Carter - Twenty One Months

TWENTY ONE MONTHS

By

Ron L. Carter

Copyright Ron L. Carter 2011

Published at Smashwords

Smashwords Editions, License Notes

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Smashwords Edition License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it,or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should returnto Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respectingthe author's work.

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UNITED STATES ARMY

Ronnie Lee Carter - Active duty

April 19, 1967 to January 25, 1969

Vietnam Duty

September 24, 1967 to September 22, 1968

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The Vietnam War was officially called theVietnam Conflict. Congress never declared war on NorthVietnam.

The United States did not lose the war inVietnam, the South Vietnamese did after Congress cut off allfunding.*

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BOOK DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the men that losttheir lives in The Republic of South Vietnam while assigned toCompany A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, 199th Light InfantryBrigade during my tour of duty in Vietnam.

I very painfully and regretfully wroteletters to their next of kin when they were killed in Action:

Lieutenant Thomas J. Cooney,

February 25, 1968

Sergeant Nathan L. Robinson,

February 25, 1968

Private First Class Harry M. Wopinski,

February 25, 1968

Spec. Fourth Class Richard J. Faulkner,

February 25, 1968

Specialist Fourth Class Arthur B. Smith,

March 19, 1968

Private First Class Jeffrey Jordan,

March 19, 1968

Spec. Fourth Class Billy D. McDougal,

March 1, 1968

Private First Class Andrew P. Corbin,

April 25, 1968

Private First Class William D. Noddin,

April 25, 1968

Private First Class Eric L. Stauff,

May 16, 1968

Private First Class Fredrick L. Rohen,

May 16, 1968

Specialist Fourth Class Charles A.Whitney,

May 25, 1968

Specialist Fourth Class Louis R. Lordi,

May 17, 1968

Its also dedicated to the friends of mine Iwent to Redwood High School with from Visalia, California that diedin Vietnam:

Private Charles B. Height

Sergeant Lour LaDesma

C.W.O. Phillip Monhike

Specialist Fourth Class Roger Ledbetter

Cpl. Michael Montgomery

Sergeant Richard A. White

Sergeant Steven W. Maness

***

I would like to say thank you to all thesoldiers that served their time in or around Vietnam during theVietnam War. I would also like to give a huge special thank you tothe soldiers that were wounded, both mentally and physically inVietnam and other wars the United States has been involved in. Iwould like to especially thank the ones that are still paying theprice for their sacrifices. I know that words can never be enoughto express my gratitude for you and your service to your countryand what you have lost.

Table of Contents

Statistics About The Vietnam War

SPECIAL THANKS

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INTRODUCTION

On April 19, 1967, I went from being astudent at the local junior college known as College Of Sequoias tothe hostile land of South Vietnam in a very short period of time.Its one place I never envisioned myself being. I couldve chosen amillion other places Id rather have been at 20 years of age. Yet,there I was, serving my tour of duty as a private in the UnitesStates Army.

It was a time in our history when the UnitedStates activated the draft. If you were drafted, you had no choicein the matter. You became part of the Unites States Military,(unless you had the connections to keep you out of the military oryou refused to go).

When I first arrived in Vietnam, my M.O.S.(military status) was 11b, which is infantry. Once I arrived inSouth Vietnam I was very fortunate to be given a job as a companyclerk, 71h20, stationed at company headquarters. This book waswritten from my opinions and experiences as a company clerk and notas an infantryman. I would never try to tell anyone that I knowwhat it was like to be in a firefight and only a few yards awayfrom a Viet Cong Soldier with him shooting at me. I dont believethere is any real way a person could know what thats like unlessyou were unfortunate enough to be in that position. Although mostof this book is about my experiences in South Vietnam, it was notwritten to be a history of the Vietnam War. I wanted the peoplereading this book to have an idea of what it was like for me when Iwas in the service. This book is a collection of true events,leading up to, and during my time in South Vietnam and shortlyafter I got home. Its been a long time since I was in the militaryand Vietnam, and I cant remember the names of everyone that I wasstationed with. Because of that fact, I changed some of thesoldiers names I refer to in the book. These are my memories ofthe places and events as they occurred, and, according to the bestof my memory and recollection. Any reference to any person, place,or thing, that is not correct, I truly apologize.

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SELECTIVE SERVICE CONSCRIPTION

(Thedraft)

The United States has enacted conscription orthe draft several times in the past, but usually during a time ofwar. During the Vietnam War, if you were drafted, the period ofactive duty was a mandatory two year term. The drawing for thedraft was supposed to be a fair process for everyone, but it was acomplicated process of using birthdates and numbers. When youturned 18, you had to register and you were assigned a status of 1Aif you were eligible for the draft. They also had 1Y and 4F forpeople that didnt qualify for health and other reasons. Thepenalty for trying to avoid the draft was 5 years in prison and a$250,000.00 fine. There was a steep increase in the number ofexemption and deferments during the Vietnam War, especially withcollege students. This caused a lot of resentment among the poorand blue-collar young men. A large number of the ground troops inVietnam were working class so it reinforced the perception of theVietnam War being a rich mans war, poor mans fight.*

Some men avoided the draft by becoming draftdodgers and burned their draft cards or their draft letters. Somemen avoided the draft because of their fear of the dangers ofcombat, while others had a political or moral objection to war.Some chose to defect to other countries and some just chose to goto prison instead of being drafted. Its believed that 100,000 menbecame draft dodgers during that period. Because Canada didntconsider draft dodging a criminal offense, between 30,000 to 60,000men fled to Canada to dodge the draft. Many just hid out somewhereuntil the Nixon era was over. Some churches also provided sanctuaryto the draft dodgers. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter gave anunconditional amnesty, in the terms of a pardon, to all draftdodgers. *

Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Joe Biden,Howard Dean, Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney are just a few politiciansthat never saw combat in Vietnam even though they were in thecorrect age group to be drafted or serve in the military. Was itmoney, power or just plain luck that kept them out of Vietnam? Idont believe it was luck. Ive found that things in this lifearent always fair but theres nothing we can do about them. Itsnot what you know, but who you know. Its just the way our worldis. Take a look at George W. Bush during the Vietnam War. Some sayhis father used his influence to keep him out of Vietnam. George W.Bush spent 2 years stateside, in the Texas Air National Guard, as aF102 pilot during the Vietnam War. He was in a unit assigned to thedefense of the continental United States and unlikely to bedeployed overseas, especially, Vietnam. When his father was runningfor president of the United States and asked about his sons statusduring the Vietnam War, he said his son Protected Texas airspacefrom invasion by the Vietnamese. * Who was he trying to kid?Seriously, the Vietnamese! They didnt even know how to spellTexas, let alone want to invade it or the United States.