American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy urges more effective air defense, Ukraine: Russia continues to target civilian sites, Ukraine's counteroffensive: Goals, opportunities, risks. Patches, In 1968 you could volunteer for the draft and serve 2 years active duty. Grafenwoehr is a tiny base compared to almost anywhere youve been stationed in the US. But in Vietnam, the Cold War became an inferno. The U.S. military presence in Germany peaked at 274,119 in 1962, nearly eight times its level last year. 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. German Chancellor Gerhard Schrder, knowing the majority of voters supported him, ruled out Germany's involvement. "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. Ammunition storage facility, Heilbronn, West Germany (left); He was awarded the U.S. Hitt says he had already been in one Army band by the time he joined the group. In addition to meeting locals, walks off-base could provide valuable intelligence. This was because they had relatives (brothers) already serving in Vietnam. When support servicemen crossed paths with combat troops, We felt guilty. Peace activists, however, saw them as a threat and held massive demonstrations. Reservists who were assigned to flight, ground, or medical crew duties at the following locations between 1969 and 1986, and who developed an Agent Orange related disability. The winners toured other military bases and made records. 2 weeks before we graduated they told us, " Class 17, RVN". The US soldiers also brought American culture to Germany. They were touted as filling an important gap in NATO's deterrent shield against the Warsaw Pact. Deploy network infrastructure faster and easier than ever before, with pre-packaged yet massively scalable infrastructure components for top packet and optical systems. The guys with the beer with hot food and hot showers, Appy said. After discharge in 1976, Thornton took his 4-year-old daughter and pregnant wife home to her family and used the GI Bill to earn an a degree in allied health sciences from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. On leave, Thornton would head home to see family and friends, but the war changed things. Heavily guarded Pershing-II rockets were brought to the US base in Mutlangen in 1983. Despite separate residential districts, there has always been contact and exchange between German and American families. The stress of military life was constant. Sign up for a new account in our community. He remembers his commanding officer Abrams as a political genius who turned the war around.. My close friend had a similar experience in 69-70. As my husband likes to preach: expectation management.. For website corrections, write to hqwebmaster@usace.army.mil. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then Still, a ration card would allow personnel to buy $2,000 to $3,000 worth of goods, she said. Ask me or any other serviceperson and they will tell you they are proud of their service, Shkurti said. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. In Vietnam everyone knew everyone and what job they had. It's easy! The book became the first volume in aCenter of Military History series, U.S. Army in the Cold War. VA decides these claims on a case-by-case basis. This massive program to improve American weaponry and conditions for troops and their families, supported by the commitment of huge resources to building the facilities required, was one factor in shaking the resolve of Soviet leaders and exposing the hidden weaknesses of the Soviet military and political systems. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt. There were more prostitutes than bureaucrats, and every kind of club and bar from high-class to low-class. 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. This lasted for 5 months, then we were told, Okanawa. I served at the naval hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts, for 18 months. The Ramstein base is especially significant, since it is also headquarters of the United States Air Forces in Europe. I thought it would be easy, but it was actually tough, said Shkurti, who served as a fire direction officer and supervised a six-person team. According to the report, from 1972 to 1982, approximately 1,500 to 2,100 Air Force Reserve personnel trained and worked on C-123 aircraft that previously had been used to spray herbicides, including Agent Orange, in Vietnam. Well, one. There were Viet Cong all over the place, but if you were street-smart you stayed safe, Lomperis said. During the war, these men felt like they were part of the military endeavor, but its not what the public celebrates. They would tell him not to go down certain streets because it wasnt safe, so you would know something was brewing there, Lomperis said. They also ate pretty well. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. His unit in Germany lacked the leadership and necessities to get their job done, he said. Regardless of how we each served, part of our soul was left in that place with those who never came back alive, and with those who suffered and died after, and we should be honored for our collective loss if for no other reason. 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. Attention A T users. Like suburban sprawl, the largest American bases just kept getting bigger, Lair said. He served as budget director for the state of Ohio from 1985 to 1987. WebIn An Army in Crisis Alexander Vazansky analyzes the social crisis that developed among the U.S. Army forces stationed in Germany between 1968 and 1975. They were also stationed in Germany, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, Guam and the continental United States. It's there to boost morale, it's there to provide entertainment and comfort for soldiers, it's there to sort of represent what the U.S. is musically, culturally to the rest of the world.". 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. 7) Cologne, Germany. Powered by Invision Community, Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in W.Germany, South Korea, and CONUS, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. As the Soviet system, like the Berlin Wall, collapsed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it appeared that American and allied forces in Europe had accomplished their mission without war. In November Thornton journeyed to Da-Nang, Vietnam, with his wife as a keynote presenter at the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum. "I met the singers and the other players and we got together and played, and it just kind of all meshed together.". A rare photo of East of Underground in performance. Of his entire graduating platoon, only he and one other trooper were sent to West Germany, all the others got orders to RVN. After completing his enlistment, Shkurti returned to Ohio State University to earn a masters degree in public administration. My middle brother died five years ago from extended PTSD and the ravages of the drug addiction he endured while trying to cope with his memories from Vietnam. For the government ofLudwig Erhard (October 1963-November 1966) it was ultimately fatal. Opposition to the war made military personnel band together. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force used C-123 aircraft to spray Agent Orange to clear jungles that provided enemy cover in Vietnam. Then, there was the shopping. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY Youth activity centers in Germany included this facility in Wiesbaden. You pull together under a common enemy, Shkurti said. 1. Deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our Nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk. The chow halls tried to replicate moms home cooking with menus of grilled hamburgers, roast beef with gravy, French-fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, buttered corn and asparagus, ice cream, vanilla pudding and cherry pie, Lair said. 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. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed in order to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. Youre in the hot seat. He was friendly with street urchins who would badger him for chocolate and other small treats. In response the Corps of Engineers drastically reduced the size of EUD and reconstituted it as the Europe District. Anyone who served in the military during the war faced the possibility of being sent to Vietnam, though. East of Underground was one such band a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. The high rate may have been attributed to our being an Infantry MOS, but the only way you didn't go to Vietnam was because of the above reasons. During World War 2 Volunteering for the draft was a common term, that is that after a point enlistment in the Army was halted for the duration, only draftees where accepted (This is for the Army only, the Navy and Marine Corps still took enlistees), and if a 18 year old or in many cases older guys in their 20s/30s who have not yet received a notice, or had a deferment, and gave up their deferment could "Volunteer for the Draft", this also applied (within the Army) for those 17 year old's who wanted to go into the Army. HMD released its report, Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft, Jan. 9, 2015. Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Army Staff Medal First Class and is the author of four books about Vietnam including The War Everyone Lost and Won.. Its ironic because we were there to protect them. I had surgery shortly after the fire, then spent convalescent leave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Find out if you qualify for VA health care. An official website of the United States government, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, About the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, Historical Vignette 105 - Engineers Played an Important Role in Europe During the Cold War, Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant Program (DNPPP), Regional Environmental and Energy Offices REEOs, Industry Information Re: COVID-19 Support, Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, G-1 Reserve Component Augmentation, Office of Human Resources Directorate, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. She served me milk and cookies, and we have been together now for 44 years, Thornton said. would have to use the scheduled bus service to get around the base, Lair wrote in Armed with Abundance.. 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). The NATO maneuver Reforger I (Return of Forces to Germany) in Vilseck/Grafenwhr in 1969 was one of many joint war games held by the US Army and the Bundeswehr. 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. 2. 8) Bruges, Belgium. Don't forget Panama and Alaska, Alaska itself in that time period had two Infantry Brigades separate stationed there. 3) Paris, France. This includes individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reservewho regularly operated, maintained, or served onboard C-123 aircraft known to have been used to spray herbicides during the Vietnam era. So many popular movies feature the combat side of war ground combat or maybe the air war. The rockets, armed with nuclear warheads, became a political issue. I assisted a medical officer suture up a Marine after a bar fight who was so drunk he didnt need an anesthetic. have hearing loss. He says it was completely random, some bodies had to go to 7th Army and his lucky number came up. I was in Boston when the Chelsea fire occurred in October 1973, received a meritorious unit citation for fighting the fire that consumed a large portion of Chelsea 18 blocks one way, 16 blocks another. While having a positive attitude about any PCS is important, its equally important to have realistic expectations. After Nazi Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, four countries representing the Allies (the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France) asserted joint authority This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. "I've done my own searches on Google and so forth, but I cannot find anything," Hitt says. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1968, William Shkurti said, I knew I was going to be drafted so I enlisted. 4) The Alps Swiss, German or French. WebHere are our top 13 places to see while youre stationed in Germany: (click on any city name below to learn more) 1) Prague, Czech Republic. I talked to many men who felt sheepish that they didnt have those (combat) stories to share, Lair said. Both Germany and Vietnam were on the front lines of the Cold War. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) He also wrote the liner notes, which reveal a surprising fact: The U.S. Army spends an estimated $200 million a year on music, and is the largest single employer of musicians in the country. Why is Netflix pouring billions into South Korean shows? For the next 17 years the Europe Division of the Corps executed the Army and Air Force construction programs in Europe and supported the NATO construction program. While older Germans were friendly, younger ones were hostile and aloof, Shkurti said. The band formed while its members were stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War. Drug abuse, overdoses, crime and traffic accidents led to several deaths within his unit. After graduating AIT at Fort Knox I was sent to their NCO Armor School. It was still no guarantee you wouldn't be sent to Vietnam and in some cases even be sent to do something else besides what you trained for. I can only speak from my own experiences. He attributed it to where he happened to be standing in a formation. Abook describes and analyzes the important Engineer effort in Europe. The challenge was figuring out what the enemy would do. I volunteered for the draft and was sent to Ft. Lewis, Wa. We served honorably. Adopting a variety of organizational arrangements, including an engineer command from 1966 to 1974, USAREUR and its engineers attempted to find the most efficient and effective means to use the scarce resources available for construction and maintenance. It was a game of cat and mouse that almost turned deadly when he was nearly killed by some drunk Vietnamese soldiers, Lomperis said. Huge streams of paperwork came through military intelligence offices that allowed Lomperis a birds eye view of the war and how it functioned. Expert architecture and design solutions for private carriers, next-generation metro and long-haul optical networks, ultra low-latency networks, and Internet backbones. I thought, hot dog, going to go relic hunting. Long Binh was not a standard base, but it was home to the Armys Vietnam headquarters and showed the abundance and consumerism that was possible to create. Another difference was the sense of solidarity he felt. They were the rear echelon. As 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. Upon graduating they lined us and announced that if your last name started with A through J your orders were Germany and K through Z your orders were Vietnam. There were swimming pools, bars, cheap booze, entertainment, dancers and strippers, American TV. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. Many veterans struggled with feeling that their experience didnt measure up. Supercharge your procurement process, with industry leading expertise in sourcing of network backbone, colocation, and packet/optical network infrastructure. 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. Their story got eliminated. Error, please try again. Some 20 years later, US President George W. Bush went to war with Iraq over its alleged program to develop weapons of mass destruction. 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. May 31, 2017 in MILITARY HISTORY DISCUSSIONS. 3. "I initially was stationed in Korea. After completing Field Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Shkurti was sent to Germany not Vietnam. Many celebrities joined in the protests. We wore different uniforms. Saigon was considered relatively safe, but life wasnt easy and violence erupted. I didnt carry a gun, Lomperis said. Upon graduating, I was the only one in our Company sent to Ft. Knox Ky.. All of the other Draftees in our class stayed at Ft Lewis in Infantry. The following individuals may qualify for benefits related to Agent Orange exposure: Veterans may file a claim for disability compensation for health problems they believe are related to exposure to Agent Orange residue on post-Vietnam C-123 airplanes. Only about one out of seven were combat troops, said historian Chris Appy, history professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Lewis Hitt played guitar in East of Underground. Outdoor Recreation Center. If youre stuck on the base for days on end, visit the Wild B.O.A.R. The Federal Republic of Germany became an important strategic location during the Cold War. At least in our case. They wore fatigues and carried M16s. 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. A new compilation pulls together some of those old records it's called East of Underground: Hell Below. Additionally, not all Vietnam-era veterans served in-country. Out of our entire class I believe two, maybe three guys got orders for Korea. The post exchanges, or PXs, rivaled todays big box outlets for variety and selection, Lair said. I was thinking I would have a better chance of determining where I would be sent.. But that tradition was set on its ear back in the late 1960s and early '70s, when the PFCs stationed overseas formed their own pop bands. The men and women at the main bases such as Saigon, Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Bien Hoa and Long Binh had a fairly sedentary life and plenty of downtime compared to combat soldiers, Lair said. Brutal tactics were the norm during the Vietnam War, and no one suffered more than the Vietnamese themselves, both in the North and the South. I expected it would be worse in Vietnam, but it was a more satisfying experience, Shkurti 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. Its important for people to know they exist. Not enrolled in the VA health care system? There werent enough NCOs (non-commissioned officers), not enough support or spare parts. During the war, in-country combat and support troops could be identified on sight, said author Timothy Lomperis, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam in the Army and Defense Intelligence Agency. I worked in an air-conditioned office and wore khakis, starched shirts, spit-shined shoes and a belt with a shiny brass buckle. Because he was one of the last there in that formation and those three went to the ROK. To make it even more complicated, just what is a combat veteran? The entire emphasis is on the narrow combat experience, Lair said. ". It was a huge fire. Maybe they didnt risk their lives but they risked risking their lives, said Meredith Lair, a Vietnam War historian at George Mason University and author of Armed with Abundance: Consumerism and Soldiering in the Vietnam War, which examines the non-combat experiences of American soldiers in Vietnam. Hollander says it's not a mistake to read a hint of resistance into the band's repertoire. The fatigues were faded and had rips. 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. 6) Berlin, Germany. Those recordings were lost for decades, until a collector discovered an East of Underground LP in 1997. HMD found that Reservists who served as flight crew (pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and loadmaster), ground maintenance crew, and aero-medical personnel had regular contact with the aircraft, and would have experienced some exposure to chemicals from herbicide residue. 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. When they got home they were all the same (veterans), but they did not all have an equal experience. Most of all, Army bands will strive to honor General George Washington's observation, "Nothing is more agreeable and ornamental than good music.
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