When / where did you serve?

[SloopJohnB]

ESS Eldorado AGC-11 (Phib Pac) 1957-1959. Gun Fire Control Tech FT3. "Kiddie Cruiser", in for 3 years total.

[Rick]

Have not heard Kiddie Cruiser for a long time.

When I was mustering out I was told there would be a month to 6 weeks delay. This would put me into September or early October 1969 discharge. I was turning 21 on the 4th of August. I told the discharge people I didn't care what they did my enlistment was up on my 21st birthday and I was leaving if they had papers or not. They cut me loose about a week early.

A Kiddie Cruiser had to be signed in by his parents because he was a minor at 17 years old. When you turned 21 you were a legal adult and your parents consent was null and void.

[mike24d20]

Dang what would they call call a 17 yr. old who joined the Army durning Vietnam. An I better not see the word dum or stupid or the black coated guys will visit with a thousand camel fleas.

[Rick]

How about a true Patriot that stood up for his country at a young.

What did you think about the college bunch demonstrating and the draft dodgers going to Canada?

[Sarge]

USNR - 6 Jun 53 to May 58 (at 17). NAS Olathe, Ks and NAS St. Louis Mo.
Assigned to VF 886 with F4U-4 Corsairs, later got F9F-6 Cougars. Plane Captain on both.
Got tired of working on them and watching someone else fly them so transferred to VP 881 in 1957 as Ordnance man and started flying aircrew on PB4Y-2 Privateers.
usaf - May 58 to Sep 58. Went to flight school, got thrown out because I had hay fever.
Thanks to the F--n hair farce and the way they coded my 214, I spent 3 yrs out.
Colo Army NG - Sep 61 to May 64. Joined a unit activated for the Berlin Wall crisis. They needed bodies and conveniently over looked the RE 4 code on my af 214 (I also had a 4F draft card). Ended up working full time Guard in Colo & Mo. Couldn't hack the pansy asses in the Mo guard so -
May 64 - Apr 68 back in the Navy and back on flying status, on P2V Neptune’s this time.
Volunteered 3 times for RVN, 1st denied, no reason. 2nd ships company in an attack sqdn - I wanted VP 31 flying Neptune’s in RVN & they said no so I told them to shove it. 3rd time for the brown water Navy and they said no because I was an aviation rate.
1 May 68 reenlistment time found me joining another Army Guard unit, this one was being activated for RVN. I even picked up on stripe on this switch - E5 to E6.
again couldn't stand that bunch of draft dodging cry baby SOBs so
13 Sep 68 - Reenlisted RA for Special Forces.
19 Aug 69 Arrived at SF HQ in Nha Trang. I had Finally made it!!!
26 Mar 70 wounded and Medivaced to the states, arrived on 1 May. Short tour!
9 Sep 71 - disability retirement from the Army. 15 yrs, 2 months and a few days - down the tubes!!
See what persistence will do for you!
Sarge

[Dan Shapiro]

"What did you think about the college bunch demonstrating and the draft dodgers going to Canada? "

They had a right to be stupid and demonstrate. As for the draft dodgers who went to Canada. Goodbye! We had more respect for those who went to jail for their beliefs. Worst thing that a$$hole in Chief Carter did was the pardon. I'm sure John Kerry sends him a Christmas Card each year for that.

[Sarge]

The bastards should have been stripped of their citizenship and sent to Hanoi!!! By air of course, air dropped from 20,000 feet with a bomb tied to their feet!
Even today No dumb SOB Ever wants to let me hear him bragging about going to Canada and then coming back years later. I will most likely put him in the hospital!
Sarge

[El Paso Mark]

Have not heard Kiddie Cruiser for a long time. A Kiddie Cruiser had to be signed in by his parents because he was a minor at 17 years old. When you turned 21 you were a legal adult and your parents consent was null and void.

I joined the Army a month after I turned 17. Don't remember if mom had to sign for me or not. That was a long time ago.

C & D Co. 2/502 101st Airborne '74 - '77 (REFORGER '76)

FCTCLANT & Pax River NAS '79 - '81
USS Decatur DDG-31 '81 - '83
USS Callaghan DDG-994 '83 - '86
PMTC Pt. Mugu, Ca. '86 - '88
USS Vincennes CG-49 '88 - '92
FCTCPAC '92 - '96

7 WestPacs, twice to the Persian Gulf, twice to the I.O.

Cheers,

Mark

[Thomasm]

The bastards should have been stripped of their citizenship and sent to Hanoi!!! By air of course, air dropped from 20,000 feet with a bomb tied to their feet!
Even today No dumb SOB Ever wants to let me hear him bragging about going to Canada and then coming back years later. I will most likely put him in the hospital!
Sarge

Bad as I hate to say it, they had the right to leave(my country, love it or leave it). I don't believe they had the right to return. If they had any sense of honor, they wouldn't consider comming back. We do have the right to be yellow.

[Michaelp]

Biggest problem with the guys who ran is that they broke the law and were given pardons.
It was a complicated time and situation, but the pardons were way out of line.
Some guys who got discharged with bad paper were given the opportunity for reviiew, but sure weren't pardoned.

Scary thing today os that with the draft being over a generation in the past, current guys who shirk service are actually offended by the thought of mandatory service. A s if it was for some sort of lesser being.

[LMDawson]

USAF McChord AFB, WA. 89-92
Jet Engine mechanic on the C-141's.

Best Regards
Lisa

[Dan In Indiana]

Chu Lai by the Sea
Sept. '67 to Jan. '69
The first part was leading up to 'Nam, Tet of '68 was noisy.

[173rd]

63-64 Ft. Leonard Wood, Ft. Polk, Ft. Benning
64-65 Okinawa 173rd Airborne Brigade, 2ndBn/503rdInf
65-66 Vietnam 173rd, 2nd/503rd

[Sarge]

Bad as I hate to say it, they had the right to leave(my country, love it or leave it). I don't believe they had the right to return. If they had any sense of honor, they wouldn't consider comming back. We do have the right to be yellow.

Yes, they had the "right" to leave, But they did NOT have any right to return unless it was to serve a jail term! They should have forfieted their citizenship when they crossed the border!
Sarge

[TomSudz]

If they had any sense of honor, they wouldn't consider comming back. We do have the right to be yellow.

If they had any sense of honor, they wouldn't have run off.