ot history channel

ralph wilton · Nov 9, 2011

just came in turn on tv to history channel very nice show about vietnam my dad is a vet and wont speak of it so this is how i get info. anyway i hit guide and the next show on is about woodstock is is just me or is this a slap in the face to those vets.

Case e · Nov 9, 2011

Everybody is always rushing out to get offended.

rrlund · Nov 9, 2011

Same time period IN history I guess.

Spook · Nov 9, 2011

There are some folks that went to both. Are they slapping themselves? Jeez......

Mike (WA) · Nov 9, 2011

No, not a slap in the face to Viet vets, IMHO. I'm from that era, and believe me, by 1969, almost everyone was against the war, including many of the guys over there. I think many would have been among Woodstock's most enthusiastic supporters. I'd love to have gone, but was in my 6th week of Army basic training at the time. Oh, and it also occurred on my 21st birthday.

BushogPapa · Nov 9, 2011

As a Vet who "read the Book" (was THERE)..I can tell you that what you see and what really happened are 2 quite different stories...

I was there '67 thru '68..
Never was any "news" about any battles in the Central Highlands..just talk of Saigon being active (over-run)...!!!
Guess the Battles we were involved in were in my Imagination...!!
1/10th Air-Cav "Slicks" and Infantry.."Aero-Rifle Platoon..1/10th Air-Cav..
Probably averaged about 1,000 rounds per Gun, Per LZ we were in..

Ron..

Mathias NY · Nov 9, 2011

I've seen some previews for a new series on the History Channel called 'Vietnam in HD.' They are claiming that it will be telling a very different story than what most people know about the war. With any luck it will be a closer description of what actually took place.

BushogPapa · Nov 9, 2011

The CLOSEST thing I have seen is an old movie called "84 Charlie Mo-Pic"..

Puts ME back there....every time...

Know what an FNG is..???

Is your Sh$$ Flakey..???

Ron..

Gun guru · Nov 9, 2011

A guy I work with was 19 in 1970. He told me that he enlisted in the Navy so that he wouldnt get drafted. He learned electronics in the Navy, so he got something out of it. And he says that he got out of

Old Roy · Nov 9, 2011

I agree and you didn't see any News casters wanting to ride along for the "BIG" story as they do today.

Like to see one interviewing a Chopper gunner in action back then .

dhermesc · Nov 9, 2011

That seems strange considering that well over half of the men that served in Vietnam were volunteers. The volunteer rate for Vietnam was much higher than it was for WW1 or WW2, the "popular" wars.

As my dad pointed out - the most active of the people protesting the war were college students - the very people that received deferments so they wouldn't have to go.

El Toro · Nov 9, 2011

I was drafted during the Korean War and my nephew was drafted in the late 1960's and was sent to Nam. He was killed in 1970 and is buried at Arlington. Every dentist he went to wanted to know where he grew up. He never had any cavities. Hal

DH in Carolina · Nov 9, 2011

Only wood stock I saw was the wooden stock on a m14 in basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1968. Went to Vietman on my senior trip.

Keith Molden · Nov 9, 2011

You're sure right about the vol's. I was one too. Ask Bill Clinton about Viet Nam---He was one of the other ones--Guess he really liked Canada at that time of his life. Yep I sure know what a FNG was, but now they're all we have LOL.

El Toro · Nov 9, 2011

I was profiled on the History Channel back in 2003. They had a contract with a film company in CA and was looking for a Korean vet was held prisoner by North Korea for over 3 years and was an Army medic. I think 600 were captured and only 300 survived and were having reunions and had found everyone but this former medic.

I found him in Germany and he had stayed in the Army and had retired. The film company flew him and his wife to CA for the reunion.

The other vet was a retired CWO from the Marine Corp and I found him and he wanted no part of a reunion. He was a tank commander in 1991 in Iraq
on an M60 Tank. Hal

Inno · Nov 9, 2011

(quoted from post at 15:40:52 11/09/11)
The CLOSEST thing I have seen is an old movie called "84 Charlie Mo-Pic"..

Puts ME back there....every time...

Know what an FNG is..???

Is your Sh$$ Flakey..???

Ron..

Thanks for the recommendation, I would much rather see a movie that is close to the real event than a big budget Hollywood piece of cr@p. I will be looking for it.

Mike (WA) · Nov 9, 2011

Lots of volunteers in the earlier years, but by 1969 (as noted in my post), I think the number had been reduced to a trickle. In my platoon in Basic, if there were any RA's (Volunteers), it wasn't very many- just US (draftees), Nat. Guard and Army Reserves. ALL the draftees went to Viet Nam right after Infantry AIT, without even getting to go home.

Mike (WA) · Nov 9, 2011

One other thing about volunteers- many of them volunteered after they got their draft notices, because if they were going to go anyhow, there were quite a few advantages to going as a volunteer rather than a draftee. More choice of MOS, duty stations, etc. Volunteers served 3 years instead of 2, but only 1 tour in Nam either way.

James Williams · Nov 9, 2011

I went in the Air Force in 1972,put in for Nam on a daily basis to help do my part.I never made it,The high lite of my term was working with the POWs when they returned to the US.I was stationed at Shepard Air Force Base,Whichata Falls Texas,The only combat that I seen was down on Flood st.{red light district}Wouldnt take nothing for my experience

jimmy

PaGlenn · Nov 9, 2011

Did a year in SEA. Thailand 69-70. A neat experience. Got to work on F4D Phantoms and the
AC130 Spectre gunship. Lots of bombs and guns.

DH in Carolina · Nov 9, 2011

Was the AC130 called "Puff the Magic Dragon"? We had to have two of them help us out one night because we were about to be overrun. Was a wild night. DH

Bryan inIowa · Nov 9, 2011

My hats off to all Vets . Lost a close family friend this year to cancer . Came on fast . He did four tours in Nam . Volanteered . Wirey lil sh@t,tough as nails . Mentioned several times he got hit with agent orange .This is really hitting vets now ... so sad . and the government turns blind eye or does very little . Watched special while back on the Pentagon Papers . what an eye opener . Mentioned we were there 10 percent to help the people , 20 percent to stop China , and 70 percent to save american face. Travel well brave warriors .

Bryan inIowa · Nov 9, 2011

My hats off to all Vets . Lost a close family friend this year to cancer . Came on fast . He did four tours in Nam . Volanteered . Wirey lil sh@t,tough as nails . Mentioned several times he got hit with agent orange .This is really hitting vets now ... so sad . and the government turns blind eye or does very little . Watched special while back on the Pentagon Papers . what an eye opener . Mentioned we were there 10 percent to help the people , 20 percent to stop China , and 70 percent to save american face. Travel well brave warriors .

Tim Barnes · Nov 10, 2011

DH, The A/C 130's were known as 'Spectres'. The gunships went through several different models of a/c's. The first version was the DC/3 built by Douglas. We called them 'Spookybirds'.It was known by the enemy as the 'Dragon' because the miniguns fired a tracer rd. every 4th or 5th round. This made a stream of fire coming down on whomever was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end.
When the higher ups realized that in any and every attack supported by a gunship, our guys were never overrun, they took notice.The DC/3's were replaced by C-119's. C-123's were used also. The final version used in V/N was C-130 armed with miniguns and a 20mm cannon.

I was there with the AF, in 67&68 and got to watch the gunships do there thing too many times.

When I'm wearing my unit association cap and people thank me now. I tell them I appreciate the notice but thank the ones whose names are on The Wall in the Mall, I made it home.

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