Al's Vietnam War Story

Al shares his experiences as a young soldier fighting in Vietnam.

[@JackSmith-jj3bi]

Thankfully, I had the opposite experience on a flight from San Diego to Seattle in 68. I had gone through debriefing and was going on 30 days leave. I was in uniform and seated in the back of the plane. When i has entered the plane one of the stewardess ask me where I was coming from? I was honest and said Vietnam Nam. I had been seated about 5 minutes when she returned and told me to grab my carry on and follow her. My first thought was i had been bumped off the flight. She took me to First Class and seated me.

[@wuzgoanon9373]

Dad would never tell me about Nam. Not that I wanted to hear unpleasant stories, just wanted truth from someone I trusted. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. May God help us treat our vets with more respect in the future.

[@OffGridInvestor]

He probably didn't want to talk only because he was trying to forget all the bad stuff

[@wuzgoanon9373]

@@OffGridInvestor No doubt. I never push for answers. I always let the subject pass. If the war dies with those who fought it, I hope they all can rest in peace.

[@commonsense9494]

God Bless You and thank you for your service to this nation...your words are true and honest..may you live the rest of your life in good health and happiness...

[@dabprod]

I was at Benning when you got there. Just finished a three year hitch, Honorably discharged on Aug 13, 1965. A year earlier I had turned down an appointment to OCS. I figured three years was enough. Glad you made it back.

[@OffGridInvestor]

Many decided one year was enough

[@kristindavis4153]

Thank you for telling us your story

[@Bobm-kz5gp]

When I came back from Vietnam the first time it was into McCord, changed into civies for the rest of the trip to Va. Our flight got snowed in at Chicago and the crew took me with them to the hotel and took me out to dinner. I was 20, can’t remember the Airline but was probably United or American.

[@carlv8168]

My heart goes out to Al, for his service to country and the trauma he had to deal with.

[@johnkiggins4214]

Thank you sharing your story, it's sad to think how you and other's were so mistreated when returning home. Thanks for serving God bless 🇺🇸

[@jazzer770]

uncanny memory, unbelievable. Recalling almost 50 year old events. Welcome home, Sir! Thank you for your service. Salute.

[@militiaguerrillasmusic7015]

When you take care of your physical and mental health, you can recall events dating back as far as early childhood, I know I can.

[@utapao74]

Thank you Al, I appreciate you and your proud service. God bless you and yours.

[@barbcoleus]

I love reading these stories. Hopefully these soldiers recovered If they had any issues. And maybe these videos help them heal if they need it

[@richardblazek4780]

My homecoming was similar. Landed at Travis AFB. Flew out of Frisco Int to Denver. Treated like dirt by united also.

[@kennethprice5628]

I am a 68 yo Navy Veteran who salutes every Vietnam Veteran. I see

[@sawmanbigtreeslayer2360]

Thank you for sharing your story Al.

[@terryfinley7760]

Thank you for your service, sir!

[@brianburnssailorslife5383]

You guys have always been my here's. Something and someone to look up to.

[@pablocortes9880]

Welcome home Sir, much respect!

[@RH-pq7lc]

Thank you for your service Sir.

[@finaloption...]

Thank you Al.

[@roymcewen8203]

Thank You For Your Service Sir 👍🏻🇺🇸

[@gothbrooks8477]

Thank you for your service

[@davidbruce2159]

thank you al

[@ItsMeMarioJr]

The beach storming is great!

[@1murder99]

Glad you made it home Al.

[@sniper13143]

Respect for you.

[@holymoly6829]

Oh dear another brave man broken with war 💕🕊

[@Chrisamos412]

We called him Diesel Stamp....well, I didn’t call him that, I called him sir. 😂. What an engaging guy, thank you sir!

[@timmyo3162]

Thank you.

[@jameschittenden3479]

It was an experience I grant you that, never forget.

[@martinamorgan1119]

Gracias pot su historia, n su servicio

[@ernestoross]

Salute-Two!

[@edwarddraves7893]

Stay Strong Bro🙏💪

[@markreed4594]

SALUTE AND MANY THANKS TOO ALL THE PATRIOTS

[@tommymagnusson]

Great story

[@khammar6081]

Thank you for your service! I respect you completely and wish I could have slapped the stewardess myself. No United for me!

[@ronaldwarren5220]

Welcome home brother

[@mikeweston3514]

Fair play

[@Patchaddictedpolymath]

"It's a little hairy" Fuck's sake you can say that again...

[@tracybeme1597]

Which was worse, United or induction? Perspective man, perspective. Only Generals get the welcome home accolades. No-one else. Let it go for you re-entered the world in "California". The land of fruits and nuts.

[@tracybeme1597]

I remember walking into the sound booth. The attendant told me to take my shoes off. I listen to the freqs, finish and ask to put my shoes back on. Told no, leave them here. The doc asks me why I didn't have my shoes on and the attendant berates me for leaving my shoes behind. Quality, not.

[@yeahthatwasme3212]

Too low volume...

[@colincrisp1592]

I dont understand how these vets are not angry at being set up by banksters do they know?

[@Arthur3661]

Yes we do. It is still our country. And out troops are still being sent to war by banksters and the 1%ers. There is no was on terror.

[@forwardobserver2048]

colin crisp at

[@colincrisp1592]

@Gary Williams I personally am so angered by what was done to not only by this war but all wars that the banksters start Witch is every one The elite of the world use humanity for there gain And now with this fake plandemic they wish to either enslave us totally or kill us The vax is a DNA changer Do not take it PEACE and LOVE to all COLIN

[@allenlarabie8854]

@@colincrisp1592 EXACTLY.. well said !!

[@FcoSeven]

Because they're men and men don't hold hate, only boys and females do. They had a job, and they did it. Not moan on Twitter about how words hurt and how we need to fear an invisible boogeyman.

[@user-ol1qm9ey7g]

กลับจากศึกสงครามมาชีวิตลำบากมีแต่นักการเมืองนักธุรกิจได้รับผลประโยชน์

[@johngibson2884]

Older gentleman has a very young voice ....sounds 30 not 60-70.

[@PacoOtis]

I drove Hueys in Vietnam in 1969 and was in IV Corps and sometimes flew C&C which was "command and control" who were the pussies on top while the soldiers did the fighting. We were supporting the 9ID and would typically have nothing to report. However, we would hear the "staff pukes" on the intercom bragging about how they were going to lie and distort the events in order to get their boss, and themselves, promoted! It was nauseating because this kind of report would go to the higher ups and it was a total lie. This was the kind of stuff that go Daniel Ellsberg (a hero) to come forth with the Pentagon papers!

[@johnharrop5530]

Those that ridiculed you have No idea of what it was like Ignore the fools

[@terrylaughlin5337]

=

[@gunnuts82]

Fucking California

[@JoeFootball55]

Thank you for your service. Unfortunately today's Democrats would root for the VC.

[@goatface6602]

The dems supported the VC at that time. Vile bastards

[@dtekt109]

you're delusional

[@robertisham5279]

Not everyone in the Viet Cong was a communist but all were nationalists.

[@JoeFootball55]

Yes loving your country is a good thing but the government running your life is very bad. Let's Go Brandon 🇺🇸

[@robertisham5279]

​@@JoeFootball55 Like I said not all Viet cong were communists but all were nationalists. And I am not and nor have I ever been a communist or in favor of communism. communism. Again, Vietnam didn't have to be communist. It could've been independent and democratic without a war. If we had helped them become independent right after WW2 then the whole Vietnam war would've been avoided. You see, at the end of WWII Ho Chi Minh came to Truman and asked for his support in seeking Vietnamese independence from the French, and Truman basically brushed him off to support the French in their occupation! And it’s not like Ho Chi Minh just played Truman one visit and then went to Moscow! No, he really respected America and in fact he modeled the Vietnamese declaration of independence directly on the American one, and he was willing to have Vietnam under a democratic not communist government if we agreed to cooperate with him, and so he sent Truman numerous letters, which Truman chose to ignore in favor of supporting the French! Ok, France was our friend and all who backed our bid for independence, I get that, but France was wrong on this! And we as a self-proclaimed champion of freedom and justice were morally obligated to support the Vietnamese in their quest for independence and freedom! But it gets worse than all that. We turned our backs on the morally correct until Ho Chi Minh got support from the soviets! Then we decided to get involved on the premise that if South Vietnam fell to communism, then all of southeast Asia would follow! But as you can see, after we left and all of Vietnam became communist, that did not happen! So basically 58,000 Americans and several million Vietnamese died for nothing! To me that makes it the worst war! And I can’t help wondering how different Vietnam would be right now if America under Truman had done the morally correct thing! Also, many South Vietnamese felt they would have fought the war themselves without U.S. interference. Now I'm no fan of communism but it's none of our business whether Vietnam is communist or not. Besides, the South Vietnamese felt that they could fight the war themselves without American interference. All they needed was supplies and moral support, nothing more. As one former South Vietnamese officer stated, " We fought for our country with our best,” Vo said. “We didn’t need the Americans to do our job for us. We didn’t need the American GIs to come and fight for us. We needed money, supplies and international support.” And here's my source. www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/29/veterans-angry-disappointed-following-pbs-vietnam-war-documentary/

[@richardmonson8657]

I wonder what those folks think today about what assholes they were then. God bless those who fought and perished so that we have liberty today.

[@FreedomFighter-cr5xg]

Vietnam was not a threat to Liberty .. 58 thousand dead for nothing .. Johnson and NIXON are roasting in Hell

[@randylyons133]

@Gary Williams Yeah I was one and We should have kicked their ass when were came home. We wouldn't be having this bullsh_t today in our Country.

[@robertisham5279]

They did not fight for our liberty. All these Vietnam videos are basically BS. These veterans willingly chose to go to an unwinnable, illegal war. If they say otherwise they are promoting a falsehood. A lot of these people push the image that they could or did win the war, but the "politicians" and the "people back home" lost it. Vietnam was a national American disgrace, tragedy and defeat...and they share in the responsibility of it. The politicians and American people saw that the war was not being won, or was unwinnable. The US never really had the "hearts and minds" of the South Vietnamese people...who they supposedly were fighting for. They don't talk much about the war crimes they committed against the Vietnamese....OR even against their own personnel. Lastly, whether these guys won or lost...the Vietnam war had absolutely NO effect on American freedom, security, safety or way of life. They did NOT sacrifice anything for my...or your freedom. These veterans present themselves as victims and wrongly treated. They are big boys and went to a country to kill or be killed. They shared in the failure. Now they want to be recognized for their "sacrifice" through videos, Honor Flights, endless trips to the Wall in DC or to Vietnam itself. They never grew up and really moved on. They have made themselves an embarrassment to themselves and my generation.

[@jaywarrenclark6263]

This guy is still taking all of this at face value. Well, it is what they tell you it is, right?

[@jaywarrenclark6263]

Samuel Parker: Yes, my guess is that he went down in the propaganda hole that he came out of: the American school “system.” Of late I have come to the realization that partisans whether Left or Right think the same vain thing, “we all came out of exactly the same school system and yet I and all my party friends came out right and wise and qualified to judge my neighbors! When people assume these vain things that means they haven’t thought at all. Thanks for the reply. All men are brothers. It was the first Principle out of Jefferson’s mouth, and yet these morons think and say that America and Americans are special, “exceptional!” It’s sad. All that history and yet almost no one has learned anything. Take care. JWC

[@djanderson59]

I’ll remain a pacifist if asked to fight a bogus war.

[@FreedomFighter-cr5xg]

@JJD Dear Princess ... You are the pussy ..

[@johneynon7121]

We had no choise. It was either Canada or prison. I took my chance with the marines. Right or wrong, good experience.

[@SandfordSmythe]

@@johneynon7121 Join as a Medic, try for CO status. You can later hold your head up high to everyone.

[@robertisham5279]

@@SandfordSmythe You can still have a good chance of getting killed.

[@SandfordSmythe]

@@robertisham5279 Depends on what your motivations are. Being selfish and avoiding getting yourself killed or being a pacifist worrying about other people getting killed. Taking a moral stance against a bogus war implies some humanitarian motivation. I think COs were not put in the field.

[@topgeardel]

Here's Denny's story. I avoided the war at all cost. I knew it was BS as a teenager and that I wasn't going to waste my life for something that did not matter to Americans...and really a lot of Vietnamese. I am proud that I stood up for myself and was willing to deal with the consequences that could result from one avoiding the draft in the US. Patriotism has more than one face. Life IS important but tell that to the US Government. The reality for these guys is that they did NOT fight for my freedom, save me from anyone or anything and preserve my lifestyle. That's all delusional propaganda and BS. A country the size of North Dakota, almost 8000 miles across the Pacific Ocean on the Asian mainland meant nothing to the US...whether we won or lost. These guys should just be glad they survived and take their "stories" quietly with them. They did not have a right or legitimate reason to be there...so what story needs to be shared...really?

[@topgeardel]

@Gary Williams Yea right, I know you can't come off your pedestal to "explain" anything...b/c you are not on any pedestal to explain anything. I wasn't born in a bubble. I lived those times and wasn't going to let anyone "explain" my life away for nothing. Why did you? Try another approach.

[@darrennicol2442]

If we are to learn from history, these testimonials are important. No one forced you to listen and watch.

[@topgeardel]

@@darrennicol2442 It all depends on what these guys say. Since Vietnam we have been in other short-term and long term "Vietnams"....Lebanon, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Obviously their influence on what this country does is minimal. What I have to say about Vietnam is just as important for "history" as what they say. Their time in Vietnam gives them no special pedestal whatsoever.

[@nicholaswoolfenden5254]

Not wanted there. Not wanted in America, Land of the free, a democracy. What a side splitting joke the USA is.

[@nicholaswoolfenden5254]

Great intentions for a useless futile cause. And Americans still believe their govt and go to war. Whilst the CIA destabilise other countries. This man did his job but how can he be proud? The US is a loose canon of a terrorist nation, followed closely by Israel That says it all.

[@gothbrooks8477]

the man did what he felt was right thats how he's proud you coward, the US is not innocent but is no worse than any other major country

[@zach-m6894]

Gary Williams riots and looters are doing well. Glad you love your country, now go fight on your own streets fool, love ya Karen, that is all.....out.

[@randylyons133]

@@zach-m6894 Assholes like you are the Democrats who have no love for out Country. Wanting everything free. There's only two Forces that shed their blood one was a Soldier for your freedom and the other one was Jesus Christ for your soul. See if you can think about that if you have time before you open your mouth.

[@zach-m6894]

Randy Lyons haaaaaaaaa poor Karen still ranting.......... and you believe in Jesus who? Never heard of her. Love ya princess, kiss kiss xxx

[@delprice3007]

@Gary Williams I love my country but despise duopoly political BS ruining it.

[@jackyandell2489]

Welcome home brother