Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:26 am
Late to this post, but thanks for asking. I did a two year tour in the Marines right out of HS; 74-76. Was an Antitank Assault Man, trained with the old 106 recoilless rifle. Did a 13 month stint overseas - stationed on Okinawa and in the Philippines. My battalion was assigned to a ship, and we made port calls all over (Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan...) as a show of strength. It was a troubled time, as N. Vietnam had invaded S. Vietnam. We were alerted and were on our way to defend when we were turned back just hours from Vietnam. Our mission went from one of combat to setting up shelters and feeding the many refugees that had been evacuated as S. Vietnam fell. That was as close to Vietnam as I got. Finished my service at Camp Pendleton, CA. Left as a Corporal. Most formative two years of my life, by far. I hope all of my fellow vets are doing well. And if you haven't had a chance to, check out the Medal of Honor series on NetFlix. Very stirring.