Is there anyone on DU-3 who lived through Vietnam War Era..whose life was changed by the DraftWar?

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

66. 65 replies and 800 views, I show up late

I Graduated HS in '66, went to college that summer to move out of the house. I had some uncles who had been in the Navy, and another who was a lifer in the Air Force. I dropped a class or didn't get a class, about March of '67 so I no longer had a draft deferment. I decided to join the Navy. Luck or an Angel got me into an Aviation Squadron rather than a ship out of boot camp, and I ended up home ported at Moffett Field, just North of San Jose and I could drive to San Francisco and party. I rented an apartment in Mt. View so I didn't have to deal with the drunks in the barracks. My biggest regret was not driving some friends to the Monterey Pop Festival. (Someone in our Squadron had gone to HS with Janis Joplin.) But I was young and gay and there was too much of a good time in SF and I wanted to get as much as I could find available. Now I feel very fortunate to just have survived through that. I did three tours overseas, Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. Went in and out of CamRanh Bay, but never saw combat. Did start to smoke the herb, but didn't do the acid, though folks in the Navy with me did, and I would drive them around and see that they didn't get in trouble and bring them back to the base. Got out Dec. '70 three months early to go back to college. The GI bill paid for that, and it sure made college easier to deal with. I joined a gay students union and was out to my straight roommates in the house we had. That was a great time for me. (San Luis Obispo, Ca.) In a history class I had after having been in country, I learned three oil companies had negotiated with the French for the rights to drill off the coast, and that was the real reason a "Cooperative Government" was wanted by ours over there. While in country I worked in Communications and was the only person in my squadron with my watch, so I had it 24/7. My desk, bed and files were in one room off the duty officers station. I lived there, slept there, could leave to eat and get a shower, but had to be there for every scheduled plane arrival and departure, and if I did leave, I had to let the duty officer know where I was in case I was needed and the duty driver could get me. While there I read a book by a British Journalist who had been in country with the French. He told all about the lies of the American Gov. and the shipping in of arms in white boxes with red crosses on them, creating the war machine, trying to put in a US friendly administration. Reading that book is what changed me more than anything. I also read about an incident in a SF paper, the Stars and Stripes and in our Classified Messages. The three reports were very different, and I realized they were written for different audiences. I went to several of the protest marches before the shrub sent the troops off based on lies. I was able to catch the film "Sir, No Sir!" but missed that type of protest stuff going on while in the service. I see the local Veterans for Peace is having a showing of "Hidden Battles!" next month, and I noted it on my calendar and hope I can get there to see it.
Grateful for the Many Blessings bestowed upon me,
seeking the path to be a blessing myself.
ADW