Census taken during August 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.
That is unreal!!! I knew there were a lot of them, but that is overwhelming. I guess MANY must think we are special people if so many want to be 'us'!!![;)]
Jim Rau
Remember for years you could live next to a neighbor and never know he was a Vietnam Vet we just didn't talk about it, then after all the TV shows and movies it became the in thing to be one. You still would not know about your neighbor, but every other urban commando was a Vietnam hero.
I spent 26 years in the 'mud, blood,and beer' and what I noticed was all the 'homeless' (bums) were poor Viet Vets. Well I would question them and only a about 20% or less were real Viet Vets, but the public believed them and thus we all got a bad rap![:(!]
quote:Originally posted by kickinitforever
Hey Rivethook, MY job was so secret I had to kill 2 of my multiple personalities when we talked about it to ourselves.
Damn I wish I would have thought of that one, I may just steal that saying [:D]
This is my first time on this site. Didn't know that there were that many heoric vietnam vets out there. To me the heros are the ones that lost their lives. I still feel like I shouldn't have the right to have made it out when all the heros died. I served in nam in 1970 and 1971. I was with Americal Division 196th LIB 1st/46th. Chu Lai was my rear area which I rarely visited. Most of my time was spent in the jungle around LZ Professional and LZ MaryAnn. Mabye I'll run across some of you guys that served during that time in the same division. Fixing to turn 60 in July and still think about Nam everyday. Like I said the real heros died there.
Originally posted by 11b40e5
This is my first time on this site. Didn't know that there were that many heoric vietnam vets out there. To me the heros are the ones that lost their lives. I still feel like I shouldn't have the right to have made it out when all the heros died. I served in nam in 1970 and 1971. I was with Americal Division 196th LIB 1st/46th. Chu Lai was my rear area which I rarely visited. Most of my time was spent in the jungle around LZ Professional and LZ MaryAnn. Mabye I'll run across some of you guys that served during that time in the same division. Fixing to turn 60 in July and still think about Nam everyday. Like I said the real heros died there.
Well then you are familiar with the "Rattlers' and 'Firebirds', my old unit while in the Americal.
I beg to differ with you. There were and are many heroes who did not 'give all'. I don't claim to be one, but I do know a few of them!!
Welcome home and welcome to the site. Join in and enjoy it here![^]
I turn 61 in August, and it is on my mind a lot too!
When I am asked about Nam I reply, "Never on the Ground". I have the
SVN Presidents Unit Citation for SERVICE IN NAM. ONLY because several
HONORABLE USAFSS ON THE GROUND served THERE. I sat at a desk doing Intelligence Analysis at the 6987th. RSM, Linkou AS, Taipei, Taiwan.
This was during 5/61-8/62. In it's wisdom the USAFSS showed those PROUD AIRMAN as assigned to the 6987th. They were dropped in, in the beginning, with Pallets of dropped, empty sandbags, shovels, tents and their Radio Equipment. They were defended by Army units and ofcourse ALL were ADVISORS. Give me a break! We only had one rotate into our unit during my tour and he was NOT a Talker as far as what went on.! He did bring in alot of pics that he took, that were siezed by those we thought were CIA. He also disappeared at the same time!! We were monitering Radio Traffic for all airtraffic inside China and worked along side ASA and NSG. They monitired VN airtraffic from their sites in the bush and Hq. was in Saigon. Just a FYI.
THANKS for all of you who DID the DIRTY WORK!
Bravo Battery First Battalion Thirteenth Marines. Nam 1967 and 1968, MOS 0848 Artillary Operations Chief, Staff Sgt (E-6) USMC. Dong Ha and points north, nuf said, questions (?) see me .........
It is kind of opposite for me ! If you catch me talking about my time in the military everyone ask me if I was in Vietnam ? I always have to tell them no " NO " I was in the Army after the war and had no part of it. In some ways it bothers me to be ask it because I do not carry the honor of the men who fought in Vietnam. I think the one thing that stands out in my mind and made me hardly ever talk about being in the Army was when my son was in Junior high school one of his buddies caught me and my son at a local gas station and as soon as he seen me and my son he ran over to us and got his mothers attention and told her in front of me that I was the guy who fought in Vietnam he was telling her about ? I had to explain to her that I was not in Vietnam and I served after the war. This happen about 15 years ago and still bothers me.
I think I know where he got his ideas of me being in Vietnam came from my son and me not explaining to my son much about my time in the service other than him picking up on conversation I had with friends of mine and family members and he just put the Vietnam war and me being old enough to serve at the time together and assumed that I was in at that time. No fault of his but plenty of fault on my side.
After this run in with the young boy I set down and really thought about what I had to tell my son about the time I was in the service and what I did in the service to him. I think it put his mind at a understanding of what his father did and represented and made me feel a little easier about giving proper due to the people who deserved it.
I mainly stressed to my son I was no hero and I just served my time in the service that I felt every man should do to earn his place among men in this world.
I can not say more about him now. I was a tanker in the old M-60 tanks and did my job.
My son is a Sergeant in the 101ST. Airborne and just returned home from Afghanistan his first deployment there. And he has 3 deployments to Iraq.
And a added bonus for all the ones who clam to be a sniper ! My son is a real sniper.
I spent a few years (24 1/2)in the US Army and get very upset when I hear someone telling Army war storiesthat I know are not true. I always ask if they have checked their DD form 214 to make sure their service was documented. Most give a blank look because they have never heard of a DD form 214. Seldom do you ever hear of a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) tell a lie about his combat experience. Every member of the VFW has a copy of his DD Form 214 on file in the Post file. This form has all service time and locations served documented along with all awards and decorations received by the individual. I get very upset with the bums that stand on the corners begging for handouts and claim to be homeless veterans. I have yet to meet one that is a true veteran.
Jim Rau, I flew on quite a few of the choppers in Viet-Nam that had Rattlers on them. That is how we got back from the bush or back out to the bush. Those guy that flew those birds were good. Dropping us out in the bush in a hot LZ took courage. The LZ's were worked out with mini guns and rocket fire before we were dropped into a hot LZ. Alot different from the way wars are fought now. We had to use compass for navagation or artillery round fired with air burst to confirm our location, now grab the GPS and never be lost. Alot different. Things got modern now. One soldier comes home from Iraq now and they name the town after him, or give him a parade. We come home and got nothing. I guess things are getting better. Enough of this. Get to rambling too much. God bless you guys that are serving now and all the Viet Nam Vets.
I hired a painter,called himself carpenter Don.
We had been painting my house for about 2 days and he noticed my picture with my infantry company in vn.
Now this guy showed up in an old van,with all that vietnam jargon stuck all over it. You know the type Ranger,don't run you will only die tired,us army sniper etc.
He And I had been painting as stated earlier and he was inspired to tell me about his stint with the 82 airborne. He had listened to a lot of war stories and had his information down pretty good but
when he showed me his wounds,I had to fire the guy.He had some kind of scar on his stomach,looked like he had jumped a fence and cut his
belly,then he showed me an acne scar on his back. I said nothing but he went on with his story. Bayonet he said.I said what are you talking about Don. Yeh we were on the dmz and this gook popped up and speared me with a bayonet.
I had been a medic with the 101st and just retired as a para medic with the fire department here in Jax. Fl.Don i said you are a walking miracle,
What does that mean,he asked. Well Don,the bayonet wound you just showed me,went through your Liver,one of your lungs and possibly
the lower part of your heart.And Don you had no surgery to repair these horrible injuries(no surgery scars). Don when you leave for lunch,don't come back.Few minutes later,I heard the sniper mobile fire up and away went our hero.I despise a wanna be.Firebouy.
I was 19 when I went in the marines. Most of the guys were 18 years old. I have talked to fakes that would have had to be 14 years old to have been in Viet-Nam. I just let them talk then give the the dates and their age. They just shut up and walk away.
quote:Originally posted by kissgoodnight
I was 19 when I went in the marines. Most of the guys were 18 years old. I have talked to fakes that would have had to be 14 years old to have been in Viet-Nam. I just let them talk then give the the dates and their age. They just shut up and walk away.
I went in when I was 17. Yep ! 17. I graduated from high school at 17 in May and did not turn 18 until August or 3 months later. I had my parents sign the papers so I could go in and start basic training a month after I graduated.
A week after I turned 17 I was at Parris Island thinking that my Senior DI was the meanest sob alive. Graduated thinking that he was the finest man I ever met. Went to VN in 1970. About 1978 one of my newbys in my plt came out for an inspection with VN service ribbon on. I knew that combat troops came out of VN in 1973. This Marine didn't go into the Marines until Sept of 1973. After the inspection he and I went to have a look see at his SRB. Sure enough he went to VN in 1974. Guess ole Sarge didn't know everything.
quote:Originally posted by MMOMEQ-55
A week after I turned 17 I was at Parris Island thinking that my Senior DI was the meanest sob alive. Graduated thinking that he was the finest man I ever met. Went to VN in 1971. About 1978 one of my newbys in my plt came out for an inspection with VN service ribbon on. I knew that combat troops came out of VN in 1973. This Marine didn't go into the Marines until Sept of 1973. After the inspection he and I went to have a look see at his SRB. Sure enough he went to VN in 1974. Guess ole Sarge didn't know everything.
Only know of two Marines from my Boot camp Plt to go to VN. I was not one of them. Graduated May 1974.
quote:Originally posted by 11b40e5
Jim Rau, I flew on quite a few of the choppers in Viet-Nam that had Rattlers on them. That is how we got back from the bush or back out to the bush. Those guy that flew those birds were good. Dropping us out in the bush in a hot LZ took courage. The LZ's were worked out with mini guns and rocket fire before we were dropped into a hot LZ. Alot different from the way wars are fought now. We had to use compass for navagation or artillery round fired with air burst to confirm our location, now grab the GPS and never be lost. Alot different. Things got modern now. One soldier comes home from Iraq now and they name the town after him, or give him a parade. We come home and got nothing. I guess things are getting better. Enough of this. Get to rambling too much. God bless you guys that are serving now and all the Viet Nam Vets.
You got that right. There were times we would call for arty and have no idea where the fire mission went. Even at 2000 AGL flying AMC we didn't see it.[:0]
I use to really like Brian Denahey until VFW magazine ran a feature article on wannabes and told his "story". While I have your attention, what about that great American Hero John Wayne? He "played" a lot of macho heros but never served,He was not that old or famous in 1941 either. What a wuss, blowing away Japs in Iwojima, Fighting Seabees, Pearl Harbor & 4 0r 5 other Marine/Navy movies. Then there was Korea, Puleeeese. Who could forget the Green Berets? Jimmy Stuart, Glen Ford, and a host of Hollywood actors served admirably in service to our country. I can't help but laugh when I see the old fart riding a horse with the reins in his mouth, shooting a rifle in one hand and a pistol in the other. Ever try to shoot from a running horse?? What a crock. Eddie CEP-4
Yup I love Vietnam History and have study it hard I'm 37 years old and I have to date called out 4 different Fakes every time it seems to be they did work with the CIA in a SOG recon team" I have studied early Vietnam SF and love the subject so much" I have read ever book that has went into print about MAC V SOG and I usually let them "the Fakes" try to tell there storey and quickly call them on it"" they always stop talking and walk away" I make it a point to tell them what a dis service they are doing to the true (HEROES) guys like Fred Zabitoski>MOH awarded:( Lynne M. Black Jr.) John Plaster, john Stryker Meyers, John T Walton, and least but never forgotten (Bob Howard> MOH the most highly honored VET to serve in NAM or should I say (Laos, Cambodia) some of the bravest men I have had a pleasure to meet. and read about seeya Smitty"
Comments
There is no shame in not being a vet. I have four sons and none of then elected to join the military. We all have our place. The important thing is you recognize the value of the military and support those who have served and those currently serving.[:)]
Force Recon?" I bought him several. I think I was the only doorgunner there who wasn't on gunships and had 459 kills.
I just stumbled on this forum and it brings back memories. Many years ago, SOF magazine held an annual convention at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. It was an insane party and a good place to get some great prices on gear. I walked into the pool bar to get a drink and there was a guy sitting by himself at the end of the bar. He was down and out and rather ragged looking and wearing an old ragged green jungle jacket like 99.9% of us wore "in country" and not cammies like 99.5% of the convention commandos were wearing. He held up his empty Bud and asked "Would anyone care to buy a beer for the only snuffy Marine here who wasn't f
Force Recon?" I bought him several. I think I was the only doorgunner there who wasn't on gunships and had 459 kills.[?]
Well I logged over 1400 hrs flying the friendly skies of RVN seated on the left side of a Huey with an M-60 and I fired 10,000's of rounds (10,000 a day a couple of times) and would find that number of kills a little hard to swallow!!!!!!
You were making light of those there who were bragging about all there 'kills'. I never counted my 'jumps' or my 'kills'. I know both were in the double digits though.[;)]
I heard it was hot as hell in Nam, and when it rained, it lasted for months.
Thanks to all the guys that served in Nam! Germany was no fun in the Winter, but I sure as hell am glad I got sent there where the only person I fought with was my Sargent.
Please keep sharing war stories so we all will know what to expect when the SHTF again in the real world.
Kinda glad I missed it because while in AIT I was the first killed in jungle training.
Thanks for taking my shift.....
Hope you came back with all parts working.
Can you tell me about some of the good as well as the bad times while you were in country. We lost 11 guys in one weekend of training and two of them died in my arms. I was so damn angry!
Never want to ever see that happen again! Had nightmeres for years after my tour of duty. What a waste of good American blood.
Wish I could have saved them so they could have returned to their love ones too!
It was so very many years ago and I'm still angry.
Welcome home! Glad you made it back!
quote:Originally posted by kickinitforever
I volunteered for VietNam to get away from Germany. I'm a desert rat and my skinny little butt couldn't handle the cold. In retrospect, it probably isn't the smartest thing I've done in this life. But I survived a few rather traumatic days and made it home OK
She picked out a fancy 4X4 deisel($35,000). They went into the office to begin finalizing the deal. He asked the young man how he wished to pay for the truck...he replied "with cash"! And it was to be put into the young ladies name. He then handed the dealer a bank ATM card. The dealer told him that he couldn't take an ATM card, but that the man could go over to the bank and withdraw the money...to which the man replied, " No, I can't do that...I can't be on any camera or photographed, I am in the military and that is all I can tell you."
Confused, the dealer said that financing it may be an option. The man said ok but when the dealer asked him for his SS number the man said " I can't tell you that, my identity is a secret."
The girl was getting quiet upset and had walked outside. He noticed that she was talking to his mother-in-law, who just happened to be at the dealership. He and the man talked for a bit longer and te man said he would get the money and be back the next day to get the truck.
After they left his mother-in-law told him about her conversation with the young lady. The gal told here that this man was an assasin for the military, CIA or something like that. He was her fiance's best friend. He had told her a few months earlier about his secret life and that he had 3 months off to R&R. His superiors told him to fing a lady to relax with and at the end of his R&R they would authorize $35,000 to buy her anything she wanted. BUT, if she took him up on this offer she could not tell ANNYONE about it as that would compromise his cover and she and whomever she told could be targeted for immediate termination.Mommy-ini-law told her that that was the biggest pile of crap she had ever heard and she needed to dump the dude.
Well, they didn't come back for the truck...but the dealer did some checking about and found out the man was a stock clerk at Wal-Mart in another town.
Morale of the story: He got to bang a FOX for 90 days and now she has to keep the secret of HER undercover life!
True story.
While on location in 1982 I was shooting a film called "MOTHERLOAD" the crew from "RAMBO" were staying at the same hotel. A couple of the teamsters knew I had been in the service and in Vietnam. In the bar one night they told me I had to meet Sylvester Stallone's bodyguard who had been in SF and had 52 handkills from his one man missions. I let him buy me drinks and tell me stories all evening without saying anything...I did call friends in North Carolina and related his name and story.....
Funny thing was a few days later he was fired. Ran into him about 10 years ago when he was Micky Rourke's bodyguard (he had become a Seal by that time) I just laughed and departed the AO.
Chris
I get a good charge of laughter when some so called Vets come to my shop and tell me the storys of the 60ds and where they were during that time laps, I sell to veterans at low prices at my shop, i will not make money off a Real Veteran, I have heard storys that are during the time i was incountry and get really sadden on what these so call vets have to say and what they did, Then i ask for some ID like even a VA card , OH I don't carry it with me , Sure Mac heard that one before or the best one is when i take gun orders over the phone and ask them to bring their DD214 with them and they say whats a DD214. BUSTED. 67 68 69 PBR 535
Thanks,
We old farts (vets)[:D] need all the help we can get!!!
Interesting Census Stats and "Been There" Wanabees:
As of the current Census taken during August 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.
I've ridden a motorcycle ride called Run For The Wall since 2003 it starts in LA and goes to the Wall in DC (a large amount of real Vietnam Vets), if you want to see wannabees get called out and run off its on this ride. They don't get to the end of there story before someone calls them out. Here is a little info I came across somewhere.
Interesting Census Stats and "Been There" Wanabees:
As of the current Census taken during August 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.
That is unreal!!! I knew there were a lot of them, but that is overwhelming. I guess MANY must think we are special people if so many want to be 'us'!!![;)]
Remember for years you could live next to a neighbor and never know he was a Vietnam Vet we just didn't talk about it, then after all the TV shows and movies it became the in thing to be one. You still would not know about your neighbor, but every other urban commando was a Vietnam hero.
Hey Rivethook, MY job was so secret I had to kill 2 of my multiple personalities when we talked about it to ourselves.
Damn I wish I would have thought of that one, I may just steal that saying [:D]
SVN Presidents Unit Citation for SERVICE IN NAM. ONLY because several
HONORABLE USAFSS ON THE GROUND served THERE. I sat at a desk doing Intelligence Analysis at the 6987th. RSM, Linkou AS, Taipei, Taiwan.
This was during 5/61-8/62. In it's wisdom the USAFSS showed those PROUD AIRMAN as assigned to the 6987th. They were dropped in, in the beginning, with Pallets of dropped, empty sandbags, shovels, tents and their Radio Equipment. They were defended by Army units and ofcourse ALL were ADVISORS. Give me a break! We only had one rotate into our unit during my tour and he was NOT a Talker as far as what went on.! He did bring in alot of pics that he took, that were siezed by those we thought were CIA. He also disappeared at the same time!! We were monitering Radio Traffic for all airtraffic inside China and worked along side ASA and NSG. They monitired VN airtraffic from their sites in the bush and Hq. was in Saigon. Just a FYI.
THANKS for all of you who DID the DIRTY WORK!
I think I know where he got his ideas of me being in Vietnam came from my son and me not explaining to my son much about my time in the service other than him picking up on conversation I had with friends of mine and family members and he just put the Vietnam war and me being old enough to serve at the time together and assumed that I was in at that time. No fault of his but plenty of fault on my side.
After this run in with the young boy I set down and really thought about what I had to tell my son about the time I was in the service and what I did in the service to him. I think it put his mind at a understanding of what his father did and represented and made me feel a little easier about giving proper due to the people who deserved it.
I mainly stressed to my son I was no hero and I just served my time in the service that I felt every man should do to earn his place among men in this world.
I can not say more about him now. I was a tanker in the old M-60 tanks and did my job.
My son is a Sergeant in the 101ST. Airborne and just returned home from Afghanistan his first deployment there. And he has 3 deployments to Iraq.
And a added bonus for all the ones who clam to be a sniper ! My son is a real sniper.
We had been painting my house for about 2 days and he noticed my picture with my infantry company in vn.
Now this guy showed up in an old van,with all that vietnam jargon stuck all over it. You know the type Ranger,don't run you will only die tired,us army sniper etc.
He And I had been painting as stated earlier and he was inspired to tell me about his stint with the 82 airborne. He had listened to a lot of war stories and had his information down pretty good but
when he showed me his wounds,I had to fire the guy.He had some kind of scar on his stomach,looked like he had jumped a fence and cut his
belly,then he showed me an acne scar on his back. I said nothing but he went on with his story. Bayonet he said.I said what are you talking about Don. Yeh we were on the dmz and this gook popped up and speared me with a bayonet.
I had been a medic with the 101st and just retired as a para medic with the fire department here in Jax. Fl.Don i said you are a walking miracle,
What does that mean,he asked. Well Don,the bayonet wound you just showed me,went through your Liver,one of your lungs and possibly
the lower part of your heart.And Don you had no surgery to repair these horrible injuries(no surgery scars). Don when you leave for lunch,don't come back.Few minutes later,I heard the sniper mobile fire up and away went our hero.I despise a wanna be.Firebouy.
I was 19 when I went in the marines. Most of the guys were 18 years old. I have talked to fakes that would have had to be 14 years old to have been in Viet-Nam. I just let them talk then give the the dates and their age. They just shut up and walk away.
I went in when I was 17. Yep ! 17. I graduated from high school at 17 in May and did not turn 18 until August or 3 months later. I had my parents sign the papers so I could go in and start basic training a month after I graduated.
A week after I turned 17 I was at Parris Island thinking that my Senior DI was the meanest sob alive. Graduated thinking that he was the finest man I ever met. Went to VN in 1971. About 1978 one of my newbys in my plt came out for an inspection with VN service ribbon on. I knew that combat troops came out of VN in 1973. This Marine didn't go into the Marines until Sept of 1973. After the inspection he and I went to have a look see at his SRB. Sure enough he went to VN in 1974. Guess ole Sarge didn't know everything.
Only know of two Marines from my Boot camp Plt to go to VN. I was not one of them. Graduated May 1974.
Jim Rau, I flew on quite a few of the choppers in Viet-Nam that had Rattlers on them. That is how we got back from the bush or back out to the bush. Those guy that flew those birds were good. Dropping us out in the bush in a hot LZ took courage. The LZ's were worked out with mini guns and rocket fire before we were dropped into a hot LZ. Alot different from the way wars are fought now. We had to use compass for navagation or artillery round fired with air burst to confirm our location, now grab the GPS and never be lost. Alot different. Things got modern now. One soldier comes home from Iraq now and they name the town after him, or give him a parade. We come home and got nothing. I guess things are getting better. Enough of this. Get to rambling too much. God bless you guys that are serving now and all the Viet Nam Vets.
You got that right. There were times we would call for arty and have no idea where the fire mission went. Even at 2000 AGL flying AMC we didn't see it.[:0]