Happy Veterans Day

What branch of service did you serve in and what was your rank? The United States Army and my rank was a SPC 4. 

Were you drafted or did you choose to enlist? I was drafted. I had graduated from Goodridge High School in 1969; two of us seniors received the lucky lottery numbers and got drafted into the army in 1970. I was 20 years old at the time and was living at home on the farm with my parents, Leonard and Edna Moe.

Where did you go to Basic Training at? I went to Fort Lewis, Washington, for 8 weeks. We were bussed from Warren to Fargo, then hopped on a plane to Washington. It was April of 1970.

Did you have to report anywhere else after those 8 weeks? After the 8 weeks were up, I was able to go home for about a week. Then I had to leave for AIT (Advanced Individual Training) for another 8 weeks. I went to a cooking school at Fort Ord, California. A cook in the army was known as a ‘spoon’!

Can you share some memories you have from Basic Training? It was a pretty nice place, but you had to walk everywhere for training. They had these baseball-size rocks you had to walk and run on. You’d be twisting your ankles all the time! We had our 3 weeks of bivouac, which means you walk and run for 12 miles to another camp where you pitch tents and stay for a night or two. It was nothing but pine trees and sandy roads for miles to get there. We really thought we’d be camping in the middle of a perfectly nice pine forest. We walked in and there was nothing but baseball size rocks to live on. Those good old rocks were there again!

Another memory that stands out…you had to cross a set of monkey bars in the dining hall before you could eat. There was a guy in front of me who wasn’t real athletic. He passed out, fell to the ground, and broke his leg. I’m not sure what even happened to him after that.

How would you describe basic training to someone? They get you psyched up and are pretty cruel to you. It’s all to prepare you for what’s to come.

And what was to come? What happened next for you? I got a two-week leave and then I was set to head over to Vietnam. I was in cook school and they gave me my orders in a letter that said I’d be going over to the war to cook. I wasn’t sure where I’d be going, you find that out when you get there, but I did get to come home for two weeks and spend some time with my family first.

Then it was off to Vietnam? Yes. My mom, Edna, drove me to TRF for my flight to Oakland, California. Then I flew to Bien Hoa, Vietnam, where they bus you to your home-base station; the US Army base where I went was Long Binh, which was one of the largest US bases outside of the United States during the Vietnam War. We called the base ‘Lifer Hill”. A lot of big wigs were there; higher ranked officers and such. It was quite a safe place, to be honest. We’d get small mortars they’d drop close by, but there didn’t seem to be a threat of real bigger ones. 

What were your living quarters like there? I suppose there were about 30 of us that lived in a hut with make shift rooms.

What were your days like over there? You’d come into Long Binh with nothing but ankle deep red dirt. It rained every afternoon. After that, it was knee deep dirt! I got situated and went to work right away. They retrain you in the mess hall and show you what’s happening. Pretty soon you’re breaking eggs in the morning three at a time in one hand! There’s hundreds of soldiers in the unit that you’re responsible for feeding. There would  be about 6 of us cooks. We ate well, but there were always people complaining about the food, like any other place.

What were your hours like? We started working at 4am until 2pm. Evenings were spent a bit more laid back, but 3 nights a week were spent on guard duty. I remember seeing helicopters and planes fighting in the horizon; I even saw a few go down. When you’d pull guard duty, you’d come back in the morning and we’d always go by this hospital on the base. We’d see people getting carried in on stretchers and wheel chairs. It wasn’t fun, by any means.

Did you always work as a cook in the kitchen? After 4 months of cooking, I got sent to a bread bakery on base. Our company was called 506th S&S (support and supply). We did nothing but bake bread all day long to be trucked all over to different bases. 

Are there any memories that stick out for you, that you would be willing to share? Well, at the bakery, I remember big cockroaches would come in and drag a bread loaf across the floor. Not just some crumbs – the whole loaf! 

The Christmas I was there, in 1970, we attended a Bob Hope show for entertainment. I also remember cooking steaks for some real big wigs that had came through our base.

For the most part, we were treated really well over there. It was like we were on our own at a regular job. 

Did you ever get to leave base? Yeah. We’d get a day pass and go to Saigon. You always took a chance leaving the base. Military police and army vehicles would drop you off and pick you up again. You’d always want to stay close together as a group.

How long were you over there? I put in a 14 months. In the first month of being there, I had to decide if I wanted to extend for another 3 months or not, which was a hard decision. I decided to extend, but got an early out in December, right around Christmas time. It was really unexpected.

What did that feel like? It was the evening and they were driving around letting us know we would be getting out a month early and leaving the next morning for home. They had all this paper work for everyone, but couldn’t find mine.

That was really emotional I bet? I didn’t cry. I just said, “You better not forget me here.”

What was it like flying back home to America? The flight was 21 hours back to Oakland, California. The plane didn’t have any heat and we were all wrapped in wool blankets. People were sniffling and getting sick. After we landed in California, I went to Seattle to stay with my aunt and uncle for a while. My cousin and I took the train back to Grand Forks, where Edna and Leonard picked me up.

What was life like when you got home? I was 21 years old. I felt free and rich and just enjoyed life for awhile. Then I did some carpentry work and helped farm.

Are you a part of a veterans organization today? Yes. I am a life member of the Grygla VFW Post 3858. I’m also a commander of the American Legion Post 162. I joined the VFW in 1971 or 1972 and am a Charter Member of the Legion, which was 33 years ago.

How did your service and experiences affect your life? How has it shaped you today?  It sure makes you appreciate that you live in America – the land of the free.