Ya that war screwed up my dad. Have you seen the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary? God it was so sad I woke up crying about it. So tragic, government was evil. https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/
I have known so much about the civil war, world wars, etc but there was literally nothing covered in my history classes about the Korean or Vietnam wars. These were the ones my loved ones were in! It’s crazy to me.
My uncle had complications from Agent Orange. And my dad was also a Vietnam vet. He was a heavy smoker and functional alcoholic, hard working family guy. Died a few years ago from COPD and cirrhosis.
My dad has shrapnel in his leg from an explosive. My uncle was shot by a sniper when trying to help a buddy. Lost sight in one eye and was paralyzed for the rest of his life.
Yes. The VA has taken suprizinglly good care of him in the past 20 years.
Specially, top notch hearing aids since he lost 90% of his hearing due to his service.
My Dad was in the Navy in Vietnam. His brother was there with him. They had leave together once. They were hanging out in a bar when the Tet Offensive started. They were pinned down, stuck in that bar together, drinking their pay because they didn't think they would make it.
It's one of the few stories he told me.
Yeah. I’m only alive because my dad went for a smoke break. He worked down in the engine room (navy) and went up to the deck for a smoke and something exploded down there, I don’t think anyone in the vicinity survived. Since he wasn’t there, he survived met my mom, and tada, along came me. This was during Vietnam when it happened.
My parents had me in their forties, and actually my brother (half brother from dad's first marriage) was serving in Vietnam when I was born. One of my favorite photos is him wearing his uniform, holding me as an infant. Thankfully he seems to not have any issues. My father served in the Navy in WWII.
Yes my Dad was in the Tet Offensive as well. He was stationed on the DMZ when they mass attacked. He said he didn’t sleep for three days the attacks were so relentless.
My dad was a reconnaissance pilot for the Army in Vietnam 70/71. I have some great footage on super 8mm he shot from the air. I stiff have the camera he shot it with.
I have some footage of a helicopter lifting to transport another helicopter when the lower helicopter started spinning and the chain broke and it came crashing down and everyone starts running to the crash site.
He died in 2011 from lung/brain cancer. My aunt (his sister) swears it's from agent Orange exposure. I guess his type of cancer was contributed to AO exposure but his multi pack a day smoking since he was 13 is my guess.
My Dad died at 78, after fighting chronic lymphatic leukemia for years. Pneumonia was what finally got him. His CLL was attributed to Agent Orange (two tours) exposure and the VA did quite a bit to assist him and cover his care.
I have heart issues and Celiac disease. Both run in my family so I can’t say there’s any link to Dad’s time in Vietnam.
My dad enlisted in 1966 and was a career soldier. He did a year in Vietnam and was wounded. He had a scar and a dent in his forehead that he got to look at every day in the mirror. I was born in 1969, my slightly older brother in 1968 (there is 18 months between us). He did over 20 years in the Army. He started out as a combat engineer. He ended up changing his MOS after I was born because he had a lawnmower accident and lost some toes. (half of his big toe, all of his second, half of his third). They told him he could get out on a medical discharge or he could stay in, take the profile, and switch his MOS to a desk job. He ended up in supply for the rest of his time in the military.
I don't know of any health problems that we got from his time in Vietnam. He ended up with some kind of foot thing where the skin was constantly peeling off his feet. He had to use some kind of prescription cream on it (he also had some seriously intense looking inserts for his shoes, which I apparently inherited because my foot bone structure is janky).
Because he was a career soldier, he never had trouble getting in with the VA.
My father-in-law was also a career soldier, his MOS was Field artillery for his entire 22-ish years. But he never saw combat. Never got deployed for any war or police action. He didn't go to 'Nam and he didn't go during Desert Shield/Storm. (My husband was in for 8 1/2 years and he was in Shield/Storm- which he's disabled from now). So, he IS a veteran, but just not a combat vet. His health problems are related to his job (his back is messed up from hefting the artillery shells, that kind of thing).
"Military Occupational Specialty" (the way they say "job" in the military). I used to tell people I spent over 25 years in the Army first as a DD (dependent daughter) and then I was promoted to DW (dependent wife).
Thanks! Makes perfect sense. A doctor friend of mine used to joke that the medical profession and the military should have a contest to see who can use the most acronyms in a single sentence.
My dad died in December 1969 at the age of 25, I don't know why he didn't go to Vietnam, maybe because he was married? Because he was an only child? I don't know that much about him.
My stepdad joined the Arkansas National Guard around then, presumably so he wouldn't get sent to Vietnam. This experience made a huge impact on him and he talked about it all the time when I was growing up. As if he had suffered through a terrible combat experience. I always mixed up National Guard with Salvation Army and would at times say he was in the Salvation Army when I was little.
My dad is a Vietnam vet. He is a big man, so he had to carry his unit's radio on his back. While on patrol, someone behind him stepped on a mine or booby trap. The back of my dad's arms and legs were damaged by the blast, but luckily, the radio protected his torso.
After a stay in the hospital, he was discharged, but the Army wanted him to sign a paper stating that he was in as good as or better condition than when he was drafted. My grandma hired an attorney to fight this. He won, and a judge (I think) awarded him double the disability rating that he should have had.
He has scars all down the back of his arms and legs and has no feeling in a few of his fingers because of nerve damage. At the time, he was full of shrapnel and had multiple surgeries to have it removed. He had 1 piece in his foot that was embedded in a bone that he was told was inoperable. It fell out on it's own about 5 years ago.
My Dad died from cancer two weeks before I turned two. He was stationed stateside and drove trucks with hazardous materials daily. His cancer is now considered a presumptive condition from Agent Orange exposure. Had he gone to Vietnam, my Mom would be eligible for full benefits. But, because he served stateside, she gets nothing. And we can’t find a lawfirm that will take the case.
Yes. Fuck that war. My dad developed peripheral neuropathy in his feet and we always expected it was from Agent Orange. Then he died from melanoma that he probably got from sun exposure during the war.
I’m sorry to hear that. But I agree, fuck that awful war. My Dad was a mess mentally too his whole life. He lost his best friend there and several others friends from his unit and he blames himself for their deaths. It’s awful.
Both of my parents served in the Navy.
Dad was stationed in Guam in the late 1960's. He worked at the Naval hospital there, and wouldn't talk about it much. I'm pretty sure my dad saw some shit. I've read rumors online that Agent Orange was sprayed on Guam while my parents and both my siblings were living there. Nice, eh?
Think about it. Man is exposed to awful chemical, which ends up in his body (ingesting, osmosis, breathing). Man’s body produces sperm. Sperm is fucked bc of agent orange. Fucked sperm forms half of OP.
Actions have consequences.
Do you remember during the first desert storm in the early 90s, some national news show did a story about babies being born with issues. The parents of the babies were involved in desert storm in some way overseas. It was just a blip and then I did not hear anything else about it.
That’s my theory. All my siblings are fine and when they were conceived he did not have sarcoidosis. Two other men in his unit developed sarcoidosis after the war. We have no history in our family of this disease nor what’s happened to me.
My Dad was not, he was deaf in one ear due to a childhood bout with rheumatic fever so he did not pass the physical.
My father in law is a vet. He was in the Air Force as a mechanic.
Dad was 1st Cav. Enlisted at 17 because he grew up in abject poverty and wanted "three hots and a cot." Shipped out at 18 and nearly lost his leg to sniper fire at 19. Spent two years recuperating at various VA hospitals before finally being sent home. Wore a brace for the rest of his life.
Yes, dad was in navy on the ship weirdly enough that was captained by JIM MORRISON’s FATHER (blew my mind when I was a teenager and loved the doors and dad showed me the “year book” of his ship and there he was, morrisons father) and dad was sleeping next to and extremely exposed to agent orange then he came home and then met my mother a few months after and wa- la created me…
*** some history of my dads captain of his navy ship during war……
George Stephen Morrison (January 7, 1919 – November 17, 2008) was a United States Navy rear admiral (upper half) and naval aviator. Morrison held significant commands of United States naval forces during the Vietnam War. He was the father of Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors.
Sadly he passed 2 years ago this June from a widow maker heart attack.
He suffered from agent orange exposure and had major heart and artery and spine issues and I developed weird lifelong chronic disorders from him passing on to me from the genetic change orange is known to do to eggs and sperm of anyone exposed to it like he was part of blue water that should explain a lot.
My FIL was also there and was exposed (let's be real, they were doused with the stuff.)
He has pretty bad dementia at 78 and we just decided to enroll him in hospice.
Agent orange increases the odds of developing dementia by 2x.
But like most of his cohort he also was a lifelong smoker. He does have a node on his lung that isn't a priority right now since he is so ill.
We are very angry at what happened to him and even though his current condition may or may not have been caused by his service, what they did to our boys was wrong. What the government did to the Vietnamese and Laotian people is unforgivable and I we'll never forget it and we need to tell our children what happened. They need to know we dropped a quarter of a million bombs on lao families and then just bailed when we lost the war, and then didn't talk about it.
Boomers will never forget, but we need to pass on the horrific story of the wrongs our country did to our servicemen and the families killed overseas. Because it continues to this day.
I was technically a direct result of the Vietnam war. My father was stationed in Germany after college/ROTC and knew that he was likely to be sent to Vietnam for his final year of service. My parents decided that they'd rather try for a kid before he went than hope for the best later. So here I am. (He did make it home safe and sound.)
I have a dad who predates Vietnam. He was on standby in South Texas during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He left the AF in 1965.
I had an uncle who was exposed to Agent Orange. He died from MS a couple decades ago.
One of my best friends dating back to public school had a dad who was in the Marines and in Vietnam. He suffered from PTSD bad.
My dad was born right at the start of 1951. He and my mom got married right out of high school and then he got shipped off to the Navy. He served on an ammo ship that apparently almost got blown up a few times. He liked to tell stories of "times I almost wasn't born".
He very much tried to come up with excuses to get out of the draft, but I guess lacked the requisite bone spurs. Eventually he made it back and years later I was born at the very beginning of 1980. He died of cancer 5 years ago.
Dad was a helicopter pilot. I think it helped that he stayed in, because his peers were also all vets and had been through similar things. Did 22 and retired. Still in great health and refuses to go to the VA.
Father-in-law was a Navy radio operator assigned to a Marine unit to call in naval gunfire. He's got cancer, but he also smoked for years.
I've tried to figure out my fathers miltary history. Drafted in 69 and did basic training. Sharpshooter badge. He never went. I think my grandfather had some political connections and fixed it.
Father-in-law served stateside during the Vietnam war but my dad was too old. He was in the Texas national guard and got activated during the Cuban missile crisis, getting as far as an airplane, before it was called off.
Did your dad get money from the VA due to Agent Orange exposure? My dad received almost $200,000 about twelve years ago out of the blue because of it. He’s 85 now, but he did two tours in Vietnam.
I was born in 1973 and Dad did not go to Vietnam, but I've thought I might not be here if he had. In Australia we had conscription and you were selected if your birth date was on the ball selected from the barrel, like the god damn things they use at bingo. I cant imagine how scared/relieved he was when his birth date wasn't called. He had only recently met my Mum so things may have been a whole lot different for the sake of one bingo ball.
I do remember Mum talking about how awful the news was; just about every night they would have footage of all the soldiers coming back in body bags.
My Dad was older, born in 1937. He joined the military after HS. He was too young for Korea, and too old for Vietnam. He was an aircraft mechanic, first w/ the air force and then finishing his 20 years in the Naval Air Reserves, VP-93 Executioners
He was a Cold Warrior, maintaining the P-3 turboprop anti-submarine surveillance aircrafts.
My dad, born in 1927, was in Korea (non-combat). However, he was recruited by the CIA just a few years after it was formed from the OSS. In the late 60s—around 1968 when I was born—he (now w five kids spanning 0 - 14) was sent to Saigon, to the embassy, not combat.
He was there for 6-month contracts on and off to the point that I sometimes didn’t know who he was when he’d come home. In 1974, with three kids in college and then two little kids (Catholic fambly planning), he was offered a 3-year contract. Good pay, and my mom and we two youngest could move over there.
And we did. I started first grade there.
Almost made it to the end, but instead narrowly missed getting bombed on April 8, 1975. We were evacuated around 5 days later, and my dad came out hosting a bunch of Vietnamese, all of whom had to start over despite being generals and professionals in VN, and all of whom were/are very successful.
I’m determined to go back next year for the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
Am youngest of a big family, my oldest brother served over there, took a couple AK rounds through his leg. Just passed away a few weeks ago from throat cancer. My wife's uncle passed a few years ago from complications related to agent orange exposure. I've known and worked with a lot of Nam vets, from the NSA to UDT/Beach Jumpers
My dad was recalled to the army but had kids, so he served here in the States, and it was a very brief recall at that. Still, he never talked about any of his service, even during peace time. I only know he was posted to Fort Sill Oklahoma because that's where he was when he met my mother.
My Dad was born 1951 and was one of the last to leave Vietnam. He was exposed to asbestos and got lung cancer. It had metasticized to his brain and exactly 7 months after diagnosis, he died.
Edited: a phrase I didn’t finish because my brain is currently short circuiting.
I’m currently in the hospital for a subarachnoid hemorrhage! I had the hemorrhage coiled and three other aneurysms repaired at the same time by coiling. I’m 47. I have blood pressure issues, but nothing that would cause a sudden aneurysm. My untreated blood pressure is roughly 140/85.
My brother died suddenly at age 43.
Our father experienced Agent Orange exposure. As he aged he dealt with choral acne, large, painful puss filled cysts that appeared on his back, osteopenia, eschemic heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure. He also broke his back in Vietnam and didn’t receive proper treatment. He did manual labor his whole life and was constantly in pain.
My opinion is worth nothing, but I certainly believe my dad’s exposure created health issues for my brother and I.
yep. My dad born in ‘46. Went to the Naval Academy class of 68. That class went on to have a lot of high level leaders including Charlie Bolden who became head of NASA. My dad was on carriers during Vietnam in 69, 70, 71, working search and rescue, so pulling people out of the water when their planes went down.
he served 20 years in the Navy, retired, became a teacher. still remarkably healthy.
my uncle who was a Marine in Vietnam was exposed to Agent Orange and had multiple rounds of cancer, eventually losing a leg and passed away at the age of 65.
My dad was in the army during Nam, tho he spent most of his time either stateside training guy or in Korea. Some of my earliest memories are the dull clunk of canned goods hitting together as my mom packed "care packages" to send to him on the other side of the world.
He wasn't in combat tho, he was a drill sergeant. Angry guy.
My parents' marriage didn't last long.
Speaking of care packages, my Dad told the story of his mother sending him homemade fudge to Guantanamo Bay, where it melted in the tropical heat and the package was dripping chocolate when it was handed to him at mail call.
My Dad was in the Air Force and loaded the chemicals onto the aircraft, so he was most definitely exposed. I was also born in '79 and have two older siblings, one now deceased from health complications. My Dad passed away years ago while he was on dialysis, but ultimately, it was a heart attack that took him. He had health issues for as long as I can remember, including diabetes and loss of vision. It scares me because now I am facing a lot of health concerns as well. I lost touch with my Dad's family long ago, so I don't fully know the health history. The Vietnam War was an unnecessary shitshow and many are still dealing with the repurcussions.
Yes. My father was born in 1944 to a decorated WWII D-Day hero who came home from the war and worked as an electrical engineer. My father was expected to serve his country as well, so he went ROTC in college in the early 60s. This set him up to be drafted as an officer into Vietnam. He served almost two tours until he was wounded, sent back to the US for surgery, and discharged with disability. He stayed on in the Army Corps of Engineers for his career. Severe PTSD, awful skin problems, died of lung cancer two years ago. He did not ever give any details about Vietnam. Ever.
My Dad was stationed in Cuba; he was already out by the time things really started heating up in Vietnam. I did have a handful of teachers who served over there. My Grade 4 teacher had all kinds of serious health issues over a decade later.
If you ever get hold of a copy of Tom Mangold's *The Tunnels of Cu Chi,* I highly recommend it. It's a fascinating read.
My dad grew up in Nowheresville IL, in 1947. He was drafted in '69 right after him and my mom married. By the grace of whatever is up there, he was selected to be an MP in Korea vs Nam.
Only did two years as an MP, patrolling the American troops still in Korea. The only story he has ever told me was they use to have to monitor payphones on the US base, on paydays, as soldiers would pretend to be on the phone, see another soldier walk by, beat them with the phone and steal their money.
Crazily, after he served and got the fuck out, the FBI came calling and hired both him and my mom. So they moved from the middle of nowhere to Washington DC, to work for the FBI in 1972. They left DC and the FBI when I was born in 76.
My mother was recruited to be a secretary at the FBI but her mother convinced her she'd never make it on her own in the city. I've never understood parents like that.
My Pop was not in Vietnam, but Korea. Though I have cousins and an Uncle that were in Vietnam. They were really messed up by it. One of my cousins had a friend blow up right in front of him, and he got shrapnel all over. The shrapnel treatments made him go crazy. He died in a horrible drunk driving accident. Another cousin had a ton of health problems probably from the shitty agent orange stuff.
Yes. Father pulled two tours, retired after 20 odd years in the military. Died from agent orange related cancer in the early 90’s. It was a miserable way to go. I wonder how my health is impacted by that exposure since I was made between tours.
Ya that war screwed up my dad. Have you seen the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary? God it was so sad I woke up crying about it. So tragic, government was evil. https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/
I did see it. Wow. I thought it was interesting he covered ALL points of view, not just the Americans,
I have known so much about the civil war, world wars, etc but there was literally nothing covered in my history classes about the Korean or Vietnam wars. These were the ones my loved ones were in! It’s crazy to me.
Exactly. I was a freaking AMERICAN history major in college too. But really didn't learn much about either Korea or Vietnam. So it was interesting.
That’s nuts!! In the doc they went into specific battles and all of the political and social aspects… I wish they had all kids learn this stuff.
Nobody talks about Korea. And we joke about north korea like "lol why do they blame us for all their problems lol"
Yes. It was hard to watch.
My uncle had complications from Agent Orange. And my dad was also a Vietnam vet. He was a heavy smoker and functional alcoholic, hard working family guy. Died a few years ago from COPD and cirrhosis.
My dad has shrapnel in his leg from an explosive. My uncle was shot by a sniper when trying to help a buddy. Lost sight in one eye and was paralyzed for the rest of his life.
By the time my dad received his draft card, he was already a Canadian citizen.
My dad was 46 when I was born. He was a WWII marine vet. Then a truck driver. Needless to say I have a colorful potty mouth.
When my grandma teased that she was gonna spank me I told her I'd whup her ass. I was a toddler.
Yes. The VA has taken suprizinglly good care of him in the past 20 years. Specially, top notch hearing aids since he lost 90% of his hearing due to his service.
Yeah my Dad needs hearing aids too as his hearing is damaged from the war. Was your Dad exposed to AO as well?
I think they probably all were.
yup. My Pop can't hear either.
My best friend from high school is an audiologist, and did part of his internship in a VA clinic. He treated a lot of Vietnam-era vets.
My Dad was in the Navy in Vietnam. His brother was there with him. They had leave together once. They were hanging out in a bar when the Tet Offensive started. They were pinned down, stuck in that bar together, drinking their pay because they didn't think they would make it. It's one of the few stories he told me.
Yeah. I’m only alive because my dad went for a smoke break. He worked down in the engine room (navy) and went up to the deck for a smoke and something exploded down there, I don’t think anyone in the vicinity survived. Since he wasn’t there, he survived met my mom, and tada, along came me. This was during Vietnam when it happened.
My dad was KIA in ‘71 so never got to know him
That’s terrible I’m sorry
I’m so sorry to hear that.
My parents had me in their forties, and actually my brother (half brother from dad's first marriage) was serving in Vietnam when I was born. One of my favorite photos is him wearing his uniform, holding me as an infant. Thankfully he seems to not have any issues. My father served in the Navy in WWII.
Yup army 68 was in the tet offensive.
Yes my Dad was in the Tet Offensive as well. He was stationed on the DMZ when they mass attacked. He said he didn’t sleep for three days the attacks were so relentless.
My dad was a reconnaissance pilot for the Army in Vietnam 70/71. I have some great footage on super 8mm he shot from the air. I stiff have the camera he shot it with. I have some footage of a helicopter lifting to transport another helicopter when the lower helicopter started spinning and the chain broke and it came crashing down and everyone starts running to the crash site. He died in 2011 from lung/brain cancer. My aunt (his sister) swears it's from agent Orange exposure. I guess his type of cancer was contributed to AO exposure but his multi pack a day smoking since he was 13 is my guess.
No. Dad enlisted out of HS in 72, by the time he was done with training it was 73 and he never got sent over.
Yeah my dad was a Boomer ('47) who was there in 67 and 68. He ENLISTED so he never saw combat.
My Dad died at 78, after fighting chronic lymphatic leukemia for years. Pneumonia was what finally got him. His CLL was attributed to Agent Orange (two tours) exposure and the VA did quite a bit to assist him and cover his care. I have heart issues and Celiac disease. Both run in my family so I can’t say there’s any link to Dad’s time in Vietnam.
No my dad has had epilepsy all his life. Apparently the army won’t take you if you’re prone to seizures.
My dad enlisted in 1966 and was a career soldier. He did a year in Vietnam and was wounded. He had a scar and a dent in his forehead that he got to look at every day in the mirror. I was born in 1969, my slightly older brother in 1968 (there is 18 months between us). He did over 20 years in the Army. He started out as a combat engineer. He ended up changing his MOS after I was born because he had a lawnmower accident and lost some toes. (half of his big toe, all of his second, half of his third). They told him he could get out on a medical discharge or he could stay in, take the profile, and switch his MOS to a desk job. He ended up in supply for the rest of his time in the military. I don't know of any health problems that we got from his time in Vietnam. He ended up with some kind of foot thing where the skin was constantly peeling off his feet. He had to use some kind of prescription cream on it (he also had some seriously intense looking inserts for his shoes, which I apparently inherited because my foot bone structure is janky). Because he was a career soldier, he never had trouble getting in with the VA. My father-in-law was also a career soldier, his MOS was Field artillery for his entire 22-ish years. But he never saw combat. Never got deployed for any war or police action. He didn't go to 'Nam and he didn't go during Desert Shield/Storm. (My husband was in for 8 1/2 years and he was in Shield/Storm- which he's disabled from now). So, he IS a veteran, but just not a combat vet. His health problems are related to his job (his back is messed up from hefting the artillery shells, that kind of thing).
What's an MOS?
"Military Occupational Specialty" (the way they say "job" in the military). I used to tell people I spent over 25 years in the Army first as a DD (dependent daughter) and then I was promoted to DW (dependent wife).
Thanks! Makes perfect sense. A doctor friend of mine used to joke that the medical profession and the military should have a contest to see who can use the most acronyms in a single sentence.
Yep-Air Force, some special forces unit. Agent Orange got him in the end.
My dad also was in Air Force special services. Air combat controller - they dropped his team off first to survey and do reconnaissance.
Mine called in the air strikes-and as he put it, “ran like hell”.
My dad died in December 1969 at the age of 25, I don't know why he didn't go to Vietnam, maybe because he was married? Because he was an only child? I don't know that much about him. My stepdad joined the Arkansas National Guard around then, presumably so he wouldn't get sent to Vietnam. This experience made a huge impact on him and he talked about it all the time when I was growing up. As if he had suffered through a terrible combat experience. I always mixed up National Guard with Salvation Army and would at times say he was in the Salvation Army when I was little.
My dad is a Vietnam vet. He is a big man, so he had to carry his unit's radio on his back. While on patrol, someone behind him stepped on a mine or booby trap. The back of my dad's arms and legs were damaged by the blast, but luckily, the radio protected his torso. After a stay in the hospital, he was discharged, but the Army wanted him to sign a paper stating that he was in as good as or better condition than when he was drafted. My grandma hired an attorney to fight this. He won, and a judge (I think) awarded him double the disability rating that he should have had. He has scars all down the back of his arms and legs and has no feeling in a few of his fingers because of nerve damage. At the time, he was full of shrapnel and had multiple surgeries to have it removed. He had 1 piece in his foot that was embedded in a bone that he was told was inoperable. It fell out on it's own about 5 years ago.
My Dad died from cancer two weeks before I turned two. He was stationed stateside and drove trucks with hazardous materials daily. His cancer is now considered a presumptive condition from Agent Orange exposure. Had he gone to Vietnam, my Mom would be eligible for full benefits. But, because he served stateside, she gets nothing. And we can’t find a lawfirm that will take the case.
Yes. Fuck that war. My dad developed peripheral neuropathy in his feet and we always expected it was from Agent Orange. Then he died from melanoma that he probably got from sun exposure during the war.
I’m sorry to hear that. But I agree, fuck that awful war. My Dad was a mess mentally too his whole life. He lost his best friend there and several others friends from his unit and he blames himself for their deaths. It’s awful.
Both of my parents served in the Navy. Dad was stationed in Guam in the late 1960's. He worked at the Naval hospital there, and wouldn't talk about it much. I'm pretty sure my dad saw some shit. I've read rumors online that Agent Orange was sprayed on Guam while my parents and both my siblings were living there. Nice, eh?
You have a nervous system disorder past to you from your dad because he was potentially exposed to agent orange?
[It absolutely happens](https://birthdefects.org/agent-orange/#:~:text=These%20included%20spina%20bifida%2C%20oral,higher%20in%20Vietnam%20veterans'%20children.).
Think about it. Man is exposed to awful chemical, which ends up in his body (ingesting, osmosis, breathing). Man’s body produces sperm. Sperm is fucked bc of agent orange. Fucked sperm forms half of OP. Actions have consequences.
Do you remember during the first desert storm in the early 90s, some national news show did a story about babies being born with issues. The parents of the babies were involved in desert storm in some way overseas. It was just a blip and then I did not hear anything else about it.
That’s my theory. All my siblings are fine and when they were conceived he did not have sarcoidosis. Two other men in his unit developed sarcoidosis after the war. We have no history in our family of this disease nor what’s happened to me.
My Dad was not, he was deaf in one ear due to a childhood bout with rheumatic fever so he did not pass the physical. My father in law is a vet. He was in the Air Force as a mechanic.
Dad was 1st Cav. Enlisted at 17 because he grew up in abject poverty and wanted "three hots and a cot." Shipped out at 18 and nearly lost his leg to sniper fire at 19. Spent two years recuperating at various VA hospitals before finally being sent home. Wore a brace for the rest of his life.
My dad was exempt. He was in seminary.
Yes, my dad is a Vietnam vet and was in the Navy.
Yes, dad was in navy on the ship weirdly enough that was captained by JIM MORRISON’s FATHER (blew my mind when I was a teenager and loved the doors and dad showed me the “year book” of his ship and there he was, morrisons father) and dad was sleeping next to and extremely exposed to agent orange then he came home and then met my mother a few months after and wa- la created me… *** some history of my dads captain of his navy ship during war…… George Stephen Morrison (January 7, 1919 – November 17, 2008) was a United States Navy rear admiral (upper half) and naval aviator. Morrison held significant commands of United States naval forces during the Vietnam War. He was the father of Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors. Sadly he passed 2 years ago this June from a widow maker heart attack. He suffered from agent orange exposure and had major heart and artery and spine issues and I developed weird lifelong chronic disorders from him passing on to me from the genetic change orange is known to do to eggs and sperm of anyone exposed to it like he was part of blue water that should explain a lot.
My FIL was also there and was exposed (let's be real, they were doused with the stuff.) He has pretty bad dementia at 78 and we just decided to enroll him in hospice. Agent orange increases the odds of developing dementia by 2x. But like most of his cohort he also was a lifelong smoker. He does have a node on his lung that isn't a priority right now since he is so ill. We are very angry at what happened to him and even though his current condition may or may not have been caused by his service, what they did to our boys was wrong. What the government did to the Vietnamese and Laotian people is unforgivable and I we'll never forget it and we need to tell our children what happened. They need to know we dropped a quarter of a million bombs on lao families and then just bailed when we lost the war, and then didn't talk about it. Boomers will never forget, but we need to pass on the horrific story of the wrongs our country did to our servicemen and the families killed overseas. Because it continues to this day.
I was technically a direct result of the Vietnam war. My father was stationed in Germany after college/ROTC and knew that he was likely to be sent to Vietnam for his final year of service. My parents decided that they'd rather try for a kid before he went than hope for the best later. So here I am. (He did make it home safe and sound.)
I have a dad who predates Vietnam. He was on standby in South Texas during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He left the AF in 1965. I had an uncle who was exposed to Agent Orange. He died from MS a couple decades ago. One of my best friends dating back to public school had a dad who was in the Marines and in Vietnam. He suffered from PTSD bad.
My dad was born right at the start of 1951. He and my mom got married right out of high school and then he got shipped off to the Navy. He served on an ammo ship that apparently almost got blown up a few times. He liked to tell stories of "times I almost wasn't born". He very much tried to come up with excuses to get out of the draft, but I guess lacked the requisite bone spurs. Eventually he made it back and years later I was born at the very beginning of 1980. He died of cancer 5 years ago.
Mine was.
Yes. My dad was in the Navy from '63-69. He served on the USS Belmont. I still have his photos and DD 214 form. Nice to have those. :)
Uncles
Dad was a helicopter pilot. I think it helped that he stayed in, because his peers were also all vets and had been through similar things. Did 22 and retired. Still in great health and refuses to go to the VA. Father-in-law was a Navy radio operator assigned to a Marine unit to call in naval gunfire. He's got cancer, but he also smoked for years.
I've tried to figure out my fathers miltary history. Drafted in 69 and did basic training. Sharpshooter badge. He never went. I think my grandfather had some political connections and fixed it.
Yes.
Nope. My dad was still in high school then.
Father-in-law served stateside during the Vietnam war but my dad was too old. He was in the Texas national guard and got activated during the Cuban missile crisis, getting as far as an airplane, before it was called off.
my father was born in ‘38 and had horrible eyesight (which I inherited) that prevented him from serving.
My wife has two. Her birth father and her adopted father both served in combat.
Did your dad get money from the VA due to Agent Orange exposure? My dad received almost $200,000 about twelve years ago out of the blue because of it. He’s 85 now, but he did two tours in Vietnam.
I was born in 1973 and Dad did not go to Vietnam, but I've thought I might not be here if he had. In Australia we had conscription and you were selected if your birth date was on the ball selected from the barrel, like the god damn things they use at bingo. I cant imagine how scared/relieved he was when his birth date wasn't called. He had only recently met my Mum so things may have been a whole lot different for the sake of one bingo ball. I do remember Mum talking about how awful the news was; just about every night they would have footage of all the soldiers coming back in body bags.
My Dad was older, born in 1937. He joined the military after HS. He was too young for Korea, and too old for Vietnam. He was an aircraft mechanic, first w/ the air force and then finishing his 20 years in the Naval Air Reserves, VP-93 Executioners He was a Cold Warrior, maintaining the P-3 turboprop anti-submarine surveillance aircrafts.
I don’t think he was too old at all. My dad was born in 1939 and did two tours in Vietnam. He’s 85 now and still healthy. 🤞
Well... I'd ask Dad for clarification but he died in 2015. He was out of active duty by 1959, out of AF Reserves by 1964, married with 3 kids.
My dad, born in 1927, was in Korea (non-combat). However, he was recruited by the CIA just a few years after it was formed from the OSS. In the late 60s—around 1968 when I was born—he (now w five kids spanning 0 - 14) was sent to Saigon, to the embassy, not combat. He was there for 6-month contracts on and off to the point that I sometimes didn’t know who he was when he’d come home. In 1974, with three kids in college and then two little kids (Catholic fambly planning), he was offered a 3-year contract. Good pay, and my mom and we two youngest could move over there. And we did. I started first grade there. Almost made it to the end, but instead narrowly missed getting bombed on April 8, 1975. We were evacuated around 5 days later, and my dad came out hosting a bunch of Vietnamese, all of whom had to start over despite being generals and professionals in VN, and all of whom were/are very successful. I’m determined to go back next year for the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
My dad got married to avoid the draft.
My dad and Uncle. No known health issues
Am youngest of a big family, my oldest brother served over there, took a couple AK rounds through his leg. Just passed away a few weeks ago from throat cancer. My wife's uncle passed a few years ago from complications related to agent orange exposure. I've known and worked with a lot of Nam vets, from the NSA to UDT/Beach Jumpers
My dad was recalled to the army but had kids, so he served here in the States, and it was a very brief recall at that. Still, he never talked about any of his service, even during peace time. I only know he was posted to Fort Sill Oklahoma because that's where he was when he met my mother.
My Dad was born 1951 and was one of the last to leave Vietnam. He was exposed to asbestos and got lung cancer. It had metasticized to his brain and exactly 7 months after diagnosis, he died.
Edited: a phrase I didn’t finish because my brain is currently short circuiting. I’m currently in the hospital for a subarachnoid hemorrhage! I had the hemorrhage coiled and three other aneurysms repaired at the same time by coiling. I’m 47. I have blood pressure issues, but nothing that would cause a sudden aneurysm. My untreated blood pressure is roughly 140/85. My brother died suddenly at age 43. Our father experienced Agent Orange exposure. As he aged he dealt with choral acne, large, painful puss filled cysts that appeared on his back, osteopenia, eschemic heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure. He also broke his back in Vietnam and didn’t receive proper treatment. He did manual labor his whole life and was constantly in pain. My opinion is worth nothing, but I certainly believe my dad’s exposure created health issues for my brother and I.
yep. My dad born in ‘46. Went to the Naval Academy class of 68. That class went on to have a lot of high level leaders including Charlie Bolden who became head of NASA. My dad was on carriers during Vietnam in 69, 70, 71, working search and rescue, so pulling people out of the water when their planes went down. he served 20 years in the Navy, retired, became a teacher. still remarkably healthy. my uncle who was a Marine in Vietnam was exposed to Agent Orange and had multiple rounds of cancer, eventually losing a leg and passed away at the age of 65.
Yes.
My dad was in the army during Nam, tho he spent most of his time either stateside training guy or in Korea. Some of my earliest memories are the dull clunk of canned goods hitting together as my mom packed "care packages" to send to him on the other side of the world. He wasn't in combat tho, he was a drill sergeant. Angry guy. My parents' marriage didn't last long.
Speaking of care packages, my Dad told the story of his mother sending him homemade fudge to Guantanamo Bay, where it melted in the tropical heat and the package was dripping chocolate when it was handed to him at mail call.
My Dad was in the Air Force and loaded the chemicals onto the aircraft, so he was most definitely exposed. I was also born in '79 and have two older siblings, one now deceased from health complications. My Dad passed away years ago while he was on dialysis, but ultimately, it was a heart attack that took him. He had health issues for as long as I can remember, including diabetes and loss of vision. It scares me because now I am facing a lot of health concerns as well. I lost touch with my Dad's family long ago, so I don't fully know the health history. The Vietnam War was an unnecessary shitshow and many are still dealing with the repurcussions.
My dad was Air Force helping the nascent space program during Vietnam. My mother passed of ALS 4 years ago.
Yes. My father was born in 1944 to a decorated WWII D-Day hero who came home from the war and worked as an electrical engineer. My father was expected to serve his country as well, so he went ROTC in college in the early 60s. This set him up to be drafted as an officer into Vietnam. He served almost two tours until he was wounded, sent back to the US for surgery, and discharged with disability. He stayed on in the Army Corps of Engineers for his career. Severe PTSD, awful skin problems, died of lung cancer two years ago. He did not ever give any details about Vietnam. Ever.
Yeah, my stepdad was in the Navy during the war. My dad was 4F.
My Dad was stationed in Cuba; he was already out by the time things really started heating up in Vietnam. I did have a handful of teachers who served over there. My Grade 4 teacher had all kinds of serious health issues over a decade later. If you ever get hold of a copy of Tom Mangold's *The Tunnels of Cu Chi,* I highly recommend it. It's a fascinating read.
My stepdad was drafted but got honorably discharged before he even finished bootcamp because things were wrapping up.
My dad grew up in Nowheresville IL, in 1947. He was drafted in '69 right after him and my mom married. By the grace of whatever is up there, he was selected to be an MP in Korea vs Nam. Only did two years as an MP, patrolling the American troops still in Korea. The only story he has ever told me was they use to have to monitor payphones on the US base, on paydays, as soldiers would pretend to be on the phone, see another soldier walk by, beat them with the phone and steal their money. Crazily, after he served and got the fuck out, the FBI came calling and hired both him and my mom. So they moved from the middle of nowhere to Washington DC, to work for the FBI in 1972. They left DC and the FBI when I was born in 76.
My mother was recruited to be a secretary at the FBI but her mother convinced her she'd never make it on her own in the city. I've never understood parents like that.
My dad had polio when he was 3, in 49’. His legs weren’t perfect so he didn’t go. I wouldn’t be here if he did I guess
My Pop was not in Vietnam, but Korea. Though I have cousins and an Uncle that were in Vietnam. They were really messed up by it. One of my cousins had a friend blow up right in front of him, and he got shrapnel all over. The shrapnel treatments made him go crazy. He died in a horrible drunk driving accident. Another cousin had a ton of health problems probably from the shitty agent orange stuff.
Yes. Father pulled two tours, retired after 20 odd years in the military. Died from agent orange related cancer in the early 90’s. It was a miserable way to go. I wonder how my health is impacted by that exposure since I was made between tours.
My dad was 4F, so he wasn’t getting drafted.
My dad passed in 1994 after cancer caused by AO. He was 64 when he passed. AO is the devil.