Veterans

That was one dangerous fucking job all right. Whether you were in the infantry on the ground in Vietnam, or flying those helicopters in and out bringing the troops into the fight or extracting them or operating a gun ship or one of those scouts close to the ground, it was all dangerous.

In 1966 I ran into an eastern airlines pilot who had been a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. I mentioned that I was thinking of enlisting in the army to become a helicopter pilot and he said, and I remember his exact words he said “ shit those fucking things aren’t safe even if you’re not getting shot at”. So somewhere in my 19-year-old brain, I figured maybe I’d be better off enlisting in the Air Force to get my military obligation out of the way, that all of us with a sense of patriotism had at that time, which I did .

Never, however did I ever consider coming up with some bullshit like bone spurs or some other draft dodging stuff. To me if you were of sound mind and body, although I’m not so sure about that in my case, you had an obligation to defend your country. You didn’t like the idea and I was just as scared as anybody else if I was thrust into combat or a combat zone, but tough shit you had to do the right thing, so everybody I know did. So some went to Vietnam ( I was stationed in in California and didn’t get sent) and made it back okay and unfortunately some didn’t.

My hat’s off to all those who served in the military in Vietnam and other wars. They are all heroes who did the right thing for all of us.