_ Our Turn to Serve is a memoir of serving in the unpopular Vietnam War. Drafted in the spring of 1968 upon graduation from Community College, I received U.S. Army Basic and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Jackson, SC and was immediately deployed to Vietnam. Assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) - 7th Regiment, I served as an Infantry rifleman and radio telephone operator (RTO) for the next nine months in the field. Known as Skytroopers, our mission was to conduct aerial combat assaults by helicopter into jungle landing zones, seeking out the enemy. Sometimes the missions were uneventful, but we often engaged with enemy forces, both Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops, incurring significant American casualties. Fortunately my last three months were as RTO at Battalion Headquarters where I achieved the rank of Sergeant E-5.
This short memoir is my recollection of experiences from that time; a few good, most not, but all memorable. It is based on a short unpublished paper I wrote in 1997 entitled "The Vietnam Experience - What I Remember." My primary purpose in writing the book was to leave a legacy for family and friends, and explain what the War was like from my perspective. At least in my opinion, it was grossly misreported and misunderstood, and this is an attempt to set the record straight. The twelve month period of my life is something I will never forget, and honestly would not want to. I was certainly not raised a warrior, but rather became one by circumstance just like many thousands of others, and to this day would not change my history even if possible. We all learned valuable lessons in this part of our journey through life - Like the meaning of the word fear, and simultaneously how to live with it. We learned the meaning of the words duty and service, as well as the value of life which we often take for granted. And we learned respect for the enemy, not just for their competence, but also the fact they were not unlike us in their missions and values. These are important lessons which should be remembered and passed on to future generations. But there is one final reason for this memoir. Our return to the U.S. was not what we had anticipated and hoped for, but rather a very cool reception by a large part of the general population. This manifested itself largely in our silence, feelings of isolation, rejection, disappointment and even anger. For many years this bothered me, and I remained silent. Finally, I left the anger behind. Now is the time for closure, and for telling my story. This book was never intended as a business venture (Read Free), and still is not. It is a straightforward, simply written work, with no hidden or political agenda. My hope is to preserve and relate as much history of this War and era as possible, even if my own part is just a very small contribution. For those wondering why I've included awards received, it's neither for bragging nor vanity. These awards are not uncommon, but serve as authentication. Many people have misrepresented themselves for personal gain or other reasons, with the Vietnam War no exception, but I assure you I am not one of them. I was never a hero, but simply a Patriot. I'm very proud of that. If you read this book, I truly hope you enjoy it. Most Sincerely, Dave Simmons Lee, MA (USA) [email protected] Copyright © 2011 by David B. Simmons |