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Posts:
9
From:
MS
Registered:
10/22/08
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(1 of 10)
VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Oct 25, 2008 12:46 AM
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There was a time that I was deeply involved with the vietnam vets in many ways. My Uncle was my inspriation. I was a young child of the sixties.
I miss talking to my vietnam vet friends. I had kids and have lost contact with most of the guys and girls I talked to on a daily basis.
We had a great community going and circumstance dictated that we leave our site and create another. It did not seem the same and many of us lost our contact. I would dearly love to create a community like that again. Stories, "do you remember", off the wall humor on occasion, connections. It was such a family and a few people came to destroy it and suceeded. So sad.
I wish---
If we could recreate that here, I would be thrilled. The benefits to our viet vets was amazing. At the time, I lived in a big city and volunteered at the vet hospital on occassion. Now I live in a tiny town so the oppurtunities are fewer.
Any way. If anyone is interested in creating this type of community or topic---We can start here.
Gentle Breezes
Patty
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Posts:
44
From:
TACOMA WA.
Registered:
12/29/08
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(2 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Dec 29, 2008 10:31 PM
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HELLO; I'M A NAM VET AND I AM THE KIND OF MAN THAT DOESN'T QUITE. SO WITH THAT, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT? THE NAM OR IRAQ OR THE UP COMING( CAMBODIA) OR WHATEVER I'M JUST GLAD SOME ONE OUT THERE CARES ENOUGH TO HEAR WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY. FOR ME IT'S BEEN ALMOST 40 YEARS AND STILL WERE NOT UNDERSTOOD OR COUNTED. I DO KNOW ONE THING WHEN CALLED WE SUITED UP AND SHOWED UP SHOULDERED OUR RIFLES AND FOLLOWED OUR FLAG. AND NO ONE WILL EVER CONVINCE ME (WE) LOST THAT DAMN WAR! GREASY AKA DON FLEMING
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Posts:
2
From:
Thomson GA
Registered:
1/11/09
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(3 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Jan 11, 2009 5:49 PM
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It is very hard to believe that in Feb. I'll be 62 years old. In the early '50s I would sit spell bound while uncles and relatives told of their experiences in the Pacific of WWII. They seemed so old and the stories were tales of long ago to me. 41 years have passed and it seems not that long.... only a couple of years ago. Time and memories are funny thing; what happened last month or last year is vauge, but what I was doing 40 years ago is vivid. Short term gone ...long term stays. You search the newspapers obits daily to see if some one from your youth has past. Dwell on things of 'what if' as if you could change the events!
So with that, I'll begin one of my 'stories'. Army trained as an Artillery Surveyor,my stint at base camp consisted mostly as KP. The rumor had it that across the base at An Khe, the 1st Air Cav was looking for door gunners. I got permission to attend an indoctrination class there and when the Warrant Officer said the life expectancy of a door gunner was 90 days, I let the sign up paper pass me by. I was eager to get out and see some action but damn!
I did how ever get retrained in Artillery Fire Direction Control (FDC) and it was time for us to fire our first 155 round in the 'Nam. With battalion guns layed and waiting the order to fire, we gathered at the perimeter to watch the fire hit the hills just outside the green line.FIRE!... seconds later flashes appeared and sirens blasted. Ours guns were laid in the very opposite direction and our rounds hit a fuel dump in AnKhe! After a brief investigation(I wonder what happened to our battalion commander) we were sent on our way out of base camp.. how embarassing! Our reputation traveled faster than our guns. Even the Korean infantry unit we were sent to support asked that we not be sent! As part of Battalion FDC I was ridiculed beyond belief.
There are a lot more tales in store. So stay tuned.
Lonely Grouse...OUT!
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Posts:
9
From:
MS
Registered:
10/22/08
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(4 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Jan 13, 2009 6:31 PM
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Please tell me your stories. All that you want to share. My way to get the other board, expired, talking was my questions and a girl who had a wicked, twisted humor.
Then a person decided that I was a threat. He was a vietnam refuge. I left that board because the memories and the sharing got lost. I was his target. My people on the site didn't want me to leave because I took that guy on word for word, but that was not why that site was created. I left becuse you guys don't need conflict. I love your stories and wrote a poem for one guy that touched my heart. A girl on the site thought it would help me to "recognize" my pen name. I have never written anything to be published, but only write forcertain people. I write as a hobby and have never been published. I have wonderful storie told to me that,other than their posts, have never seen light of day. I want very much to tell the story of the vietnam guys but in a fictional way. If you would like your story to find it's way into it, cool, Thing is, what you guys tell me, I just can't write about. I think I will stick with writing stories for my kids.
Your stories help me teach them. Their Dad served in Desert Storm, before they wer born and Iraq Freedom as well. I am a military wife, military mom, military neice, and military daughter.
Share and invite. I love you guys more than you can possibly know and would love to hear your stories.
God Bless and Thank You for your service!
Gentle Breezes
Patty
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Posts:
9
From:
MS
Registered:
10/22/08
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(5 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Jan 13, 2009 6:53 PM
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The years that have passed shock me too. I look at my uncle, he looks so... well, he is sick now. I remember him driving up in a convertibile mustang... RED. Blonde hair, James Dean style. SO handsome. Climb a tree and hang my swing with the most charming smile. (He still has that smile) He was my hero. He never ttalked about Vietnam until he got Saved. Now, finally, he will talk to me about it.
I asked him a few years ago and he told me very gently, "I love you, but i will not talk about that" Now he does. I wonder if the poem I wrote and gave his wife made a difference. I am scared to ask. He is still kinda hesitant about talking about it. He was infantry so he saw too much. My aunt use to tell my step-mom, his sister how bad it was. Little hethen that I was, I didn't sleep. I sat near the door and listened. LOL Bad girl. But it gave me a compassion that most don't have.
You guys...I can only say thank you--
Gentel Breezes,
Patty
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Posts:
9
From:
MS
Registered:
10/22/08
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(6 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Jan 22, 2009 11:50 PM
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Don,
My computer crashes to much. Sorry for the delay in responding. I would love to hear your stories and thoughts. I am getting a new tower as soon as my income tax refund comes in and I will be here on a regular basis. I hope we can get alot of Viet Vets here to talk. I have said it before and will say it again, I would love to write a story that takes in all but I am not talking to anyone to gain info. Only to understand so that I can talk to my Uncle with compassion and a little bit of understanding. Writing is secondary to understanding and helping him. I asked alot of questions and got lots of "openness" before. I would like to think that I helped open places that our beloved vets had not touched before, but they shared stories and then healed a bit.
One guy told me about seeing a rabbit during a firefight. Another told me about creating his own harness for hanging out the door of a Huey. Yet another, sent me pics of Puff the Magic Dragon. I talked to tunnel rats, infantry guys, (no atheist in a fox hole), door gunners, nurses, families, NFG's, RMFs, it was great to see them all come together and talk. (The above nfg and rmf is not my words, it was theirs, refering to others and themselves)
I am a firm beliver that the soldier is not the only one who serves. My family served as well, in a whole different way, while my husband was in Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.
I love you guys and gals--
If we need to find our own site to talk, lets go. I am more than willing  to ask the questions. Sometimes stupid questions open the way for real healing. At least that is what happened before.
Gentle Breezes,
Patty
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Posts:
1
Registered:
5/25/09
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(7 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
May 25, 2009 8:37 AM
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I am also a Vietnam Veteran and you are right. We are winners and not loosers.
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Posts:
44
From:
TACOMA WA.
Registered:
12/29/08
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(8 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Jul 2, 2009 1:55 AM
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PATTY;I will try to remember to turn off the cap lock in the future. I served with the 11th. ACR, Hco 2nd, of the 11th, 3rd plt. I was a TC on a M-48a3 there was myself JERRY,JOE, and GARY we lost joe and gary in CAMBODIA and after over 40 years of trying to find jerry his exwife a week ago told me he died in 06. She found one of my SEARCHES on MIL.COM. and wrote to tell me. I feel so empty, I v'e lost my whole crew. The comments I just read above ring true 40+ years later I still remember everything that happened, but sometimes I can't remember what happened last week, strange thing a war, it always changes those that serve for the rest of their lives. My son is in IRAQ as of this writing and I talked to him about this before he went the first time, he to found out DAD was right but he to learned from me that when the country calls you" suitup and showup" right, wrong, good, or bad. There's always been a FLEMING in all our wars we my not have done very well but we always show up. I will end this with a piece of a poem that was read over GARY and JOE after CAMBODIA and I quote " IT WILL ALWAYS TAKE THE EFFORTS OF BETTER MEN TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS" unquote Just and old BANDIT OF THE BLACKHORSE. "ALLONS"
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Posts:
1,790
From:
ailuroland
Registered:
4/25/05
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(9 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Aug 13, 2009 5:12 AM
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My hubby is a Viet Nam Vet. He doesn't talk much about it. He was there in 70-71 and was a door gunner on a helicopter. My brother was over there at the same time. He served in the 101 Airborne, and was relegated to an office because he knew how to type.
Dale, my hubby, and Gary, my brother, were at Ft. Lewis for basic at the same time, and in Viet Nam at the same time, but didn't meet until after Dale and I got together.
Cat
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Posts:
1
From:
k ville
Registered:
10/6/09
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(10 of 10)
Re: VIETNAM VETS AND FAMILIES
Oct 6, 2009 3:41 PM
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so you want war stories ?? here is my most vivid memory and its really more to do with coming home.yeah man back to the world!! stateside where we all dreamed of and wanted to be .none of us could sleep the night before so we did what all members of the forces do we told of memories from home from moms homecooked meals to lies about all the girls back home and everything in between. anything to keep us from watching the clock(i swear that every minite took an hour.)andfinally the flight home if it hadn't been for that old bosuns mate sneeking that bottle on board that mac flight might have been the end of me (no disrespect to the crew but that flight took 10years...remeber?) well i got of track we touched down at moffit field yeah they closed that one to.well we were orderd to file in and to march instep eyes forward anybody breaking ranks would be courtmarshald in my ignorance i figured that was to keep us from running to our loved ones boy was i in for a shock!!!as we marched to the gate where the busses were sitting we could see a throng of people gatherd at the gate some holding signs some waving all of them shouting,to welcome us home. i was so wrong!!!! the closer we got the clearer the picture became.they werenot there to welcome us ,no not at all ! the signs were insults the cheers were jears and the stuff they were throwing was rotton tomatoes ,rocks,dirt,whatever they could dig out of the trash .and when they ranout of that .they literally dropped there pants,crapped in ther hands an threw that. some of you might try to deny that but yes sadly it happend one of those handfuls of crap hit old boats and he could not take it (how could any man) it made me proud the way old boats sailed into them he took a few of them down before the m.p.s got him to this day i dont know what happend to him and to this day i feel as a coward for not going with him
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