stationed in germany during vietnam war stationed in germany during vietnam war
In Germany the U.S. military was protecting West Germany against the threat of Russian invasion, but it wasnt imminent, Shkurti said. 2 weeks before we graduated they told us, " Class 17, RVN". I served at the naval hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts, for 18 months. Lockbourne/Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio (906th and 907th Tactical Air Groups or 355th and 356th Tactical Airlift Squadron), Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts (731st Tactical Air Squadron and 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, International Airport (758th Airlift Squadron). Deploy network infrastructure faster and easier than ever before, with pre-packaged yet massively scalable infrastructure components for top packet and optical systems. It's from here that controversial drone missions are flown against targets in Africa and Asia. The question became: When will someone tell what my war was like? Lair said. When I left Korea, the first thing I did when I got to Germany was to find Special Services, which happened to be right next to my barracks," Hitt recalls. If I am sad about anything Vietnam-war, it is how other global players view that period of history when compared to the American perspective. There were swimming pools, bars, cheap booze, entertainment, dancers and strippers, American TV. After discharge in 1976, Thornton took his 4-year-old daughter and pregnant wife home to her family and used the GI Bill to earn an a degree in allied health sciences from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. That was where I met my wife. Life athome goes on without them, and it must have been difficult to navigate when they returned, she said. Attention A T users. You made a deal in Saigon, and the car arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, said Lomperis, who bought himself a $30 radio cassette player during the war, brought it home and kept it until about 2000. I talked to many men who felt sheepish that they didnt have those (combat) stories to share, Lair said. Many celebrities joined in the protests. Napoleon said, An army marches on its stomach, and the U.S. military followed his advice. I had an uncle that was drafted out of Brooklyn, NY. In addition to meeting locals, walks off-base could provide valuable intelligence. I was able to get into a band there. 2018 Petabit Scale, All Rights Reserved. During the war, in-country combat and support troops could be identified on sight, said author Timothy Lomperis, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam in the Army and Defense Intelligence Agency. They wore dirty boots and dog tags hanging around their necks. Youth activity centers in Germany included this facility in Wiesbaden. In retirement he wrote Soldiering On in a Dying War focusing on the Vietnam drawdown and The Ohio State University in the Sixties.. Its kind of like playing goalie for a soccer team. oakleaf777, Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. In the early years, dances were held on the streets of Berlin in summer months and in winter, the US Army organized Christmas parties for local children. The enemy was the Soviet Union and the other signatories of the Warsaw Pact, including the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. I assisted a medical officer suture up a Marine after a bar fight who was so drunk he didnt need an anesthetic. He wasn't wealthy or connected in anyway and he also had an Infantry MOS and he was one of three soldiers out of his basic training platoon that went to the ROK. Dotted around US bases are numerous residential districts for American soldiers and their families, such as this residential district in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. 800-829-4833, Veterans Crisis Line: I had surgery shortly after the fire, then spent convalescent leave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Morale was bad, and there were racial problems, Shkurti said. For the next 17 years the Europe Division of the Corps executed the Army and Air Force construction programs in Europe and supported the NATO construction program. When we graduated we lined up in front of a building that you entered one at a time on one side and after getting your paper work you exited out the other side. would have to use the scheduled bus service to get around the base, Lair wrote in Armed with Abundance.. The U.S. has had personnel stationed in Germany and South Korea, two of its military allies, for several decades, yet the number of active-duty troops in each country is at a modern low. It's also a mystery what happened to the bands apart from Lewis Hitt, none of the members have come forward. He was awarded the U.S. Abook describes and analyzes the important Engineer effort in Europe. Based on the HMD report, VA has decided to acknowledge exposure to Agent Orange for personnel whose military service involved regular contact with the contaminated C-123 aircraft. I expected it would be worse in Vietnam, but it was a more satisfying experience, Shkurti said. You guessed it, my last name started with a T. Got a question 11Cav, during the Vietnam era/60s early 70s period, was there a difference between volunteering for the draft and outright enlisting? A new compilation pulls together some of those old records it's called East of Underground: Hell Below. It was still no guarantee you wouldn't be sent to Vietnam and in some cases even be sent to do something else besides what you trained for. Most of all, Army bands will strive to honor General George Washington's observation, "Nothing is more agreeable and ornamental than good music. The songs East of Underground played weren't your run-of-the-mill patriotic marches in fact, some of them included controversial lyrics about race and politics. Their lot was really rugged, Lomperis said. There were Viet Cong all over the place, but if you were street-smart you stayed safe, Lomperis said. Health Care It's easy! If youre stuck on the base for days on end, visit the Wild B.O.A.R. You had no say in what your MOS would be. Instead of breaking them up, Army brass sent them on tour. The tensions between the two sides were demonstrated when US Army and Soviet Union tanks faced off in a divided Berlin. Youre in the hot seat. WebThe entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. Here are a few of their stories. The following individuals may qualify for benefits related to Agent Orange exposure: Veterans may file a claim for disability compensation for health problems they believe are related to exposure to Agent Orange residue on post-Vietnam C-123 airplanes. The US soldiers also brought American culture to Germany. Today, he cautions people not to draw quick lessons from the war. Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Army Staff Medal First Class and is the author of four books about Vietnam including The War Everyone Lost and Won.. Ammunition storage facility, Heilbronn, West Germany (left); Country western music blared all over Saigon, Lomperis said. Adopting a variety of organizational arrangements, including an engineer command from 1966 to 1974, USAREUR and its engineers attempted to find the most efficient and effective means to use the scarce resources available for construction and maintenance. We served honorably. They also ate pretty well. One colonel joked, If we ever really got attacked, the V.C. Responding to these concerns, VA asked the Health and Medicine Division (HMD) (formally known as the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study possible exposure and increase in adverse health effects in C-123 crew members. Germany will remain strategically important for the US. When support servicemen crossed paths with combat troops, We felt guilty. Grafenwoehr is a tiny base compared to almost anywhere youve been stationed in the US. "I was shocked when I found that out myself, but it kind of makes sense," Hollander tells Guy Raz, host of weekends on All Things Considered. At any moment all hell could break loose, Lair said. East of Underground was one such band a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Like suburban sprawl, the largest American bases just kept getting bigger, Lair said. Engineers and USACE remained in Europe, still proud of their contribution to defending Western Europe and ending the Cold War. VA decides these claims on a case-by-case basis. They worked in intelligence. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. During that time, I was assigned to the sick officers quarters, sadly watching many men pass away. So there was a great need for personnel outside South Vietnam through out the entire period, and the refusal to mobilize the Reserves and National Guard only exacerbated the problem. For military intelligence officer Timothy Lomperis, the constant whup, whup, whup of helicopters flying overhead is one of many things that stand out in his mind about the time he spent helping make critical war decisions in Saigon serving under Gen. Creighton Abrams, commander of U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, from 1968 to 1972. As the threat of imminent invasion receded in the late 1950s, U.S. Army Engineers continued to build and maintain facilities that supported American and NATO combat power and housed and supported U.S. forces and their families, now permanently stationed in West Germany. Lomperis served two tours of duty in Vietnam in the Army and Defense Intelligence Agency. Both Germany and Vietnam were on the front lines of the Cold War. German Chancellor Gerhard Schrder, knowing the majority of voters supported him, ruled out Germany's involvement. Anyone who served in the military during the war faced the possibility of being sent to Vietnam, though. Thornton returned to school later in life and is now finishing his doctorate in business administration in the field of cross-cultural competency and conflict management. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force used C-123 aircraft to spray Agent Orange to clear jungles that provided enemy cover in Vietnam. Well, one. WebDuring the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force used C-123 aircraft to spray Agent Orange to clear jungles that provided enemy cover in Vietnam. I ask this because many guys of draft age enlisted, enlisted specifically for three years to chose their MOS, and in a great many cases avoid serving in South Vietnam. 4) The Alps Swiss, German or French. The Federal Republic of Germany became an important strategic location during the Cold War. Still, a ration card would allow personnel to buy $2,000 to $3,000 worth of goods, she said. None would be here if Vietnam never happened, so it creates bittersweet feelings but no regrets, Thornton said. Of his entire graduating platoon, only he and one other trooper were sent to West Germany, all the others got orders to RVN. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. He attributed it to where he happened to be standing in a formation. Patches, In 1968 you could volunteer for the draft and serve 2 years active duty. We had each other, and we understood it takes so much honor to serve during the tough times. It was a game of cat and mouse that almost turned deadly when he was nearly killed by some drunk Vietnamese soldiers, Lomperis said. The guys with the gear in the rear. The US Army employed 17,000 American civilians in Germany in 2019. Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy urges more effective air defense, Ukraine: Russia continues to target civilian sites, Ukraine's counteroffensive: Goals, opportunities, risks. 7) Cologne, Germany. Active duty personnel who served in a regular USAF unit location where a contaminated C-123 was assigned who had regular contact with the aircraft through flight, ground, or medical duties between 1969 and 1986, and who developed an Agent Orange related disability. Those recordings were lost for decades, until a collector discovered an East of Underground LP in 1997. The war changed and dealt cruelty to many families, not just mine, but I have seen the sadness in my fathers eyes, and we both know what is there, and what is missing.. The conventional wisdom was that everybody carried a rifle, patrolled the jungle and faced death daily, but thats false, said William Shkurti, who served as an artillery officer in a remote area about 300 yards from the Cambodian border in fall 1970. I know that was very dependent upon where you called home, but that was my reality, Thornton said. visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for more resources. HMD released its report, Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft, Jan. 9, 2015. They were the rear echelon. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. Dave. When they got home they were all the same (veterans), but they did not all have an equal experience. There werent enough NCOs (non-commissioned officers), not enough support or spare parts. Like all the other members, he was a draftee, and had come from a tiny town in Mississippi. The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. The sky swarmed with helicopters. Another difference was the sense of solidarity he felt. Over 220 others have already been closed, mostly following the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. 6) Berlin, Germany. The band formed while its members were stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War. Mastering these complicated and delicate international arrangements, EUD accomplished a large and complex construction program, especially during the 1980s. He remembers his commanding officer Abrams as a political genius who turned the war around.. Given the popular conception that being drafted during Vietnam was a guaranteed ticket to the combat zone, Ive always found it amazing how many of the people I know who served in the Army or USMC during the Vietnam War never actually went to Vietnam. Some 20 years later, US President George W. Bush went to war with Iraq over its alleged program to develop weapons of mass destruction. WebThe Vietnam War exposed this problematic dimension in the U.S.-German relationship most dramatically. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then there was the two infantry brigades in Alaska, the 171st and 172nd, both gave up one battalion each for transfer to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii before it left there for South Vietnam, two full battalions had to be raised to replace the ones sent away. Long Binh was not a standard base, but it was home to the Armys Vietnam headquarters and showed the abundance and consumerism that was possible to create. An official website of the United States government, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, About the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, Historical Vignette 105 - Engineers Played an Important Role in Europe During the Cold War, Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant Program (DNPPP), Regional Environmental and Energy Offices REEOs, Industry Information Re: COVID-19 Support, Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, G-1 Reserve Component Augmentation, Office of Human Resources Directorate, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Powered by Invision Community, Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in W.Germany, South Korea, and CONUS, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. Even before Erhard succeeded Konrad Adenauer as West Germany's second chancellor, the conflict in Vietnam had File a claim online. This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. Those aircraft were used for military airlift, medical transport, and cargo transport operations in the United States and internationally. The entire emphasis is on the narrow combat experience, Lair said. Built over time for more than $130 million, Long Binh eventually had 3,500 buildings and 180 miles of road covering an area bigger than Cleveland. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). You could watch The Beverly Hillbillies, Appy said. East of Underground was one such band a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Your message has not been sent. In-depth strategy and insight into critical interconnection ecosystems, datacenter connectivity, product optimization, fiber route development, and more. Eventually Shkurti was sent to Vietnam and served as an artillery officer with B Battery 2 / 35th Artillery at Fire Support Base Lanyard on the Cambodian border in 1970-71. The goal of keeping soldiers well-fed was that they would be happy, stay out of trouble and avoid vices like drugs or prostitution, she said. After Nazi Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, four countries representing the Allies (the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France) asserted joint authority Their silence carried a message and concealed the fact that many veterans served in the rear echelon and not in combat capacity, Lair said. Knowing that the threat is so close by is an incentive for people to work together. The book became the first volume in aCenter of Military History series, U.S. Army in the Cold War. Because he was one of the last there in that formation and those three went to the ROK. This was because they had relatives (brothers) already serving in Vietnam. Men facing shipping out exhibited many types of behavior. The challenge was figuring out what the enemy would do. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then We had an Infantry MOS Soldiers on one of our Sheridan Tanks. Outdoor Recreation Center. For website corrections, write to hqwebmaster@usace.army.mil. WebHere are our top 13 places to see while youre stationed in Germany: (click on any city name below to learn more) 1) Prague, Czech Republic. Upon graduating, I was the only one in our Company sent to Ft. Knox Ky.. All of the other Draftees in our class stayed at Ft Lewis in Infantry. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. The report determined that it is possible that this exposure contributed to some adverse health effects. HMD found that Reservists who served as flight crew (pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and loadmaster), ground maintenance crew, and aero-medical personnel had regular contact with the aircraft, and would have experienced some exposure to chemicals from herbicide residue. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1968, William Shkurti said, I knew I was going to be drafted so I enlisted. Being a noncombatant doesnt mean they didnt feel scared, that there wasnt a looming sense of danger even onthe biggest bases that were considered safer areas, Lair said. These facilities supported the large American and NATO forces stationed for almost fifty years on the front lines of the conflict between East and West, ready to confront a Soviet invasion. Combat veterans offered a truly unique and special contribution to the war, but that doesnt mean it wasnt a sacrifice for people who served as support, Lair said. One of the biggest lessons Dr. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. Ukrainian soldiers find remains of German WWII soldiers, LGBTQ+ rights situation at home drives young Slovaks abroad, Remembering the horrors of Colonia Dignidad in Chile. The guys with the beer with hot food and hot showers, Appy said. But that tradition was set on its ear back in the late 1960s and early '70s, when the PFCs stationed overseas formed their own pop bands. Some Air Force Reservists who were crew members on C-123 Provider aircraft, formerly used to spray Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, have raised health concerns about exposure to residual amounts of herbicides on plane surfaces. They gave up their lives back home. They wore fatigues and carried M16s. Its easy to forget how large a US military presence in West Germany and Korea was maintained during the late 60s and early 70s aside from the forces fighting in Vietnam. Even as the war drew down in 1975 and early 1976, the pressure was intense as huge numbers of men came home with addictions and injuries too horrible to really describe, Thornton said. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. With pressures on USAREUR in the mid-1970s to reduce the size of its headquarters and budget, the command asked the Corps of Engineers to take responsibility for military construction in the theater. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed in order to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. WebThe conventional wisdom was that everybody carried a rifle, patrolled the jungle and faced death daily, but thats false, said William Shkurti, who served as an artillery officer in a remote area about 300 yards from the Cambodian border in fall 1970. My middle brother died five years ago from extended PTSD and the ravages of the drug addiction he endured while trying to cope with his memories from Vietnam. This is the official public website of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Office of History, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Army Center of Military History jointly published this book,Building for Peace: U.S. Army Engineers in Europe, 1945-1991 written by Robert P. Grathwol and Donita Moorhus. It's kind of both complicated and disjointed, it was a struggle to be sure. This includes individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reservewho regularly operated, maintained, or served onboard C-123 aircraft known to have been used to spray herbicides during the Vietnam era. This lasted for 5 months, then we were told, Okanawa. Opposition to the war made military personnel band together. I was in Boston when the Chelsea fire occurred in October 1973, received a meritorious unit citation for fighting the fire that consumed a large portion of Chelsea 18 blocks one way, 16 blocks another. As opposed to the goldbug society, or service personnel who were not interested in meeting locals and learning about Vietnam, Lomperis sought out opportunities to get off the base and interact with the Vietnamese. We have four children, plenty of grandchildren, both biological and through marriages, and five great-grandchildren. Some people feel the term Vietnam veteran should refer only to those who served in Vietnam, but the U.S. government defines them all as Vietnam-era veterans according to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 any veteran who served on active duty during the official time frame of the Vietnam War (1961-1975).