Friday, May 06, 2005

37 Years Ago Today

May 6, 1968, the day I was drafted into the good ole Uncle Sam's US Army. Yes, the old man here is a veteran of the Vietnam Conflict (conflict my ass). I didn't get to spend very much time in Vietnam as I was lucky/unlucky enough to be wounded (depending on your perspective) after just 1 month and two days.

I really do have some good memories from my stay in Vietnam. I won $10 in a bar in the Cu Chi base camp one night. I had my first sauna. I got to ride in lots and lots of helicopters. I smoked pot for the first time.

I also have some not so good memories. I got wounded, but I already said that. My first night out in the field we were rocketed. I saw my first person die (not the first person I saw dead, but the first to die). I didn't duck low enough going under some bamboo and had a nest of fire ants fall on me. (Damn can those suckers bite) I got my leg caught in a trip wire and feared for my existence until they found out it was old and not connected to anything. I stepped in a pungie pit (?) and was scared shitless until I discovered it was old and the bamboo stakes were rotten and didn't penetrate may leg.

I also had an out of body experience when I was wounded, but I can't classify that as either a good or bad experience. Bad maybe because I saw myself dead laying on the ground, or good, because I learned there is an after life. I guess you'll have to decide if it was good or bad for yourself.

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