So many servicemen came home and saw how the story (of the Vietnam War) was being told. During the war, these men felt like they were part of the military endeavor, but its not what the public celebrates. Men facing shipping out exhibited many types of behavior. Ask me or any other serviceperson and they will tell you they are proud of their service, Shkurti said. 1. We had an Infantry MOS Soldiers on one of our Sheridan Tanks. I was able to get into a band there. With pressures on USAREUR in the mid-1970s to reduce the size of its headquarters and budget, the command asked the Corps of Engineers to take responsibility for military construction in the theater. I had an uncle that was drafted out of Brooklyn, NY. This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. Like suburban sprawl, the largest American bases just kept getting bigger, Lair said. Pew Research Center WebThe entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. 9) Luxembourg If you enlisted you would serve 3 years and chose your MOS. This often creates barriers to their full integration into German society. The conventional wisdom was that everybody carried a rifle, patrolled the jungle and faced death daily, but thats false, said William Shkurti, who served as an artillery officer in a remote area about 300 yards from the Cambodian border in fall 1970. I volunteered for the draft and was sent to Ft. Lewis, Wa. The U.S. military presence in Germany peaked at 274,119 in 1962, nearly eight times its level last year. Still, a ration card would allow personnel to buy $2,000 to $3,000 worth of goods, she said. 6) Berlin, Germany. 2 weeks before we graduated they told us, " Class 17, RVN". Please switch auto forms mode to off. There are different degrees of experience. Lewis Hitt played guitar in East of Underground. At the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused induction into the United States Army, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the conflict. They were selected during something called "The U.S. Army's Original Magnificent Special Services Entertainment Showband Contest" let's just call it a battle of the bands. Its kind of like playing goalie for a soccer team. You would think (serving in Germany) would be a great duty, but it wasnt.. Over 220 others have already been closed, mostly following the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. Then, there was the shopping. "All the branches of the armed services have always included music as part of their mission. Those recordings were lost for decades, until a collector discovered an East of Underground LP in 1997. The big problem was that Saigon was Sodom and Gomorrah. But as the confrontation between the Soviet Union, our former ally, intensified with the Berlin blockade and the outbreak of the Korean War, American leaders grew fearful that the next target of international communism was Western Europe, which contained our most important democratic allies and a rapidly rebuilding capitalist economy. They were touted as filling an important gap in NATO's deterrent shield against the Warsaw Pact. They also ate pretty well. Even as the war drew down in 1975 and early 1976, the pressure was intense as huge numbers of men came home with addictions and injuries too horrible to really describe, Thornton said. The challenge was figuring out what the enemy would do. Reflecting back, Im more skeptical whether a war of choice can help defend a country in the long run. The liner notes of East of Underground: Hell Below conclude with a sort of benediction, lifted wholesale from the U.S. Army Field Manual: Because of the unique ability of music to communicate, bands will serve in different capacities of publicity and recruiting, and in the support of civil affairs. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). The report determined that it is possible that this exposure contributed to some adverse health effects. Morale was bad, and there were racial problems, Shkurti said. Over the years the US Army has become firmly entrenched in the German landscape. Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. Ukrainian soldiers find remains of German WWII soldiers, LGBTQ+ rights situation at home drives young Slovaks abroad, Remembering the horrors of Colonia Dignidad in Chile. We would take orders from Washington and from the five information streams (personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics and political implications) and use all that information to create an order of the day, Lomperis said. From the end of World War II until the end of the war in Southeast Asia, the Army component command in Germany, the U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR), managed military construction in the theater with its own Engineer organizations. In response to this fear, the United States deployed large forces to West Germany. Here are a few of their stories. Built over time for more than $130 million, Long Binh eventually had 3,500 buildings and 180 miles of road covering an area bigger than Cleveland. In the late 65 through 1966, the Army Divisions outside of Vietnam, specifically CONUS and West Germany were hemorrhaging personnel for service in South Vietnam, these being primarily if not exclusively volunteers, these numbers had to be made good. Combat veterans offered a truly unique and special contribution to the war, but that doesnt mean it wasnt a sacrifice for people who served as support, Lair said. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. Back at home over the decades, veterans themselves may have helped camouflage the roles they played during the war. He is seen here waving to his fans at Bremerhaven train station. Active duty personnel who served in a regular USAF unit location where a contaminated C-123 was assigned who had regular contact with the aircraft through flight, ground, or medical duties between 1969 and 1986, and who developed an Agent Orange related disability. ". 8) Bruges, Belgium. Sign up for a new account in our community. After the defeat of Germany, the relatively small American force in Europe was preoccupied with the administration and reconstruction of their former foe. From the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991, Army Engineers played a key role in providing the facilities for arming, supplying, training, and housing American soldiers and airmen and their families in Europe. I talked to many men who felt sheepish that they didnt have those (combat) stories to share, Lair said. I say 16 months because his orders were involuntarily extended because he was in the ROK when the USS Pueblo was taken. The band formed while its members were stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. He was friendly with street urchins who would badger him for chocolate and other small treats. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where they have been for the past 40 years. One strong memory I have is how tough it was for the families, Thornton said. Vietnam War Involved in the Vietnam War When I left Korea, the first thing I did when I got to Germany was to find Special Services, which happened to be right next to my barracks," Hitt recalls. For the government ofLudwig Erhard (October 1963-November 1966) it was ultimately fatal. East of Underground was one such band a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. However, their wartime ally, the Soviet Union, soon became an enemy. You guessed it, my last name started with a T. Got a question 11Cav, during the Vietnam era/60s early 70s period, was there a difference between volunteering for the draft and outright enlisting? One of the toughest parts of service was seeing people whose lives were ruined or lost because of the war, he said. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY When they got home they were all the same (veterans), but they did not all have an equal experience. Don't forget Panama and Alaska, Alaska itself in that time period had two Infantry Brigades separate stationed there. Error, please try again. Drug abuse, overdoses, crime and traffic accidents led to several deaths within his unit. Knowing that the threat is so close by is an incentive for people to work together. And there were the German-American friendship weeks every year. Find out if you qualify for VA health care. The post exchanges, or PXs, rivaled todays big box outlets for variety and selection, Lair said. It's easy! GRAFENWOEHR, Germany More than 30 veterans of the Vietnam War living in Germany were awarded pins Tuesday by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post in recognition of their service. Once we got our orders, the guy Just below me went to Germany. They wore fatigues and carried M16s. Youth activity centers in Germany included this facility in Wiesbaden. Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed in order to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). The U.S. has had personnel stationed in Germany and South Korea, two of its military allies, for several decades, yet the number of active-duty troops in each country is at a modern low. Despite separate residential districts, there has always been contact and exchange between German and American families. At the end of the spraying campaign in 1971, the remaining C-123 planes were reassigned to reserve units in the U.S. for routine cargo and medical evacuation missions spanning the next 10 years. That was where I met my wife. While having a positive attitude about any PCS is important, its equally important to have realistic expectations. One of the biggest lessons Dr. In the late 65 through 1966, the Army Divisions outside of Vietnam, specifically CONUS and West Germany were hemorrhaging personnel for service in South Vietnam, these being primarily if not exclusively volunteers, these numbers had to be made good. There were swimming pools, bars, cheap booze, entertainment, dancers and strippers, American TV. Its easy to forget how large a US military presence in West Germany and Korea was maintained during the late 60s and early 70s aside from the forces fighting in Vietnam. Tomorrow is too unpredictable, especially during deployment, he said. of United States Army installations in Germany "I've done my own searches on Google and so forth, but I cannot find anything," Hitt says. When we got home, everybody was the same, said Lomperis, a Saigon warrior who served in a support capacity at MACV (U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam), also known as mafia HQ or Pentagon East.. While older Germans were friendly, younger ones were hostile and aloof, Shkurti said. In Vietnam everyone knew everyone and what job they had. Germany You made a deal in Saigon, and the car arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, said Lomperis, who bought himself a $30 radio cassette player during the war, brought it home and kept it until about 2000. "I was shocked when I found that out myself, but it kind of makes sense," Hollander tells Guy Raz, host of weekends on All Things Considered. With two sons already in the war, they felt I should not go. Veterans (including some Reservists) who state that they flew on or worked on a C-123 aircraft between 1969 and 1986 are eligible for the Agent Orange Registry. WebThe conventional wisdom was that everybody carried a rifle, patrolled the jungle and faced death daily, but thats false, said William Shkurti, who served as an artillery officer in a remote area about 300 yards from the Cambodian border in fall 1970. In Germany the U.S. military was protecting West Germany against the threat of Russian invasion, but it wasnt imminent, Shkurti said. HMD released its report, Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft, Jan. 9, 2015. oakleaf777, Our AIT class in 1971 at A.P.G. Many celebrities joined in the protests. I didnt carry a gun, Lomperis said. During the era of the Vietnam War, American troops and facilities were neglected forcing Engineers to marshal their slender resources augmented by host nation contributions to keep American forces ready for war and take care of Army and Air Force personnel and their families. If you dig into it, it becomes a very grey war, he said. For recreation there were basketball, volleyball, tennis and multipurpose courts, football fields, miniature golf courses, a driving range, an archery range and a skeet-shooting range. Is it if you might be in danger of a mortar attack versus projecting violence and delivering it to the enemy? Not enrolled in the VA health care system? During that time, I was assigned to the sick officers quarters, sadly watching many men pass away. As opposed to the goldbug society, or service personnel who were not interested in meeting locals and learning about Vietnam, Lomperis sought out opportunities to get off the base and interact with the Vietnamese. WebAs the threat of imminent invasion receded in the late 1950s, U.S. Army Engineers continued to build and maintain facilities that supported American and NATO combat power and housed and supported U.S. forces and their families, now permanently stationed in West Germany. Home was tough because my parents did not agree with my volunteering. The thought of army music evokes a certain tradition say, trumpets and drums in the style of "Pershing's Own." Opposition to the war made military personnel band together. He was stationed in Gillenhausen, protecting a valley called Folda Gap. Its important for people to know they exist. Dave. The guys with the beer with hot food and hot showers, Appy said. Of his entire graduating platoon, only he and one other trooper were sent to West Germany, all the others got orders to RVN. "So this was a very viable way to avoid active duty in Southeast Asia.". Ammunition storage facility, Heilbronn, West Germany (left); Germany will remain strategically important for the US. Deploy network infrastructure faster and easier than ever before, with pre-packaged yet massively scalable infrastructure components for top packet and optical systems. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. The Federal Republic of Germany became an important strategic location during the Cold War. Some 20 years later, US President George W. Bush went to war with Iraq over its alleged program to develop weapons of mass destruction. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. I expected it would be worse in Vietnam, but it was a more satisfying experience, Shkurti said. He remembers his commanding officer Abrams as a political genius who turned the war around.. They were the rear echelon. Like all the other members, he was a draftee, and had come from a tiny town in Mississippi. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. Lockbourne/Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio (906th and 907th Tactical Air Groups or 355th and 356th Tactical Airlift Squadron), Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts (731st Tactical Air Squadron and 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, International Airport (758th Airlift Squadron). East of Underground was one such band a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Buddy C. Thornton learned from his military service was Always live for the day. To preserve morale, the ration program ensured that all personnel were able to buy highend goods, but it was limited due to the possibility they might resell goods on the black market, Lair said. Thanks, your message has been sent successfully. The cover of East of Underground's self-titled LP. Youre in the hot seat. He now is an adjunct professor in the John Glenn College of Public Service. A rare photo of East of Underground in performance. The US Army employed 17,000 American civilians in Germany in 2019. Soldiers bought goods with their ration cards, which were punched when purchases were made, Lair said. They were also stationed in Germany, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, Guam and the continental United States. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then For website corrections, write to hqwebmaster@usace.army.mil.
