How does one become a combat field historian? You would think the combat field historian would be an individual who had a great love of history, studied history or was a history major in college. Those would certainly be ideal prerequisites in a peacetime scenario when you were searching for the ideal candidate.
However, in 1967 there was a major incident (actually an undeclared war) raging in the Republic of (South) Vietnam, and the U.S. Navy was looking for a warm body to fill a non-career enhancing billet. I was a mid-career lieutenant commander, a qualified submariner, and I volunteered to spend a year in 'Nam as a combat field historian. I wasn't particularly motivated to go there; however, I knew I could contribute and possibly improve my chances to change designators.
-Don
That was a very good read. Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteKlaus
Ah, yes, the USS Benewah might've been the US Navy's version of a Carnival cruise ship, except for the racks. Seemed as though the guy sleepin' above you was only a couple of inches from your nose. And the linen service did leave a bit to be desired.
ReplyDeleteThe chow was a little below four star rating but still beat the Hell outta C-rats in the field, although while on a little hike through a friendly village I did avail myself of the opportunity to purchase a local version of a po' boy sandwich. Only after I'd consumed most of this delectable treat did one of the guys in my squad inform me that the meat in said creation was probably dog.
The swabbies on the boat... excuse me... ship, always did their best to entertain us. More than once troops might come back from a week or so in the bucolic countryside and barely have time for the requisite two minute shower before somebody would've hung a sheet on the bulkhead for a screen and out came a projector to present us with the treat of watchin' a trainin' film aka porn movie. Plots were almost always non-existent, but consisted of Japanese actors with two women always nekkid who did some girl-on-girl action then took turns workin' on the male performer, with lots of oral and humpin'. The guys were always a bit bashful, appearin' partially clothed in a Lone Ranger-type mask and black socks. Perhaps the author of the article left out the parts of the shipboard experience concerin' our film sessions so as not to offend the sensibilities of the folks back home. Then again, nobody would ever believe that troops and sailors overseas might ever let carnal thoughts cross their minds. Or, maybe, him bein' an Officer and all, nobody invited him.
So yeah, BTDT and got the T-shirt but like most everybody else's it was OD Green with no catchy sayings or pictures. Now the Zippo lighters were somethin' else...