Pacific Cruise and Sightseeing Tour

Across the Fence #509

After the story about my summer cruise in the Pacific ran, I had an e-mail from my cousin-in-law, Lou Wagner. He was married to my cousin, Sandy, who is often mentioned in my stories. He reminded me that he also had a late summer cruise, also on the U.S.S. Gordon, a year before I did. He went over with the 1st Cav Division when they deployed to Vietnam in 1965. His cruise was very similar to mine, long, hot, boring, rough seas, and seasick people. 

He had also gone ashore at Qui Nhon, and the 1st Cav set up camp at An Khe near there. Lou was back in Wisconsin over the weekend to attend his class reunion in Wausau. He met my brother David and his wife, Barbara, my cousin Mary, and Linda and me in Spring Green on Friday night, where we had dinner in the bank vault at Freddy Valentines. 

Needless to say, we had to talk about our cruises. My brother David flew over in 1969 when he went to Vietnam and ended up in the Delta with the 9th Infantry Division as a machine gunner. We had to rib David about missing out on a great Pacific cruise. David told us that after they got off the plane in Vietnam, they were standing in formation, waiting to be told where to go, when a sergeant asked if any of them had any construction experience. David had just graduated from college in Madison with a Civil Engineering degree. He knew you didn't volunteer for anything in the army, but thought, “I’m headed for an infantry unit as a grunt and just maybe I can get a job with an engineer unit doing construction instead,” so he raised his hand. All those who raised their hands spent the next four hours filling sand bags, while everyone else sat around on their duffle bags waiting to be told what to do next. No more volunteering for him! 

I had a similar experience at the reception center in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The first day a sergeant asked if any of us had any college experience. Several of us raised our hands. We were told to show these other scumbags how to pick up rocks. We spent several hours picking rocks from a ditch and throwing them alongside it. That was my last volunteer job in the army too. The ironic thing was, the next day we saw a newly arrived batch of recruits throwing rocks back into the ditch!

My friend, David Giffey, had a better experience than we did at being assigned to a job more in line with his civilian training. He had a fall cruise in the Pacific in 1965 on the U.S.S. Mann, compliments of the 1st Infantry Division. He was trained in artillery at Fort Riley, Kansas, but was reassigned to work as a journalist on the 1st Infantry Division newspaper after someone stumbled across records of his civilian experience in journalism. He ended up working as a combat photographer/journalist in Vietnam. 

The three of us cruise participants, all left for Vietnam from San Francisco, sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and past Alcatraz, as we began our cruise.  

Giffey said, “Being at sea was fascinating, having grown up on a farm in Fond du Lac County. It was also difficult, hot, and overcrowded. I was lucky to be responsible for publishing the ship’s newspaper. A Navy seaman taught me how to operate the printing press, and turned the print shop keys over to me. It gave me something to do other than smoke cigarettes and play cards.

“We anchored at Vung Tau, went ashore on amphibious landing craft, climbed into trucks and were hauled to an airfield where we boarded Caribou and flew to Bien Hoa, the 1st Infantry Division staging area (The entire division was deployed that fall).

“Our journalism unit lived in tents, built underground bunkers against mortar attacks, and took turns on guard, along with all the infantry and artillery personnel in the division. We tried to piece together a 1st Division newspaper at the same time. We soon moved to Di An and began to establish a base camp for the Division.

“One of my most vivid and ironic memories about arriving in Vietnam - which was a beautiful country until we began to destroy it - was being given “A Pocket Guide to Viet-Nam” as an introduction. It was a little propaganda booklet, sort of a tourist guide, published by the U.S. Department of Defense. The first chapter was titled “Opportunity Unlimited.” The second paragraph began like this: ‘The dangers of ambush and raid will make sight-seeing impossible in some places; but, when security restrictions permit, be sure to see something of the lovely country you are visiting and get acquainted with the charming - and tough and courageous - people who call Viet-Nam home.’ (David quoted from a copy of that little book that he has). The opportunity for ‘sight-seeing’ never presented itself to me or any of my comrades. Sight-seeing wasn't included on combat assaults, search-and-destroy missions, and ambush patrols.”

Howard (left) and Sarg checking their "sightseeing" map to see what 
attraction they should "visit" next. Maybe they can meet some of 
the charming, tough, and courageous people who live there.

The U.S. Department of Defense makes it all sound like a wonderful, all expenses paid, cruise and sight-seeing tour. I think Lou, David Giffey, my brother David, and I, who all served with Infantry units, would heartily disagree!

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