On Sun, 15 Oct 2017 17:21:14 -0400, John H
wrote:
On Sun, 15 Oct 2017 13:19:24 -0400, wrote:
I agree Vietnam was a huge **** up but the reality is the percentage
of people in the military who were actually "shooting up SE Asia" was
pretty small even when LBJ was doing it (the peak of our involvement).
With your skin tone and your credentials, you had a very good chance
of spending your whole tour in Europe or right here in the good old
USA. The two Army guys I know who are my age ended up in data
processing units (one in Germany, one in Texas) and both retired as
civilians in that same field. The Army guy I knew who was a little
older did go to Vietnam but during the JFK administration, wearing a
green hat.
All of the marines I knew were in country (ass in the grass) tho but I
doubt you would make it in the marines or would even try.
The Air Force guys were usually either in Thailand, Japan or freezing
their ass off at a SAC base somewhere up north. None of them were shot
at or fired a shot themselves. Of course living in SE DC and PG, I
knew lots of guys who worked at Andrews. The apartments I lived in
when I was in Oxon Hill were very popular as "off base housing"
because it was 10 minutes from the gate and cheap.
Well, now you know, somewhat, another Army guy who didn't go as a data processor. I wore a green
boonie hat. My brother wore a green beret. Not sure what hat you're talking about.
My old buddy Billy was a Green Beret back before we thought VN was a
war.
During OCS my wife lived in an apartment in Oxen Hill. It overlooked the flight path for National,
but I think the MGM place is where it used to be. This was in '67.
I am not sure where that would have been. I thought it was all single
family south west of Oxon Hill Rd and National Harbor was still woods
and marsh land. We used to hunt there. That whole area down there was
largely undeveloped. I did have friends who lived in apartments on
Overlook but that was up the hill from Bolling and NRL in DC.
(Red brick buildings built in the 40s)
Was it really more like Indian Head Highway? Dunno we are talking
about 50 years ago.