Murphy – Home and Reception – 1971
Getting home was a full-time goal in July 1971. It was on what I concentrated my thoughts and days. I found out that I could get a “drop” of two days if I was able to get the direct flight from Saigon’s Tan Son Nhut airbase to McGuire in New Jersey. There would be…
Making Captain and Leaving the Platoon – 1971
The time passed quickly as we finished the fortifications on Rifle and prepared a turnover to the ARVN. The attack we had weathered was apparently more than an isolated action. We were told that several firebases had been hit throughout Vietnam that night in some kind of celebration of Ho Chi Minh’s birthday month. We…
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Lessons I Learned on the Way Out – 1970
The year just past – 2023 – marked fifty years since the official end of the Vietnam War for America. For many who served – including me – the Fifty-Year Commemoration invoked any number of memories. Please bear with me as I share a few. My tour of duty in Vietnam was cut…
Europe – Over Three Decades
From: Scott Wallace (1983-1988, 1992-1994, 2001-2003) I had the privilege of serving in various US Army positions in Europe (principally Germany) over 9 years. Each of my tours was in a different decade, and upon reflection, each was a dramatically different phase of European and American history. I served in the Second Armored…
A Surreal Sequel to the Surreal Story – 1992
Prior to the Moscow trip we spent almost 3 months commuting to DC to brief all of the politicians (and there were many) who thought they should be involved in this endeavor. I thought I should start by giving my West Point classmate, Bob Kimmitt, a head’s up as he was an Under Secretary of…
Continue Reading A Surreal Sequel to the Surreal Story – 1992
A Surreal Story – 1992
As most of you know my post-West Point service was in the US Air Force as a B-52 pilot. At that time, the B-52 was one of the primary components of the nuclear deterrence arsenal. B-52s around the country would sit on alert ready to be airborne at a moment’s notice. Crews stood alert…