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10-20-2021, 02:34 AM
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50 years ago today
October 19, 1971 I was notified by the American Red Cross that my mother had passed away, suffered a massive stroke.
I was in the bush somewhere in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. Talked with the Red Cross lady via radio connection (Hello, OVER. So sorry to inform you, OVER). Helicopter picked me up and dropped me at my unit HQ. Turned in my rifle, gave my pistol to a poker buddy (not on anyone's property books). Picked up my emergency leave orders and caught a helicopter ride to 15th Aerial Port near Da Nang. Checked in at flight operations for a connection to Cam Ranh Bay, showing my orders to justify priority travel, and an old Command Sergeant Major took notice. He was accompanying a Lieutenant General in an executive jet airplane, spoke with the LTG and hooked me up with a seat on the plane, ready to go on the field.
Arrived Cam Ranh Bay, out-processed in a couple of hours the next morning, climbed on the Freedom Bird (military charter airliner). As we climbed out after take-off the pilot announced we were leaving Vietnamese airspace, and a cheer broke out from a hundred guys.
Next stop was Japan for fuel, then back on the way to Anchorage, Alaska. Couple of hours at Anchorage, went into an airport bar and ordered a beer, laid a dollar on the bar, bartender stared at me so I laid down another dollar, he continued staring so I laid down another dollar. Bartender said thanks and left. I was used to paying 25 cents at the NCO clubs.
Quick hop down to Seattle (McChord AFB). Checked into flight operations hoping for a freebie military hop toward Richmond, Virginia where Mom's funeral was scheduled. Had to wait a few hours, but caught a C-141 flight to Dover AFB, Delaware.
Wandering around the airport, still in jungle fatigues with my rucksack on my back, muddy from my boots to the seat of my pants, left stains everywhere I sat down. Dug around in my rucksack for a pack of cigarettes and found 2 claymore mines, box of electric caps, detonator (clacker), and several grenades (frags and smoke). BIG UH-OH TIME!
Found an Air Force security police patrol, told them my status and that I had some stuff that should be turned in. They took me to a young lieutenant and I started unloading my stuff on his desk. He quickly called for EOD (explosive ordnance disposal). The stuff is not particularly dangerous unless mishandled, but I suppose Air Force officers don't routinely deal with anti-personnel mines or blasting caps, much less hand grenades.
So, onto the C-141 with a few other "military hop" freeloaders. Coast to coast in a few hours, non-stop. At Dover AFB the aircraft was unloaded, all coffins containing deceased troops. Dover is the "big mortuary", processing center for such cargos.
Caught a bus into town and a Grayhound bus to Richmond overnight. An uncle picked me up at the station and took me to his house, then to JC Penneys where I bought a sport coat, slacks, shirt, and shoes for Mom's funeral. Both brothers arrived and we had a few hours together, then I was back on a bus for Hampton, Virginia where my wife and new baby boy were living at the time (first time I saw him). Caught a taxi, driver was a veteran who refused to let me pay him.
About 3 weeks later it was time to pack up and move back to Fort Benning, Georgia and continue playing soldier. My old First Sergeant in Vietnam took care of having all my stuff packed up and mailed to my new duty station.
Long time ago, but some strong memories.
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10-20-2021, 06:38 AM
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Finding the claymores and grenades had me laughing out loud.
Thant for hot service to our country.
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10-20-2021, 09:39 AM
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What a great story and an apt reminder of what soldiers experience as a matter of routine. I enjoyed reading this as much or more so than any other post on this forum - ever. Thank you very much for your service sir!
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10-20-2021, 10:19 AM
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10/19/71 I was in 9th grade and couldn't get a date to Homecoming! And I thought my life sucked!
Like has been said, Thank you! And everyone here is glad you made it back!
Ivan
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10-20-2021, 10:58 AM
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I got the dreaded Red Cross notification when my mom passed too. Fortunately it was not war time and the travel from Germany to the U.S. was fairly easy. Terrible thing for you to have to go through (war was bad enough I'm sure).
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10-20-2021, 11:06 AM
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Sorry for loosing your Mom like that and the trip home. Been there done that. What happened to the pistol? Should have stuck it in your rucksack! I carried a rifle home from overseas once (Far East). It was in a locked case (I had the keys) with the customs declarations taped to the outside. Not one Customs Agent opened it in five different locations (could have been like your rucksack).
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10-20-2021, 11:18 AM
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That’s a rough way to get the news of you Mom. Sorry you had too.
It is a great story and I enjoyed it. Thanks for posting it.
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10-20-2021, 11:42 AM
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Sorry for your loss. That had to be one the hardest times for you.
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10-20-2021, 12:52 PM
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Amazing how we can remember such details. Thanks for sharing your story and a hearty Semper Fi from a USMC Vet.
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10-20-2021, 12:57 PM
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Like Ivan the Butcher, I was also in 9th grade at the time. However, unlike him, I wasn't planning to attend a prom as a Freshman.
Thanks for your service, and the Claymores and Frags made me realize that things had changed considerably between 1971 and when I went in in 1980 where we had to account for everything, including every piece of brass.
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10-20-2021, 05:34 PM
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That was a tough time I'm sure. I flew that shuttle from McChord ( every Friday) once and said "Never again!". Left at 08:30 and finally landed at Dover about 2300. That flight stopped at every MAC base before landing at Dover. Flight also got diverted to Tinker AFB somehow and we had to sit on the runway for over an hour and couldn't depart the plane. First time I'd ever flown in a C-141 and was amazed at how the seats were all facing the rear of the plane.
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Last edited by fiasconva; 10-21-2021 at 05:10 PM.
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10-20-2021, 06:03 PM
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My mom was one of those Red Cross caseworkers back in 1971. I was a sophomore in high school and wondering if I was going to be drafted around the time I graduated.
Last edited by Walter Rego; 10-23-2021 at 06:59 PM.
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10-20-2021, 06:15 PM
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When I was at Long Binh in 1970, I got a call from the Red Cross telling me i was a father.
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10-20-2021, 06:48 PM
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I was 4 years old. Must have been in preschool then. Thank you for your service and to all you veterans as well. From Emporia, KS "Home of Veteran's Day".
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10-20-2021, 07:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fiasconva
That was a tough time I'm sure. I flew that shuttle from McChord ( every Friday) once and said "Never again!". Left at 08:30 and finally landed at Dover about 1900. Flight got diverted to Tinker somehow and we had to sit on the runway for over an hour and couldn't depart the plane. First time I'd ever flown in a C-141 and was amazed at how the seats were all facing the rear of the plane.
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Flew many, many miles on C-141's, prefer those to C-130's or C-117's!
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10-20-2021, 09:06 PM
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Lobo - sorry, that was a rough way to hear about your mom, but fifty years later, it makes one heck of a story.
By Oct of ‘71, I had finished flight training, received my Navy wings and was headed to my first operational squadron.
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10-20-2021, 10:13 PM
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WW II Vet Absent Comrade
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Some things you will never forget.
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10-21-2021, 03:05 PM
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10/19/1971 first week of basic training at Folk Polk, La.
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10-21-2021, 07:37 PM
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Sorry for the loss of your mother. She was probably young. It’s never easy. And thanks for serving.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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10-22-2021, 05:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AJ
Flew many, many miles on C-141's, prefer those to C-130's or C-117's!
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No experience with C-117s. C-130 aircraft were beyond loud and the vibration would shake the fillings out of our teeth. CH-47 helicopters were also very loud and the vibrations were terrible.
The C-141 was a large (for the time) cargo plane fully capable of coast-to-coast non-stop flights or international flights. Jet turbo-fan engines instead of turbo-prop propulsion. Very large cargo bay, probably capable of carrying two or three M1 Abrams main battle tanks with room to spare. Short on creature comforts, fold-down mesh seating benches. Plenty loud, but not all that much more than a civilian airliner. Must have been pressurized because we flew well above 10K feet without supplemental oxygen. The box lunch offered at flight operations was actually pretty good, probably provided by a local restaurant or catering service, sandwich, chips, cookies, fruit, all for about 75 cents IIRC.
The major factor at the time was the fact that a military hop was free transportation. A civilian airline would have charged me a few hundred bucks, and probably objected to having a filthy dirty rag-tag specimen of US Army trash on board (I probably brought some interesting aromas along for the trip, probably a week or more since my last shower or change of socks). An additional benefit was not having any civilian airports to transit through, with all the protestors and other nonsense of the times.
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10-22-2021, 08:14 PM
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I was in tail end of Navy bot camp. My Mom passed of cancer 2 weeks after My discharge in 1975.
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