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. They have rock climbing, paddle boarding, BBQ grills, a restaurant, hiking trails, and more. We had an Infantry MOS Soldiers on one of our Sheridan Tanks. Tomorrow is too unpredictable, especially during deployment, he said. I was able to get into a band there. In 1972 Thornton enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 and trained to be a hospital corpsman. This large and rapid buildup required a tremendous amount of construction, carried out by Army Engineers and largely financed by occupied Germany. 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. This often creates barriers to their full integration into German society. 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. Of his entire graduating platoon, only he and one other trooper were sent to West Germany, all the others got orders to RVN. have hearing loss. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. 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. Youth activity centers in Germany included this facility in Wiesbaden. Their story got eliminated. 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.". Is it just the guy with the gun? He now is an adjunct professor in the John Glenn College of Public Service. I ask this because many guys of draft age enlisted, enlisted specifically for three years to chose their MOS, and in a great many cases avoid serving in South Vietnam. When support servicemen crossed paths with combat troops, We felt guilty. East of Underground was one such band a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Even before Erhard succeeded Konrad Adenauer as West Germany's second chancellor, the conflict in Vietnam had They were so talented, I just assumed they would have a contract with the first studio they walked into.". The conventional wisdom was that everybody carried a rifle, patrolled the jungle and faced death daily, but thats false, said William Shkurti, who served as an artillery officer in a remote area about 300 yards from the Cambodian border in fall 1970. Anyone who served in the military during the war faced the possibility of being sent to Vietnam, though. 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. If you enlisted you would serve 3 years and chose your MOS. The goal of keeping soldiers well-fed was that they would be happy, stay out of trouble and avoid vices like drugs or prostitution, she said. Most of all, Army bands will strive to honor General George Washington's observation, "Nothing is more agreeable and ornamental than good music. This was because they had relatives (brothers) already serving in Vietnam. Lewis Hitt played guitar in East of Underground. She was a USO (United Service Organizations) volunteer who entertained servicemen. "I've done my own searches on Google and so forth, but I cannot find anything," Hitt says. Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. 5) Venice, Italy. Like all the other members, he was a draftee, and had come from a tiny town in Mississippi. 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. During that time, I was assigned to the sick officers quarters, sadly watching many men pass away. Situated in a remote area with the enemy about 300 yards away over the border, Shkurtis unit was constantly in harms way. For guys drafted during Vietnam, what really were the odds they would be sent to Vietnam as opposed to remaining stateside, or sent to Germany or Korea? A new compilation pulls together some of those old records it's called East of Underground: Hell Below. While having a positive attitude about any PCS is important, its equally important to have realistic expectations. His unit in Germany lacked the leadership and necessities to get their job done, he said. Along with its allies, the US had liberated Germany from the Nazis. Heavily guarded Pershing-II rockets were brought to the US base in Mutlangen in 1983. 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. One strong memory I have is how tough it was for the families, Thornton said. May 31, 2017 in MILITARY HISTORY DISCUSSIONS. David Hollander produced the compilation. File a claim online. Six out of seven served on bases. As my husband likes to preach: expectation management.. and child care facility in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany (right). 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. Is it if you might be in danger of a mortar attack versus projecting violence and delivering it to the enemy? Some Air Force Reservists who were crew members on C-123 Provider aircraft, formerly used to spray Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, have raised health concerns about exposure to residual amounts of herbicides on plane surfaces. Right, I got you, very interested to know that fine point. I would have been called a coward by others from the small town I grew up in, so I never considered not volunteering. Today, he cautions people not to draw quick lessons from the war. Hollander says it isn't clear what the Army planned to do with these recordings, especially since so few copies of them have surfaced just three dozen in East of Underground's case. Even today, many see otherwise, but only at home., One place the guys in the rear and combat soldiers would cross paths was at rearward bases, which ranged from isolated fire bases less than a city block in size to major bases like Long Binh Post that resembled an American city, said Chris Appy, author of three books about the American war in Vietnam: American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity, Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides and Working- Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam.. After that, the search was on for as many of these Army bands as they could find. Responding to these concerns, VA asked the Health and Medicine Division (HMD) (formally known as the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study possible exposure and increase in adverse health effects in C-123 crew members. At the end of his service, Shkurti was an executive officer with the 6th Armored Cavalry at Fort Meade, Maryland. Don't forget Panama and Alaska, Alaska itself in that time period had two Infantry Brigades separate stationed there. Napoleon said, An army marches on its stomach, and the U.S. military followed his advice. He says it was completely random, some bodies had to go to 7th Army and his lucky number came up. Good food makes people feel at home, Lair said. In-depth strategy and insight into critical interconnection ecosystems, datacenter connectivity, product optimization, fiber route development, and more. That was where I met my wife. Im also more respectful of what servicepeople endure. 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. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where they have been for the past 40 years. Sign up for a new account in our community. People dont understand how consequential the decisions were that were being made at headquarters, he said. For website corrections, write to hqwebmaster@usace.army.mil. Then, there was the shopping. WebAs 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. The rule was to always go out in groups of two or three, but I often went by myself unarmed. He could take that information back to the base. I had surgery shortly after the fire, then spent convalescent leave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The question became: When will someone tell what my war was like? Lair 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. WebDuring 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. 3) Paris, France. ". German Chancellor Gerhard Schrder, knowing the majority of voters supported him, ruled out Germany's involvement. 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. The fatigues were faded and had rips. TCDD, the toxic substance in Agent Orange, may be inhaled as an aerosol or ingested by contaminated food or water or from hand-to-mouth transfer. He attributed it to where he happened to be standing in a formation. They were clerk typists, cooks, drivers. visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for more resources. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY There were Viet Cong all over the place, but if you were street-smart you stayed safe, Lomperis said. 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. Grafenwoehr is a tiny base compared to almost anywhere youve been stationed in the US. No matter where veterans served in Vietnam, they were a close witness to danger. Some 20 years later, US President George W. Bush went to war with Iraq over its alleged program to develop weapons of mass destruction. They lived in an apprehensive state. 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. Hollander says it's not a mistake to read a hint of resistance into the band's repertoire. Engineers and USACE remained in Europe, still proud of their contribution to defending Western Europe and ending the Cold War. I served at the naval hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts, for 18 months. By However, their wartime ally, the Soviet Union, soon became an enemy. Deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our Nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk. To prop up sinking morale and keep soldiers safe on base rather than heading into Vietnamese towns, the U.S. military strove to make bases as home-like as possible, Appy said. Their lot was really rugged, Lomperis said. 4) The Alps Swiss, German or French. "All the branches of the armed services have always included music as part of their mission. This is the official public website of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2) Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 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. 9) Luxembourg Your message has not been sent. The cover of East of Underground's self-titled LP. Why is Netflix pouring billions into South Korean shows? They deserve our respect. I assisted a medical officer suture up a Marine after a bar fight who was so drunk he didnt need an anesthetic. He was stationed in Gillenhausen, protecting a valley called Folda Gap. To preserve morale, the ration program ensured that all personnel were able to buy highend goods, but it was limited due to the possibility they might resell goods on the black market, Lair said. "Bear in mind that these bands were all engaged in a show band contest in 1971 and 1972, and the winners of the that contest would then be able to tour Europe, and would also record an LP in the Armed Forces Network studios in Frankfurt. 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. The enemy was the Soviet Union and the other signatories of the Warsaw Pact, including the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. Dave. Built over time for more than $130 million, Long Binh eventually had 3,500 buildings and 180 miles of road covering an area bigger than Cleveland. 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. Buddy C. Thornton learned from his military service was Always live for the day. Reflecting back, Im more skeptical whether a war of choice can help defend a country in the long run. Like suburban sprawl, the largest American bases just kept getting bigger, Lair said. WebActivated during the Vietnam War, the Brigade oversaw all Military Police operations in the country for a large portion of the conflict, undertaking a wide variety of missions throughout the country and providing command and control for other military police groups in the region. In retirement he wrote Soldiering On in a Dying War focusing on the Vietnam drawdown and The Ohio State University in the Sixties.. 2. Supercharge your procurement process, with industry leading expertise in sourcing of network backbone, colocation, and packet/optical network infrastructure. After the defeat of Germany, the relatively small American force in Europe was preoccupied with the administration and reconstruction of their former foe. Its important for people to know they exist. He wasn't wealthy or connected in anyway and he also had an Infantry MOS and he was one of three soldiers out of his basic training platoon that went to the ROK. In response the Corps of Engineers drastically reduced the size of EUD and reconstituted it as the Europe District. "I'm just amazed that [the band's] three singers didn't have hit records after they left the Army. The big problem was that Saigon was Sodom and Gomorrah. 2 weeks before we graduated they told us, " Class 17, RVN". Vietnam has come to symbolize certain things that arent necessarily true. There were swimming pools, bars, cheap booze, entertainment, dancers and strippers, American TV. After completing his enlistment, Shkurti returned to Ohio State University to earn a masters degree in public administration. I know that was very dependent upon where you called home, but that was my reality, Thornton said. Over 220 others have already been closed, mostly following the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. oakleaf777, They gave up their lives back home. Hitt says he had already been in one Army band by the time he joined the group. Only about one out of seven were combat troops, said historian Chris Appy, history professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst. At the end of the spraying campaign in 1971, the remaining C-123 planes were reassigned to reserve units in the U.S. for routine cargo and medical evacuation missions spanning the next 10 years. He was friendly with street urchins who would badger him for chocolate and other small treats. The guys with the gear in the rear. I was going for many reasons, but the most important was to close a chapter of history I felt needed closing, Thornton said. They wore fatigues and carried M16s. American expenditures on construction in Europe declined sharply. While older Germans were friendly, younger ones were hostile and aloof, Shkurti said. 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. The entire emphasis is on the narrow combat experience, Lair said. They worked in intelligence. This is not about being negative or complaining, but simply having a balanced outlook for your transition. It was a game of cat and mouse that almost turned deadly when he was nearly killed by some drunk Vietnamese soldiers, Lomperis said. WebThe United States Army has 40 military installations in Germany, two of which are scheduled to close. Another difference was the sense of solidarity he felt. 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. The mood around the country was not good for the military, not like today with cheers and applause for returning members. When we graduated we lined up in front of a building that you entered one at a time on one side and after getting your paper work you exited out the other side. 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. Because he was one of the last there in that formation and those three went to the ROK. Powered by Invision Community, Vietnam Era Draftees Stationed in W.Germany, South Korea, and CONUS, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. 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. Since his older two brothers were already serving in Vietnam he was not allowed to go. HMD released its report, Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft, Jan. 9, 2015. 7th Army in particular suffered heavily, especially with loses of combat arms NCOs Then there was the two infantry brigades in Alaska, the 171st and 172nd, both gave up one battalion each for transfer to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii before it left there for South Vietnam, two full battalions had to be raised to replace the ones sent away. An average of 311,870 troops were stationed in Europe per year during 19861990. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). One of the toughest parts of service was seeing people whose lives were ruined or lost because of the war, he said. The American military presence in Germany began at the end of World War II. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. Thornton returned to school later in life and is now finishing his doctorate in business administration in the field of cross-cultural competency and conflict management. 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. You had no say in what your MOS would be. Here are a few of their stories. I talked to many men who felt sheepish that they didnt have those (combat) stories to share, Lair said. So there was a great need for personnel outside South Vietnam through out the entire period, and the refusal to mobilize the Reserves and National Guard only exacerbated the problem. The band formed while its members were stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War. WebThe entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. was told," you are going to Germany, get your wives in german class". Germany will remain strategically important for the US. Both Germany and Vietnam were on the front lines of the Cold War. I volunteered for the draft and was sent to Ft. Lewis, Wa. It's also a mystery what happened to the bands apart from Lewis Hitt, none of the members have come forward. 3. That led to deep divisions between Washington and Berlin. They proudly served their country, but were derided by combat troops as REMFs or rear echelon mother (insert expletive here), Appy said. "So this was a very viable way to avoid active duty in Southeast Asia.". In their spare time, servicepeople could go to the library, join a service club or take a spin on the go-kart track. The post exchanges, or PXs, rivaled todays big box outlets for variety and selection, Lair said. I am focused on peace and conflict reduction on a global and local scale, he said. In addition to meeting locals, walks off-base could provide valuable intelligence. 8) Bruges, Belgium. I can only speak from my own experiences. After Boston, Thornton served at Marines Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Drug abuse, overdoses, crime and traffic accidents led to several deaths within his unit. Knowing that the threat is so close by is an incentive for people to work together. 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. At the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused induction into the United States Army, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the conflict. Men facing shipping out exhibited many types of behavior. Lomperis served two tours of duty in Vietnam in the Army and Defense Intelligence Agency. Outdoor Recreation Center. 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. Arriving in West Germany, was a shocking experience for the new Army recruit.

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