College during the Vietnam War

[Seascamp]

Horror of horrors Chris, we?re fading fast I?m afraid. I looked at your post and thought wow, ropes? I forgot all about that. Then it all came back in a blinding flash its ?mooring lines? I think. The only rope on a ship is the lanyard on the ships bell, I hope. If I?m wrong just humor me and find a candy striper with a smile and a cocktail syringe as I sweat bullets trying to remember this much and I wouldn?t want to learn I screwed it all up. :cd:

Scamp

[sn-e3]

Scamp not too worry your right but I is a civilian now they are ropes and stairs not lines and ladders

[DMZ-LT]

My Dad got his citizenship because of 5 years service in WWll. He hated the Army. I was going to college. they where drafting guys out of HS in 65. Went to a land grant college where you had to take ROTC the first two years. In 67 it seemed the war was going full blast and I took two more years of ROTC so I could go in as an officer and I got 50 dollars a month . Big money then. After 6 months of being a platoon leader in Germany , I volunteered for VietNam . I needed to see the elephant. I tried to unvolunteer after my first couple hours as a platoon leader to no avail. Happy New Year Y'all

[usmcsgt65]

Used the GI Bill in 1969, Univ. of Cincinnati had a chapter of the SDS. They were always trying something. similar to what others have said, most the students were concerned about classes or the next party. Only trouble we had was after the Kent State and Jackson State (MS) shootings. UC and most Ohio universities closed down.

[SuperScout]

After tour #1, I read up on some rather obscure Army Regulations, and discovered that there was such a thing locally known as Operation Bootstrap. Applied for same, and was accepted by the University of Texas at Austin. Normally, the Green Guys wanted a student who only required 4-6 months to complete degree work, but I had been academically challenged earlier, and required a full 12 months of retreading. Did the Spring semester, both sessions of the summer, then the Fall semester, taking a full load and more each time. By the time I graduated in January 1970, I was ready for a rest, so the Army sent me back to Bitnam so I could be a college educated target. While there in Austin, I was required to wear my uniform only once, to pay a courtesy call on the PMS; good thing, too, as the looks I got while crossing campus woulda killed a lesser man! Sometime that year, a "moratorium" was held on campus, and a couple of long-haired, drug-crazed, dope-smoking hippie freaks tried to block my entrance into one of the buildings where I had a mandatory class. I gently explained to them that (1) I really liked the class, (2) I really needed to complete my studies so I could graduate and return to Bitnam, and (3) that it had been less than a year since I knowingly killed anybody, and I was getting itchy.

There was one really terminally stupid sergeant who showed up at the "teach-in", wearing his Army greens, and trying to convince anybody equally stupid enough to listen to him that he was an expert on Vietnamese matters. Knew all about the customs and cultures there, having been a supply clerk at Long Binh, that cultural center of Vietnam, as I remember it. Shortly after making a complete ass of himself, with a tad bit of assistance from yours truly, a compassionate FBI agent stepped in and invited the young pseudo warrior to spend the evening in a new location, commonly referred to as the stockade at Ft. Hood.

[DMZ-LT]

75 , I got sent to school to get an MA and then teach ROTC after that at the same school. Dressed as a civilian while in school. PMS stopped me one day on campus cause I had a Mickey Mouse T - shirt on. Wanted to know if I was trying to say the Army was MM and where did I buy it. Told him no I wasn't trying to imply anything and I bought it at the school bookstore. Really wanted to tell , the non combat MFer , they also sold condums in the book store and he outta take a closer look at my @#^* to see if I had one of those on to. Happy New Year y'all !!

[Beldan]

Started college in 1969 . The war protestors were a pain especially when they would interrupt a lecture to have the kids sign a petition . Some of the profs were advocating mutiny but vets invaribly blocked them.

[Keith_Hixson]

A Mickey Mouse Shirt.

I'm jealous. I never had one. Some folks just take things much toooooo serious don't they. Should have been wearing a psycho shirt! Now that would have really messed him up.

Keith

[Andy]

Just to tie up a few loose ends.

Sea Scamp: Rat Guard, how very appropriate. The real active college protests were in every sense of the word, Rats. By the way, I was highly motivated to get a degree. In most cities and town in Massachusetts, since 1971, cops get a very nice cash bonus every year if they have a college degree. That money also adds onto retirement pay. You did what was best for you, totally understand that.

Arty Sgt.: Oh come on Sgt, being a cop at college in the early ?70s was a lot of fun. You wouldn?t ever let anyone know what you did for a living (the uniform was an old t-shirt and ragged jeans). If someone annoyed you, he would eventually talk about his bong, then you?d mention to someone else, so he could hear it, about the drug raid you were on last week, instant paranoia. Besides I loved arguing with them. ?If your mother?s house is getting broken into and she?s all alone is she going to call you or me?? ?If your mom is in a bad car accident who?s going to stop the bleeding, you or me?? I always loved that stuff.

LT: So you?re the guy who after a firefight wanted to unvolunteer. I heard that there was one guy in Vietnam like that, didn?t know it was you.

USMC Sgt: Our college had a chapter of SDS and I attended a meeting. About 2 weeks later I went to a meeting of the John Birch Society. Except for the clothing they wore and the level of language they used, it seemed like the same meeting. It reinforced my feeling that extremism usually isn?t a good idea and can make people a bit goofy.

Scout: By 1971 wearing a military shirt by anti war protesters (in our area) was the uniform of the day. Often they would adorn them in a non-military manner, such as sewing a marijuana leaf patch where a CIB might be located. I think there were as many fatigue shirt on campus as there were in Tay Ninh.
Would you believe they used to announce on a local radio station which colleges were on general strike or if a specific building was being ?taken over?? It was all very well organized around here. Of course there are 11 four year colleges within 15 miles of our house, 2 public, 9 private.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[MORTARDUDE]

What the heck is "PMS" in this context ? Thanks.

Larry