Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When I was there the local (Victor Charlie) unsafe level resulted in a firefight. Wish I would have had access to a shower instead of washing up in the river. But, this ain't a duck measuring contest.
Thank you for your service and welcome home.
We were young and warriors once.
Thank you for your service as well.
I seem to remember that photo was taken in the morning after laying off the trail in ambush all night. The area was near Ben Cat 50 miles north of Saigon. Like 95% if most nights nothing happened and I was fine with that.
When President Johnson STOPPED the bombing of North Viet Nam we got bombed EVERY day. Spent about 3 weeks NOT in our "hootches" and doing our outside jobs to living in a bunker for those weeks eating WWII leftover C-rations.
After that experience I started getting interested in politics.
I've done a bit of world travel. Enough that I NEVER want to see another foreign country again.
I will NOT spend another dime in a foreign country.
There is MORE here to see then you can cover in a lifetime
.
Too many countries ONLY like us for OUR money.Spend your money in U.S.A.
I think every senior in high school should nave to visit for at least a week in a third world country.
I lived in England and Mexico each for 6 months and lived in Iceland for 4 months. All were part of my education/research or internships, not military. And each trip made me a little more ashamed to come home. If it was possible, I would permanently relocate to either the UK or Iceland but unforunately pesky immigration laws get in the way.
After my time abroad, I am just plain shocked when people call the US the best country in the world. We fall short on so many measures for no good reason other than this weird sense of American exceptionalism. As a result of my time abroad, I have become much more liberal - particularly with regards to our shameful access to healthcare.
Pretty neat place......many of the locals were NOT too hot about the Marines occupying their beautiful island. And for good reason.....man, there was quite a bit of crime committed by military, mainly Marines, when I was there.
No.
Other than the military (VietNam), I have never been to any foreign country.
Oh, wait, I did make two trips to Canada, one in the 1950s, and a very brief one in 1962.
I have never been able to afford foreign travel. I certainly could never afford to live in a foreign country.
I was stationed for a year in Panama. These were the days leading up to the Invasion, so going off-post was highly discouraged.
Followed up by two years in Germany (I asked for an ITT--I wasn't sure if I'd want to re-up, so I wanted to take advantage of going overseas while I could, luckily, my MOS was very much needed in Germany, so I got my ITT approved.) I was assigned to a remote site, so we all got off-post housing (even the single/childless), which I felt gave me a better experience of the country (having to work with the Bundespost to get my phone hooked up when I could speak the language very well I feel made me less judgmental over the whole 'press 1 for English' brouhaha. Nothing like being on the other side of the fence for that.)
Probably both experiences, plus some coming back, made me more liberal.
Generally, my time abroad (research fellowships) was in high functioning countries, so I saw folks living a lifestyle comparable to the USA (some aspects were better, others worse). My visits to poorer countries have definitely made me thankful to live in a first world country, with the rule of law, freedom of speech, etc. I would say the USA is at or very near the top of the heap globally, but one thing that I don't get is the whole exceptionalism thing. I have never seen the cuccoon of self-satisfaction (we are the best, just ask us!) that I see here. Ironically, it seems most common among folks who are less educated, less traveled, unlikely to speak another language, etc. The whole red neck, flag waving bunch. That seems like phony patriotism. Personally, I find it more patriotic to be somewhat critical or your own country and to look to other places/peoples for ideas to improve it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
