Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Military Vietnam ? No, Vietnam Era....."Oh"

My experience over a few decades was an extended period of close calls, interrupted by periods of endurance and patience.

Once in the military, we all served and SOMEONE is going to tell you where you are going and what you will do. One way to partially
avoid that is to volunteer for duty in a unit that nobody much wants to have anything to do with-either because it sounds dangerous
or the unit's reputation has preceded it.
Having survived spinal meningitis at Ft. Benning, GA. , I volunteered for just such a unit after more time at Ft. Benning and Ft. Bragg, NC.
(Names of military bases do not change in the minds of soldiers or Marines who serve there.)
CCN-CCC-CCS were the MACVSOG OPS 35 Ground Reconnaisance elements assigned from the 5th Special Forces Group. Mention of "CCN" at Ft. Bragg could stop conversations in mid-sentence...
I served with SOG from 71-72, and part of that time operated out of Khe Sanh and Quang Tri.
Cross border operations were TS and only one unit in Vietnam was authorized to conduct them.

I spent one tour at the Pentagon, and was counseled there for commenting "that having seen it-I now know why we did not do so well". I would be relieved by the current military leadership.
There are three possibilities in combat: WIA, KIA, or promotions. I received two out of three. {For a reality check, look up MSG Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver}
{Hollywood movies and the current Washington leadership get the same level of disrespect}