Some of my Vietnam Memories.
- Thread starter Trade
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Trade
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The Dude standing up is Joe Schaefer. He was born in Bisbee Arizona which he used to describe as being just beyong the sign that said "Resume Speed" The guy seated in civilian clothes is Ralph Minden from Seattle Washington. The back drop is our squadron area for the 483rd USAF Hospital at Cam Rahn Bay.
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This is Baker. He was from North Carolina. He was a college grad like me. I can't remember his first name. He had gotten marrired right before he got sent to Vietnam and had spent his honeymoon night at "South of the Border"
South of the Border - World Famous Roadside Attraction
He showed me her picture. Damn she was hot! Gotta give the dude respect for puching that far over his weight. He also held the squadron record for most beers consumed in a single sitting at 20.
South of the Border - World Famous Roadside Attraction
He showed me her picture. Damn she was hot! Gotta give the dude respect for puching that far over his weight. He also held the squadron record for most beers consumed in a single sitting at 20.
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Trade
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Steve Frazelle. He was also a college grad. He was from Indiana and had gone to Purdue. I think he must have spent most of his time in college on drugs. He was always talking about taking 50 or 100 mics of Sunshine which was what he called LSD. He spent a lot of his time that I knew high on pot which was pretty easy to get over there.
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Staff Sergeant Witczak. This dude had 20 years in the Air Force and was still only an E-5. And by the time I got to Vietnam we were winding down the war. Not that we were winning. Far from it. But the powers that be had decided that the best course of action would be to pretend that we had won and get out. So the Air Force had started a RIF. That's Reduction In Force.
And one of the ways they were going to do that was with the "up or out" program. So anyone that was still an E-5 would get booted out at 20 years. If you made E-6 you could stay for 23 years before they kicked you out. And E-7's could stay till 26, E-8 to 28, and E-9's 30. And since you got 2.5% of your base pay for every year you served, the longer you stayed the bigger your retirement check would be. Witczak was only going to get the minimum retirement for his 20 years and he wasn't too happy about it.
But he looks happy in this photo.
And one of the ways they were going to do that was with the "up or out" program. So anyone that was still an E-5 would get booted out at 20 years. If you made E-6 you could stay for 23 years before they kicked you out. And E-7's could stay till 26, E-8 to 28, and E-9's 30. And since you got 2.5% of your base pay for every year you served, the longer you stayed the bigger your retirement check would be. Witczak was only going to get the minimum retirement for his 20 years and he wasn't too happy about it.
But he looks happy in this photo.
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This is the Hooch I lived in at Cahm Rahn. We had it made in the Air Force. No having to dig a hole and wrap yourself up in your pancho like the poor grunts out in the bush. Those sandbags on the roof were put there by us. We had to do that when there was a Typhoon that was forecast to hit us. They were supposed to help keep the roof from blowing off. But they Typhoon just brushed us and the most we got were 60 mile per hour winds.
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gruntlabor
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Thank you for your service, Trade.
Trade
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I am proud to have done my part as an insignificant pawn in my Uncle Sam's War of Imperialist Aggression in Vietnam.
Trade
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No thanks necessary. The Air Force was paying me $180 bucks a month plus $65 bucks a month "combat pay" even though I was nowhere near any real combat.
Right now today Trade, I can't think of anyone that is in the Military Service young or older. I used to know plenty. Anyone who served
or is serving deserves a Thank You. The military needs plenty who never even leave our country to help in everything the Military needs.
So you take this Thank you and like it dear Sir!
Trade
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Don LeMoine. I don't have a photo of him. He was from Ontanogan Michigan. (Upper Peninsula)
We nicknamed him LaMoan because he was always moaning about how much he missed Cindy who was either his wife or girl friend at the time. Interestingly enough when I thought of him this morning I did a google search on his name and Ontanogan and came up with what I am pretty sure is Cindy's obituary. Apparently she passed away on 2021. I can see why Don missed her while he was in Vietnam. She was a cutie pie.
Cynthia "Cindy" J. LeMoine - Kurrus Funeral Home in Belleville, Illinois
OMG! I did a search on Don and he's a physicians assistant specializing in orthopedics! And his picture is on the web and it looks just like an older version of him! Maybe I'll give him a call and remininese about our time in Nam!
This is definately him! That's his smile. The same as it was 55 years ago!
https://health.usnews.com/physician-assistants/donald-lemoine-2086072
We nicknamed him LaMoan because he was always moaning about how much he missed Cindy who was either his wife or girl friend at the time. Interestingly enough when I thought of him this morning I did a google search on his name and Ontanogan and came up with what I am pretty sure is Cindy's obituary.
Apparently she passed away on 2021. I can see why Don missed her while he was in Vietnam. She was a cutie pie. Cynthia "Cindy" J. LeMoine - Kurrus Funeral Home in Belleville, Illinois
OMG! I did a search on Don and he's a physicians assistant specializing in orthopedics! And his picture is on the web and it looks just like an older version of him! Maybe I'll give him a call and remininese about our time in Nam!
This is definately him! That's his smile. The same as it was 55 years ago!
https://health.usnews.com/physician-assistants/donald-lemoine-2086072
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Trade
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Carl Reinhart
I mentioned this guy in a thread a couple of months ago. He was from south Jersey. I also found him and the internet and called him and had an interesting conversation with him.Found out that after he finished his 4 year enlistment in the Air Force he transferred to the Navy and put in the remainder of his 20 years and retired from there. Never figured him for a lifer but there it is. He lives in Tennessee now.
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