Bob - The Navy Years, Chapter 17

Going Home

My orders came through.  I'm headed home October 7th, exactly one year to the day that I arrived in Vietnam.  This means that, with 1968 being a Leap Year, I will spend 366 days in Vietnam.  Guess I didn't get an early out like a lot of people. 

My orders were report to NATTC, Memphis, Tennessee, to be processed for Discharge from the U. S. Navy.  This was the nearest Navy Base to Louisville, Ky.  The picture at left is our Commander, and I can't remember what this Colonel's name was, presenting me with the Joint Service Commendation Medal for my worderful work while with DCA-SAM. I packed my bags, said my goodbye's, enjoyed all the looks of envy from everyone else I was leaving behind in Vietnam, and headed to Tan Son Nhut Air Field to catch my flight back to Travis Air Force Base, California.  I had a late afternoon flight, and sitting in the terminal the sirens went off.  Rocket Attack!  We were instructed to get on the floor.  Great.  My last few minutes in Vietnam and I'm gonna get killed!  We stayed on the floor for maybe half an hour, then the sirens stopped.  And, the announcement came that all flights were cancelled for the rest of the day.  I was reschedueled for a flight to leave the next morning.  So, I went back to my barracks.  There were 7 other guys in my cubicle and they were kinda surprised to see me again  after our previous goodbye's.  Anyway, the next morning I reported to Tan Son Nhut again, and this time I boarded the plane and we took off for California.  I left Vietnam air space 367 days after I got there.

I was on  a plane full of military people just like me.  Going home after being gone a long time, glad we made it through this past year alive.  When the plane touched down in the United States, every person on that plane let out a cheer and was grinning from ear to ear.  We were home!

This may sound a little strange, but American Currency is very pretty.  When you haven't seen it or used it for awhile, you realize how pretty American money is.  Overseas we used MPC (Military Payment Certificates), or Vietnamese money.

I took a cab to the San Francisco Airport, and caught a plane to Memphis, TN.  I called Mary Lynn from the SF Airport, and called her again when I got to Memphis. 

It was a little different on the base at Memphis this time.  I wasn't an Airman Recruit, I was a Yeoman 2nd Class, military and combat veteran.  I was assigned a bunk and had to kill several days before my discharge was processed.  During that time I had free run of the base.  I didn't have to march anywhere.  The only real problem I had was limited uniforms.   I couldn't wear my jungle fatigues that I'd worn for a year in Vietnam.  I had one uniform, and that  had  YN3 stripes on it. I didn't want to sew new stripes on my shirt for 2 days. 

On October 14, 1968, I received my discharge from active duty in the U. S. Navy.  I caught a plane in Memphis, headed to Louisville.  Mary Lynn met me at the Airport.  I was home!  Bob - The Navy Years, has now come to an end.

THE END

I hope you have enjoyed reading this account.  I couldn't cover everything that happened in a nearly four year period, but I tried to touch on the highlights.  There are so many memories I have from those years, and the people I served with.  All good friends.  I've been very surprised that to this date, with the age of the computer and Facebook, that  I've never been able to contact any of those old friends.