Readie
Chief Master Sergeant
There are so many, now I think of it. The 'Herald of Free Enterprise' was appalling too.
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Your First Taste of History
- Thread starter Ferdinand Foch
- Start date
mikewint
Captain
I can remember listening to newscasts on the radio about the Korean War. I would then arrange my toy soldiers/tanks/trucks/etc. according to what I had heard and create my own battle.
I remember News coverage of the Bay of Pigs, Kennedy's TV announcement of the U-2 photos of missiles in Cuba and the blockade announcement followed by the Crisis when US warships confronted a soviet ship on the high seas. Our neighbors gathered together to watch TV newscasts that night. We went outside to see if Soviet bombers were overhead already
I was at the U of I in 1961, introduced to forced ROTC It was here that I met Tom Hayden who was forming SPU (Student Peace Union) groups on major campuses. I quickly joined and when not being forced to march up and down the Quad, picketed the other groups as they were marching. When SPU groups across the country joined together to form the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) I became a founding member and became involved in many Peace Demonstrations all of which brought me to the attention of my local Draft Board who revoked my 2-S (Student Deferral). Uncle Sam now wanted me!
Drafted into the Army I managed to get into Medic Training, I had been pre-Med at U of I and Medics don't have to shoot anyone and being good guys no one would shoot at the Medic, right???
12:30 PM (CST), Friday, 22 Nov, I was in a university classroom. When the class ended a friend was waiting in tears, she informed me that someone had shot the President. We all headed for the parking lot to get in cars and turn on the radio to hear the "President is dead" announcement at 1:33 PM (CST)
Vietnam War......
I remember the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I was there as part of a delegation from the U of I and Vietnam Veterans Against the War in support of Sen. Eugene McCarthy. We were based at the Conrad Hilton Hotel and as such were in the middle of the riots. Several of us formed medical squads and pulled kids with smashed in heads off the street into the foyer of the Hilton. While I was in the street attempting to close a serious head wound on a young girl one of Chicago's Finest tried to smash my head in. Unfortunately for him and his partner I was not a kid and SF training kicked in.
I was in McCarthy's room when an entire squad of Chicago's finest broke down the door and "tossed the place" claiming that rock had been thrown from the windows (which were sealed and could not be opened).
9 Sept Justice Dept calls a grand jury to look into conspiracy charges against the leaders of eight of the main protest groups involved. Att Gen Ramsey Clark (LBJ) declined to push the indictments stating publically that the Chicago Police had caused the riots.
20 Mar 1969 new Att Gen John Mitchell (Nixon) pushes through 8 indictments against the eight leaders for conspiracy to violate the 1968 Civil-Rights act. A totally ridicules charge for those eight. Anyone who knew them at all knew that they could not have conspired to whistle Dixie together.
24 Sept 1969 the Chicago Eight trial begins. I managed to get into the courtroom several times and saw Bobby Seale's (Black Panther Party) antics and his eventual gagging and chaining to a chair
18 Feb 1970 the trial ends with verdicts of Not Guilty for all defendants on Conspiracy but Guilty of crossing state lines to cause a riot: a fine of $5000 and 5 years in prison.
4 May 1970 I hear about the Kent State shootings (four KIA and nine WIA) in Kent Ohio unable to believe that US troops would fire live rounds at US children I left for Ohio. I arrived in the early AM 5 May where blood stain were still clearly present. A total of 67 rounds had be fired randomly into a crowd of children. None of the four killed had been involved in the protest and none had any type of weapon, in fact one had been in ROTC.
In total shock, I pack everything I own on my motorcycle and hit the road, eventually winding up in Canada.
21 Nov 1972 I hear that the Court of Appeals has reversed the convictions of the Chicago Seven.
Returning to the US in Dec of 1973 I re-enroll at U of I to finish my masters degree.
May 1973 I receive a phone call from my high school sweetheart (dumped me when I was in Vietnam as a "baby Killer"). We talk and meet and marry in July. I bury ALL of the above in the deepest hole in my head and we NEVER speak of it again.
I remember News coverage of the Bay of Pigs, Kennedy's TV announcement of the U-2 photos of missiles in Cuba and the blockade announcement followed by the Crisis when US warships confronted a soviet ship on the high seas. Our neighbors gathered together to watch TV newscasts that night. We went outside to see if Soviet bombers were overhead already
I was at the U of I in 1961, introduced to forced ROTC It was here that I met Tom Hayden who was forming SPU (Student Peace Union) groups on major campuses. I quickly joined and when not being forced to march up and down the Quad, picketed the other groups as they were marching. When SPU groups across the country joined together to form the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) I became a founding member and became involved in many Peace Demonstrations all of which brought me to the attention of my local Draft Board who revoked my 2-S (Student Deferral). Uncle Sam now wanted me!
Drafted into the Army I managed to get into Medic Training, I had been pre-Med at U of I and Medics don't have to shoot anyone and being good guys no one would shoot at the Medic, right???
12:30 PM (CST), Friday, 22 Nov, I was in a university classroom. When the class ended a friend was waiting in tears, she informed me that someone had shot the President. We all headed for the parking lot to get in cars and turn on the radio to hear the "President is dead" announcement at 1:33 PM (CST)
Vietnam War......
I remember the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I was there as part of a delegation from the U of I and Vietnam Veterans Against the War in support of Sen. Eugene McCarthy. We were based at the Conrad Hilton Hotel and as such were in the middle of the riots. Several of us formed medical squads and pulled kids with smashed in heads off the street into the foyer of the Hilton. While I was in the street attempting to close a serious head wound on a young girl one of Chicago's Finest tried to smash my head in. Unfortunately for him and his partner I was not a kid and SF training kicked in.
I was in McCarthy's room when an entire squad of Chicago's finest broke down the door and "tossed the place" claiming that rock had been thrown from the windows (which were sealed and could not be opened).
9 Sept Justice Dept calls a grand jury to look into conspiracy charges against the leaders of eight of the main protest groups involved. Att Gen Ramsey Clark (LBJ) declined to push the indictments stating publically that the Chicago Police had caused the riots.
20 Mar 1969 new Att Gen John Mitchell (Nixon) pushes through 8 indictments against the eight leaders for conspiracy to violate the 1968 Civil-Rights act. A totally ridicules charge for those eight. Anyone who knew them at all knew that they could not have conspired to whistle Dixie together.
24 Sept 1969 the Chicago Eight trial begins. I managed to get into the courtroom several times and saw Bobby Seale's (Black Panther Party) antics and his eventual gagging and chaining to a chair
18 Feb 1970 the trial ends with verdicts of Not Guilty for all defendants on Conspiracy but Guilty of crossing state lines to cause a riot: a fine of $5000 and 5 years in prison.
4 May 1970 I hear about the Kent State shootings (four KIA and nine WIA) in Kent Ohio unable to believe that US troops would fire live rounds at US children I left for Ohio. I arrived in the early AM 5 May where blood stain were still clearly present. A total of 67 rounds had be fired randomly into a crowd of children. None of the four killed had been involved in the protest and none had any type of weapon, in fact one had been in ROTC.
In total shock, I pack everything I own on my motorcycle and hit the road, eventually winding up in Canada.
21 Nov 1972 I hear that the Court of Appeals has reversed the convictions of the Chicago Seven.
Returning to the US in Dec of 1973 I re-enroll at U of I to finish my masters degree.
May 1973 I receive a phone call from my high school sweetheart (dumped me when I was in Vietnam as a "baby Killer"). We talk and meet and marry in July. I bury ALL of the above in the deepest hole in my head and we NEVER speak of it again.
RabidAlien
1st Lieutenant
Thanks for sharing that, Mike. Never be ashamed of standing up for your convictions. Remember...simply because you woke up today, you've already pissed someone off. No need to go around trying to please everyone else!
Readie
Chief Master Sergeant
Yep. you are on the money there. Life is too short.
parsifal
Colonel
For me, a personal significant day was 19 March 1980, the day I received my posting to the carrier. Was already a trainee PWO at that time, though i knew basically nothing.
Ship was in refit at the time, emerging from the dock in July. Quickly worked up and deployed to the Indian Ocean with the biggest RAN pecetime deployment to the Indian Ocean since the war...the carrier, five destroyers, an oiler and a submarine. What is not generally known is that we did not load training ammunition, it was a live ammo load out. Enroute to the fleet base in Cockburn sound we were advised that we would be on active deployment, a counter to Soviet pressur then being placed on Pakistan. At that time we were told ther were no US carriers in the region, but we would be receiving AEW and LR recon support from the American base at Diego Garcia. There were doubts at that time as to what India was doing
As a trainee, all sorts of fears and imagination driven thoughts went through my head. In the end it all came to nothing, but at the time it was real enough. We thought we were heading into action.
Three years later I was discharged, medically unfit, following a deployment to antarctica. i have since had more significant changes in my life, but that 4 months deployment was an exciting time. I can still remember the tension as we tracked Soviet ships, submarines and aircraft that were all around us at that time. Sometimes we thought we were up for it, ther times we could see the funny side of things.
This isnt world shattering history, but it was personal life changing events. I came out of that experience a different man....not worse, or scarred or bitter, just different.
Ship was in refit at the time, emerging from the dock in July. Quickly worked up and deployed to the Indian Ocean with the biggest RAN pecetime deployment to the Indian Ocean since the war...the carrier, five destroyers, an oiler and a submarine. What is not generally known is that we did not load training ammunition, it was a live ammo load out. Enroute to the fleet base in Cockburn sound we were advised that we would be on active deployment, a counter to Soviet pressur then being placed on Pakistan. At that time we were told ther were no US carriers in the region, but we would be receiving AEW and LR recon support from the American base at Diego Garcia. There were doubts at that time as to what India was doing
As a trainee, all sorts of fears and imagination driven thoughts went through my head. In the end it all came to nothing, but at the time it was real enough. We thought we were heading into action.
Three years later I was discharged, medically unfit, following a deployment to antarctica. i have since had more significant changes in my life, but that 4 months deployment was an exciting time. I can still remember the tension as we tracked Soviet ships, submarines and aircraft that were all around us at that time. Sometimes we thought we were up for it, ther times we could see the funny side of things.
This isnt world shattering history, but it was personal life changing events. I came out of that experience a different man....not worse, or scarred or bitter, just different.
