Posted on 02/04/2006 1:42:46 AM PST by Lokibob
On My Way to Viet Nam Memories of that day.
5 Jan 1969 I kiss my wife and kids good bye and board the plane in the El Paso Airport, heading to San Francisco, eventually to Viet Nam. There were a few other GI on board, since El Paso has Ft. Bliss Texas and White Sands Missile Range close to it.
I get off the plane and , walking down the concourse spot a blinking sign “COLD BEER”. Although it is only 11 am that sounded awfully good to me. After all, I’m heading to Viet Nam.
Belly up to the bar, 2 Sp5’s are beside me, they both got off the same plane from El Paso. Bartender asked both of them for ID, but not me. I said “how come you didn’t ask me” His reply “you have 3 hash marks on your sleeve, that means 9 years in the Army Sarge, there is no way you could be under 21 and have 9 years in the Army.” Smart man.
“Whcha gonna have”? I said “ Tall, cold draft, and give these guys what they want, on me”.” Lord, I had no idea what I was doing. Bartender “We have a special today, 2nd beer for 5 cents, do you want a 2nd beer? I’ll pour it later when you finish your first.” I said “ Sure, can’t beat that deal, and besides, what are they gonna do to me if I report in with beer on my breath, Send me to Viet Nam”? I’m still clueless as to what is happening that day.
Now, the rule is “If somebody buys you a beer, you buy them one back”. The 2 Sp5’s and I finish our 2 beers each, and of course, one of them orders another round (round 3, remember the “beer for a nickel). We are sitting there in the bar talking, in our greens, all 3 of us going to RVN for the first time, and of course having concerns.
Beer 4 finished. Probably noon by now. We should go catch the bus to the Oakland terminal. However, the last of the party needs to buy his round (beer 5 and 6). After all, “what are they gonna do to us, send us to Viet Nam?”
I was a SSG E-6, and by now the 2 E-5’s are looking to me for guidance. Man had they picked the wrong NCO to follow. I didn’t have a clue.
Beer 5 & 6 gone, and the bartender says “hey guys, let me buy you a beer”. With what little wisdom I had left, I said “ we really shouldn’t, we need to catch the bus to Oakland”. The bartender pointed out that the Oakland Terminal buses run all day and night, besides, what are the gonna do to you, send you to Viet Nam? Made a lot of sense to me, Fill em up.
The day wore on, businessmen and women were in and out of the bar and the beers kept flowing. It seems as though the business people kept buying us beer after beer, and the 5 cent bonus beer, too. Finally about 6 PM, I sloshed up to the new bartender (the shift having been changed), and said that we need to get going, please don’t let anybody else buy us a beer. He laughed and said we had 10 beers each all paid for, and besides, “ what are the gonna do to you, send you to Viet Nam?”.
About 9 that night, 3 very drunk GI’s got on the bus to Oakland.
We pulled into Oakland Army Terminal, and a kind NCO gave us bunks to sleep it off. He said he would log us in reporting before midnight, and we could process for Viet Nam transportation in the morning.
Next morning, get up, hung over like a bastard, and we report in for real. I lost track of the other 2 guys.
The Army indicated I wasn’t going to fly out for a couple of days, but they had a job for me. Gave me a white helmet liner and sent me outside the door to direct people into the processing plant.
I’m outside, white helmet, clueless, and standing around, looking like an official. This young man walks up to me, bag in his hand and says “Sarge, I’m AWOL. I was supposed to report here 3 days ago, but I got drunk at the San Francisco Airport and got thrown in jail”. I asked him if he got the 2nd beer for 5 cents or not?
Now AWOL, to me, is pretty serious, so I take him inside for processing. I walk up to the NCO that has assigned me to doorman duty, and tell him that the young man is AWOL, but turned himself in. He sends me back out side to do the white helmet thing again.
A few minutes later, out comes the young man. I asked him what had happened, and he responded “The NCO you gave me to was getting off shift in a few minutes, and he didn’t want to start the paperwork on me, so he asked if I would come back in an hour, when the next shift started”.
I turned in my white helmet, found a rack and slept 8 full hours.
I guess I should describe the processing place at Oakland Army Terminal. A warehouse. With bunk beds. A motel room for 30,000 GI’s. Organized chaos. Transportation formations every hour, mandatory, 24 hours a day. (I found out they weren’t so mandatory, if you were sleeping, they simply put you on the next hours planes). They were filling planes.
After about 5 or 6 formations, they finally called my name. They herded us all into a group, probably 200 troops, and assigned a SSG E-6 to be in charge. Guess who? Yep, clueless me.
They took us all over to “OUR AREA”, where we were to stay until a plane was ready. “OUR AREA” consisted of 200 bunks, all lined up. I got my troops in a formation, and told them that we would do everything as a group, including going to chow. We went back to “OUR AREA”. I laid down on my rack.
“Sergeant, when are we going to chow”? Rudely awakened. I said “When they tell us it is time for chow, I’ll let you know”. Put my head back on the pillow “Serge, when is chow?’. Damn it, can’t I lie down for a sec!!!
“Fall out!” I said! “Troops, I can not and will not answer each and every one of your questions, individually” You will be told when to go to chow, and we will march to the chow hall. Got it, Good!”
They call my name over the loud speaker system, I report to the dispatch office. They give me 15 more troops to take to RVN, these were AWOLS who had turned themselves in for overstaying leaves. Not really criminals (oh how my opinions had changed in the last 24 hours). I was to take special care of them, making sure they ALL arrived. SURE!!!! Like I had 200 other troops all asking me if it was chow time, and now, 15 more to watch 24 hours a day.
I got my special charges together and told them to watch each other.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, we loaded up on a big plane. They handed me a ream of papers and told me to give them to the troops after we took off. The paperwork was transportation orders.
Wheels up, ½ hour passes, and I decide to hand out the orders. The first one I hand out, the young man says “Hey Sarge, my name is misspelled”. The 2nd one I had out, the young man says “This has my MOS wrong”.
I stop handing out the orders. I go to the stewardess and ask if I can use the speaker. “You are getting transportation orders. These cover you from here to RVN. If there is a mistake on them, The United States Army has authorized me to sincerely apologize for the errors, but we can not change the orders on board the airplane”. Just hang on to them, guard them with you life, and when we get to Viet Nam, I will personally make sure the errors are corrected.” Please note, I was not clueless , I had learned.
Hawaii, Guam, Okinawa, then Saigon, we arrived.
Thank you for your service to our country.
Figured I'd post this on such a quiet Saturday morning.
Trying to get the autobiography together. Other parts are in my profile.
I'd encourage you to write that autobiography--we need the stories of our honored veterans like yourself who served. My grandfather was a Pacific War veteran (I have a pic of him in the South Pacific on my profile page), and before he died he recorded on audio tape a series of reminisces about his service for posterity. My family treasures them.
Let me know when you complete that autobiography; I'd love to read it.
FRegards.
Will do, and thanks for your kind words......Bob
We all need to be reminded of the sacrifices and efforts of our soldiers, and not just when they've been killed. The news media love dramatic stories of young lives snuffed out in a war the media are against. But beyond the politics, we all need CONSTANT reminding about the jobs our soldiers do and have done, and how that affected and affects their lives.
We all know that police officers and firemen go out there and do a job, but I think sometimes we think "Soldiers signed up, went off, and those who came back got on with their lives." I haven't served but know men who have, and their experience is often the core experience of their lives.
Thank you very much for your service to our country.
Good day, my FRiend.
Be safe over there!!!....Bob
I guess I should describe the processing place at Oakland Army Terminal. A warehouse. With bunk beds. A motel room for 30,000 GI’s. Organized chaos. Transportation formations every hour, mandatory, 24 hours a day. (I found out they weren’t so mandatory, if you were sleeping, they simply put you on the next hours planes). They were filling planes.
Thank you, Lokibob, I enjoyed reading it. I thank you for serving our country.
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