Veterans in Vietnam for 6 to 9 years????????

[Windy]

Hello Laura Ingram. Apparently she has never read one thing about Vietnam.. If I remember correctly the typical tour of duty for the fighting forces actually in country was 1 to 2 years. Any Vietnam vets out there who could verify this and email Ingram to set her straight? She also bellowed that these 6-9 year vietnam vets are angry with Kerry regarding his statements in the post war hearings.
Say what you want about Matthews, but he came back at her stating that what was said was the truth. She had no answer...
I think that the Kerry campaign needs to discuss his war experiences and heroism more on the campaign trail. I urge all of you to read the accounts of his bravery that earned him the silver and bronze stars. Impressive...

Here is a great site to get that info and to compare Kerry and Shrubs "war" records. They are listed one after the other.

http://news.findlaw.com/legalnews/lit/election2004/docs.html

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. I saw how Tweety handled it. He was right to call her on her smear.

:puke:

[kentuck]

2. I've heard of a couple of people that spent 3 and 4 years over there....

I spent 2 tours (about 19 months) and that last 6 months was long....very long....

[nosmokes]

3. a tour in nam

was one year unless you were a marine, then it was 13 months - an actual year in country.
the marines didn't count the month R&R.
a number of guys did multiple tours, but i don't know or know of anyone that personally that did more than 3.
there were a number of POWs that were held for many years. that information should be googleable.

[latebloomer]

4. She's a bloody idiot

I never heard of anyone who served 3 years, and two was pretty rare.

The normal tour of duty was 12 months for Army, 13 for the macho Marines. No one was required to do more. Most were all too happy to call it quits after that.

[Windy]

5. Can one of you EMail her as a Vietnam Vet and tell her

to STOP distorting the truth!!!! These people need to be called on the carpet!

[latebloomer]

6. I'm not a vet

but counseled them for many years in a VA drug counseling clinic. Someone else??

[abbyhoffman]

7. I used to work

With a guy who said he was in Vietnam for 10 years. He was an Army lifer 30 plus years had a cute wife from Nam. He was in charge of our building security I have no doubts he was telling the truth. He had lots of photos and ribbons on his wall & desk. Serveral Vets in our office knew him or of him from the service. (worked for IRS Then)

[onecitizen]

8. I wondered about that too.........

Ingram seemed particularly perturbed tonight for some reason.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. A tour was 1 year (or 13 mo. for jarheads).

Some people extended their tours by up to 6 mo to get early separations. Anybody who spent more than 1 year was in some sense a volunteer for the extra time--either by extension or by having re-enlisted or (maybe) having signed up for a 4-year term of duty (generally AF or Navy).

I was drafted in Feb 1967, spent 6 mo. in basic & Infantry training, did 1 year in Nam, then 6 mo back in the States.

[TacticalPeek]

10. Lifers.

An extremely small percentage did multiple years, and very few did anything like 6-9 years.

Some liked the 'Wild West' atmosphere of Saigon, where it was fairly safe and anything goes.

Some worked in supply, which was fairly safe and could be very lucrative.

One guy I knew reupped and extended in country because his buddy was MIA. A month later his buddy walked in from the bush.
And, of course, there were the career officers who wanted multiple punches on their ticket to the stars.