VA Military Memories Competition
SGT William R. Upton, U.S. Army (1963-1968)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
One Dollar and Five Dong
I met Binh outside the Black Cat bar in downtown Vung Tau, Vietnam. He was a Vietnamese marine and had just returned from firefight missions in the Delta. We often met like this to have a few beers and shoot the shit.
“Hey, Binh,” I said as he walked up.
“Xin ch’o, Uptoe.” Outside the door to the Black Cat stood a ragged little boy with a tin can begging for coins. I found a couple of coins and dropped them into the can. Binh did the same. Inside the bar, we sat down and I looked at him. “Binh,” I said, “Why did you give him money? You don t make that much.”
He grinned at me. “Uptoe give money, Bihn, too, give money.” He was silent for a moment, then said, “Binh know boy. Family kill by VC one year ago. Boy not beg money, not eat. Maybe find food at GI garbage place.”
“You’re a number one guy, Binh,” I said.
“You number one GI, Uptoe. I give you something. Binh reached into his pocket, pulled out a five dong note, signed it and tore it in half. He gave half to me. “After war we tape together and buy Ba-muoi-ba beer, okay, Uptoe?”
I took a dollar MPC from my wallet, tore it in two, signed it and gave Binh half and had him sign my half. “You’re on, Buddy,” I said.
SGT Robert Pryor, U.S. Army (1967-1969)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Disembarking at Cam Ranh Air Force Base, Viet Nam, in 1968, we were to exchange our field jackets for steel pots (helmet with liner) and flak vests (body armor). I dutifully lined up like everybody else. After handing my jacket to a member of the Rear Echelon Military Force (REMF), I reached for a helmet. He grabbed it and said, “Not you.” When I asked why, he said, “I thought you knew. Your Green Beret is bulletproof.”
Cpl William Stilwagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1968-1970)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Who knows how many lives each of us destroyed in Vietnam. Confirmed kills is a term for the official way of counting dead enemy bodies. But unless you were a sniper whose spotter could document your kills, you really have no way of knowing. The environmental conditions in Vietnam were such that clear sightings and clear shots were illusive. The vegetation and terrain were extremely rugged and concealing. Once we located the enemy, we d saturate the area with firepower and/or call in supporting arms. Unless you saw an individual go down when you squeezed the trigger, you never knew if it was truly your bullet that ended the life of an enemy soldier. We knew we were responsible in part for enemy deaths, but there was really no way to make a quantitative accounting for the individual warrior. Most times, the killing took place in an obscured environment, or at a healthy distance in the case of mortars and artillery.
1LT Al Bedrosian Jr., U.S. Navy (1968-1970)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Broken Glass
It took place in anticipation of an IG inspection of our AIT (Advanced Individual Training) barracks Fort Dix, New Jersey back in 1968. I d been in the Army for only eight weeks, having recently completed basic training.
DMSN Raul Herrera, U.S. Navy (1965-1969)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Fifteen minutes after midnight on July 15, 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, the crew of Swift Boat PCF-79 fulfilled the Operation Market Time mission by taking the lead role in the U.S. Navy’s historic Sa Ky River Victory. LT j.g. Edward J. Bergin received the “PER GRA” radio message from the on-scene commander granting permission to take the evading North Vietnamese gunrunner, code-named SKUNK ALPHA, under fire at the mouth of the Sa Ky River on the tip of the Batangan Peninsula, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam.
SP4 Joseph De Frank, U.S. Army (1966-1968)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Many years ago, I purchased a handmade, richly finished personalized box for my Army memorabilia. It had a gold-filled laser engraving: SP4 Joseph A. De Frank, B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry (1/6), 198th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB), Americal (23rd Infantry) Division, surrounding a beautiful embossed Vietnam War Veteran medallion.
The unit crest of the 1/6 depicts an alligator which symbolizes service in the Seminole War, when the regiment bore the brunt of the fighting at the battle of Lake Okeechobee on 25 December 1837. Service in the Mexican War with General Scott is commemorated with a scaling ladder by means of which the walls of the citadel of Chapultepec were stormed. The 1/6 s long proud lineage can be traced back to the War of 1812, when it had the distinction of being commanded by Colonel Zachary Taylor. The Battalion has three Presidential Unit Citations, Two Valorous Unit awards, and three Medal of Honor awardees. The unit motto is Unity is Strength.