Introduction
From our alert orders for deployment to boarding that Freedom Bird homeward bound there were many personal experiences and stories that ended up into my memory bank while serving in Vietnam. My Vietnam memoirs are a timeline of my personal experiences, specific moments in time, with some moments of self-reflection, with a number of experiences resulting in life lessons. Through the years, and in the process of writing, I have also uncovered some truths that I did not know or understand 50 years ago.

I was inducted June 3, 1964, took my basic training at Fort Knox, KY; assigned Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia MP Training School, 8/21/1964. My 951B10 MOS took me to the 591st MP Company at Fort Bliss, Texas, 10/19/64. In 1965 a number of MP Company’s across the country received orders for Vietnam activation and were referred to as "combat MPs" or "line MPs", or convoy and personnel escorts MP’s, and many MP’s were attached to other battalions for security operations. Our 591st MP Company never received alert orders. However, when the 6th Battalion, 71st, Artillery at Fort Bliss received Alert Orders many of us (two year draftees) were detached from the Fort Bliss MP Company and reassigned for security operations. My MOSC (military occupational specialty code) changed to 95B2O: Leads military police teams in support of battlefield operations and leads and supervises small sections in support of security and installation law and order operations.

A soldiers Vietnam personal memories and stories for the most part are shaped and effected by his assigned unit, its location(s), and most notably, his MOS. The Army with over 150 MOSs-military occupational specialty codes were all working together with all branches of the military to accomplish its mission. Not all soldiers have chilling accounts of combat, or suffered from trauma or PTSD, for 75-80% were reported to have never been in combat of any kind, but all played an important role, and all can be proud to have served.

Nevertheless, I had listened to my inner voice and lived with a conscious feeling of unworthiness to be a Vietnam Veteran for many years for not being in a combat unit. Some may have lived not only with the guilt but maybe the shame for the “tall tales” they wrote home, or to their girlfriends. Not all had a choice over their MOS or assignments but all played an important role, and all can be proud to have served. (Say what-no, I didn’t write any fanciful or greatly exaggerated stories.)

Regardless if you were in a combat outfit or not every solider lived with some degree of daily fear. The enemy was not always easily detectible. Women, children, and old men could kill you in the streets; a sniper could squeeze-off a round from a friendly village, or a hidden location. A grenade could be tossed into a seemingly “secure area.” What if the North Vietnamese used their Mig-17’s in the south, and deployed their first strike Russian Il-28 bomber aircraft on our position?

As you read you will note that some of my memories became ingrained because of four of the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell. Some remain embedded into my memory because of their impact, and then there are those that are deep-rooted as a result of the fear they implanted. Up till now there hasn’t been an urgency to share those experiences. As a result of not writing a daily journal, and being submerged in my memory-bank for 50 years some of those recollections are beginning to fade. Some of those memory breaches have been triggered or brought back to mind when conversing with a Vietnam brother, reading unit internet and Facebook page stories, and seeing unit photos.

My family has a history of service to our country. My father and grandfather served in World War II. My great, great, great grandfathers served in the Civil War, one on the confederate side, and one on the Union side. One descendant rode with Custer’s 7th Calvary, and died in Andersonville Prison. My grandmother Fryers great grandfather fought on the confederate side for the 1st Alabama Infantry. My great, great, great, great grandfathers both fought in the Revolutionary War. Their stories may have been told but never written down. My personal journey may not be as attention-grabbing as my ancestors, or many Vietnam brothers. However, it needs to be written and shared with my family, my grandchildren, and revisited with my extended family-my Vietnam unit brothers for we had a shared journey, a bond, and a piece of history.

Fort Bliss (El Paso, Texas) July, 1965-Alert Orders
It was in July of 1965 that the 6th Battalion, 71st, Artillery received Alert Orders for overseas deployment to U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) South Vietnam. It was in response to President Johnsons’ order to increase the number of U.S. troops in South Vietnam. However, more specifically to our battalion, the North Vietnamese were using Mig-17’s, and had the potential for first strike deploying Russian Il-28 bomber aircraft. The battalion was to provide air defense for two South Vietnamese port cities. The alert order initiated a series of actions to qualify the “Hawk” crews and ready the equipment for deployment. It also included attaching MP platoons for security operations.

I was with the Fort Bliss 591st MP Company reassigned to D battery on 6/3/65. We had just over two months to prepare for deployment. Our platoon preparedness training included; some sessions on Vietnamese customs, culture, demographics, geography, daily physical exercises in the Texas heat to help adjust to the Vietnam climate, and of course, some instructions on our enemy-the Viet Cong.
Fort Bliss (El Paso, Texas) September 8, 1965-Call of Duty: Order for Activation

Our battalion was trucked to an isolated section of the west Texas desert outside of Fort Bliss in September 1965--away from all the anti-war protesters.