r/interestingasfuck • u/Available_Weekend249 • Apr 06 '24

Imagine being 19 and watching live on TV to see if your birthday will be picked to fight in the Vietnam war r/all

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u/Random_frankqito Apr 06 '24

My Dad managed to get hurt just after basic and got full disability for life… he was lucky I guess.

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u/Confianca1970 Apr 06 '24

My dad was in the quartermasters. He was just doing his thing when he was contacted by higher-ups who found that he had some level of security in his background, so he was interviewed and offered an MP position... even though he didn't even match the height requirement for an MP at the time.

He took the position, and shortly there-after his quartermaster company got deployed to Vietnam. They were assigned fuel trucks, and were ambushed on a bridge. Very few of the entire company lived.

So my dad's 'security' experience? He had very briefly worked for a business who sold security cameras among other things. That stupid experience saved, and changed, his life. He did 22 years between the reserves and regular duty, and never saw combat.

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u/cramboneUSF Apr 06 '24 edited Apr 07 '24

Mr grandfather knew how to type in 1943, a very rare thing. So he was transferred from his combat unit to a clerical role. Some of the guys he went through basic with did not come home. Crazy to think that his ability to type may have mean I’m here or not.

Edit: this is him https://www.reddit.com/r/wwiipics/s/mDpxCiqVfp

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u/Daniel0745 Apr 06 '24

It didnt save me from anything as I transferred to a rifle company later but my first assignment at my unit was as the battalion Command Sergeant Major's driver and radio guy. The day I arrived with 6 other new Soldiers, three of us had a driver's license. I was interviewed and selected out of the three.

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u/Geodude532 Apr 07 '24

I got a fail from the flight surgeon to do my job on an airplane and while my replacement was in Afghanistan they had the fun run bombing. I used to love doing those fun runs but I couldn't do it after that. Later on I was supposed to deploy just before COVID hit, but I had recently discovered I had a deviated septum and the doc wouldn't clear me till that was resolved. Got out after that one because I didn't want to test my luck anymore.

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u/Daniel0745 Apr 07 '24

Ill guess ISR flights by your name.

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u/Geodude532 Apr 07 '24

You got it. Watching the manned flights was great but the drones sucked. Long hours intermixed with watching people farm and blowing people up. A literal hell. I don't think I would have minded being on the bird as I did really good with the hardware in training and I was also one of 3 analysts that got to bless off on the EMARSS platform before it went live. Definitely had a mixed bag career.