Duty

[mikegc]

Originally Posted by Sevoman

Mike et al,

I am sitting in Bagram, awaiting a 0200 show time for my flight to Kuwait, just finished reading your RR. (Kudos to Hakatan (my brother) for turning me on to it.) Excellent read. Fabulous sentiment. Thank you ALL for your service and sacrifice. I just spent my tour at a very remote and austere forward operating base doing the anesthesia for the forward surgical team. It was an honor and a priveledge to help care for those troops going into harms way to help defend the American ideal. I fear that with military operations going into their second decade in Afghanistan that the American people, who are so far removed from this reality, will forget or diminish what these young people are trying to do in service to our country. I pray not.

Hooah.

Josh "Sevoman" Wolf
66F, AN, USA

Josh, thank you so much for your post! When time permits, please consider posting photos of your tour along with your thoughts. Thank you for your service, sir!

Mike

[PackMule]

Thanks for the service, and for the memories, Mike.

[bomose]

Thanks, Mike and all who have served. I hope that others will post their experiences and pictures now that Packmule has revived this report. I've just now found this thread. Sometimes it's good to go back and bump older threads. I've talked with many friends about their time in Viet Nam.Mostly the good times. They didn't think there were any when they were there, but reminiscing reminds them that there were.Especially R&R in Thailand. Sometimes it's cathartic.

[mikegc]

Packmule & Bomose,


Thanks for posting. You know, since I wrote this thread, I've been contacted, not only by inmates haunting the ADV forum, but some people with whom I haven't seen or spoken to in years. Also, I've been contacted by local civic clubs and have made several speeches about my time in Vietnam. It has been pretty interesting . . . cathartic.

Bomose, you made a comment about speaking to some of your RVN veteran friends about their good times while they served. In my case and I suspect in their experiences, too, it took a while to "process" what had happened half a world away. We were really just kids at the time; the same as it is in all wars, I suppose. When I got back from Vietnam, I remember home seemed almost surreal. Nothing had changed during the year I was away and it just seemed like I no longer belonged there. The fact was, of course, I had changed. Bomose, I expect your friends who served there might have had the same or similar experiences.

Thank you, again, gentlemen, for your responses.

Mike

Mike

[bomose]

Settling in back home was difficult for some. Others just seemed to get right back in the swing of things. It depended a lot on your MOS. The front line grunt had the hardest time and still has a few problems. Another ran munitions along the DMZ , and another a door gunner who was shot down twice. All three are from the same small Miss. town. Another who was a career Marine officer probably had the easiest time because he was around others who knew what he had been through. He was an adviser early, then a line officer, then in intelligence for MACV. I think for an 18 year old with a short time to get used to the military and then thrown into combat it's especially hard to come to grips with what happened.You're scared, sleeping with snakes, bugs , and leeches, and don't know if today is your last day. Then you're sent home to a nation that derides everything you just did for them and told " Have a nice day, get over it" . Thanks again for all you did.

[Rutabaga]

Wow. Wow. Wow. As a practice, I generally don't like to start my Friday mornings with tears. However, we will all freely admit your report is not ordinary and the pride of service should be celebrated as you so incisively relate with your clear thoughts and pictures. Along with all former, present, and future soldiers I highly commend you in the raising of awareness about the costs of freedom( for us and others around the world) and the magnitude of the effect it has upon those who serve such a noble undertaking. You are a wonderful ambassador for the millions of us that have shared that privilege.

[Unstable Rider]

+1 brother, great post.

Ride on, ride safe. Grateful for your years of service.

[mikegc]

Again, Bomose, thank you. You are so right with your observations, IMHO. To Rudabaga and Unstable Rider, I really appreciate your kind comments. I've been doing a great deal of reading about our servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly the latter. I wish the citizens of the US knew more about sacrefices those good soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen have done and are doing for us. God bless them!

Mike

[Reverend12]

Thank You for serving. This was the best RR I've ever read. I appreciate You and all the other Vietnam Vets.

[mikem9]

Wow. Powerful report. You and other members of our armed forces have my highest respect! Thanks for your service!

[jdfog2]

Thanks.

Jay

Air Force (Retired)

[gumshoe4]

Great respect and appreciation for your transparency and your service. I was in the service just after Vietnam, but many of my buddies served in Vietnam and my first CO was shot down over North Vietnam and was in the Hanoi Hilton for about 5-6 years. When I was in, Vietnam was still a raw wound that many of the combat vets I knew still spoke of...at least within the command.

If I may, regarding the current group of warriors, this organization is doing many good things for those coming home:

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

The current generation of military folks are also highly dedicated to their country and their brothers and sisters, as you were during your service. I've had the honor of meeting and speaking with some of them at Patriot Guard Rider missions.

Thank you again for honoring those with whom you served. Also, thank you for the combat photos-they really portray what you and your brothers went through-and for your photos of the orphanage. I'm glad many made it out and got here.

[mikegc]

To Mike and Jay: Thank you, gentlemen, your comments. Jay, thank you for staying at your post for all those years. We all owe you a debt for "having our backs."

Gumshoe4, I'm well aware of the Wounded Warrior Project and the wonderful things they do. I concur wholeheartedly with your assessment of your current warriors. I just wish more Americans were aware of their work and sacrifice on our belalf. May I suggest reading Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell? It'll give a good look at what they're experiencing.

Mike

[bomose]

I concur with' Outlaw Platoon'. A friend's son who did 2 tours with 3/320 of the 101st sent it to me.Although he was in Iraq, not Afganistan. Great read.

[Rkillbuck]

Thanks for your outstanding ride report and service, it brought back some great memories!

Robert - RA18753992
Vietnam 67-68