Comment Re:Why not as civilians? (Score 2) 223
I was in the USAF during Vietnam. I was never in Vietnam, but have the Vietnam service medal and credit for a Vietnam tour of duty. I worked on a computer system in Northern Thailand that monitored traffic on the Ho Chi Minh trail. The base was within rocket range of Laos and only about 75 miles from NORTH Vietnam. On base the only USAF personnel armed were the Air Force Security Police who, along with some other groups were responsible for Base security. HOWEVER, almost all of the USAF personnel, no matter what their technical skills, had a weapons card and there were armories around the base where we would draw weapons if needed. Depending on assignment there was even extra training in base defense. Even then everyone in uniform was expected to be able to defend the base if needed. THAT was the DIFFERENCE between those in uniform (which we were NOT allowed to wear off base -- the base was not officially there) and the civilian support personnel, and we had LOTS of civilian contractors since we had the largest computer system in that hemisphere and there was a crew IBM engineers on site to maintain it.
There were other USAF personnel who were support and technical that did go "over the river" to places we called Lima Sites. Look up Lima Site 85 and see if anyone really believes in the concept of a Non-Combatant in the military. Oh, and as for being stationed stateside when the NVA moved south in April of 1972 there were quite a few GI's who thought they would be in the states for their full tour of duty that suddenly found themselves in our tropical paradise within just a couple of days.
There were other USAF personnel who were support and technical that did go "over the river" to places we called Lima Sites. Look up Lima Site 85 and see if anyone really believes in the concept of a Non-Combatant in the military. Oh, and as for being stationed stateside when the NVA moved south in April of 1972 there were quite a few GI's who thought they would be in the states for their full tour of duty that suddenly found themselves in our tropical paradise within just a couple of days.