In the service, there are a number of pieces of advice handed down from older to younger and down through the ranks. First: Don't volunteer. Second: Don't attract attention. Stay anonymous, low profile. Third: Shit rolls downhill. Everyone learns that wisdom. I had already volunteered for Vietnam. The last two, I ensured that I learned all of them the hard way.
When the original members of the 585th Engr (DT) shipped to Vietnam, they all arrived on a boat at the same time. So when it came time for them to DEROS, almost the whole company would rotate at the same time, and their replacements were stuck on a similar schedule. When other replacements and I arrived in early December 1969, most of the old guys had already left. The company was short-staffed and on stand-down, doing maintenance and busy work, such as filling sandbags.
Somehow, a half dozen of us new guys got forgotten one day, and we were left to our own devices. We hung out in the hootch.... Read More
