I joined the Air Force at 18 in 1965 and became an aircraft mechanic working on C-130’s which became the workhorse of the war. In 1967 after several stateside assignments I volunteered for Vietnam since that seemed to be the place where I could to the most good.
In 1968 I was reassigned to CCK air base in Taiwan and we would rotate back and forth into Vietnam with the planes spending about 60 days in country at a time. We worked hard to keep the aircraft flying and to support the mission. Only a few times was I in real harm’s way but I knew the success of our mission was the keep the planes in the air.
I returned to the USA in Feb 1969 and felt that I had served my country well. The surprise came when I returned and found that most people here thought that everyone returning were murderers and baby killers. I had no idea that there was such a growing discontent with the war. The military did a good job of keeping that information quite. It was very discouraging to be yelled at and spit upon. I never wore my uniform after that or even told people that I was a veteran.
There is such a contrast with the troops that deploy today and email daily and do facetime and skype with their families and loved ones.
I do not regret serving and I am proud to be a Vietnam Veteran. I would do it again if given the chance. I am also grateful for all those that served and hold in the highest regard all those who lost their lives.