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Chapter 8. Initiation
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Chapter 8 Initiation TUESDAY 6JUNE 1967-END-OF-TOUR MEDALS My boss, who works at the MACV I compound when in Saigon, comes to confer with me at the MACV III compound. He leads me from my seat at the row of desks into the private office in the front ofthe room. "Fred, I've been informed that everybody here works long hours and lives with danger and hardships for a year. As a morale-booster, the policy is that each person who completes a satisfactory tour of duty at MACV should know that he will go home with more than a campaign medal." Commander Fielding doesn't surprise me, because I have attended a number of medal presentations for departing officers and enlisted men. The medals range from Legions of Merit for the more senior officers, to Bronze Stars for junior officers and senior NCOs; and Joint Service, or individual Service Commendation Medals for lower-ranking enlisted men. Often, a staff officer who has ridden in an AC-47 Dragon ship the required number of hours and times will also be presented an Air Medal. Sometimes a naval aviator receives an Air Medal for riding Navy multi-engine reconnaissance aircraft during long night missions. Occasionally a departing MACV officer or NCO is also wearing a "real" medal earned for specific acts. 201 202. The Bridges ofVietnam Ted Fielding says, "I know you and I feel embarrassed about talking of these things, but my boss is new in country. He told me that he doesn't know enough details about what we've done in the field during the last ten months to write appropriate recommendations. He wants us to write drafts, and he's quite insistent." Ted is right, because I do feel embarrassed. I have to ask, "For what medals?" "Either Bronze Stars or Joint Service Commendations." He looks at me, also abashed. "I've already got a Bronze Star, along with everything else," he says. "I got it in Korea for doing something more important than just getting shot at. Write me up for aJoint Service Commendation Medal. And ifyou don't think this is appropriate, feel free to talk to my boss." "No problem, Commander." I know that Ted rates this lowest-ranking personal medal more than the people who get theirs after sitting behind desks in Saigon shuffling papers for twelve months. "What about you, Fred? I'll recommend you for a Bronze Star if that's what you want." "No, sir. Ifyou rate aJoint Service Commendation Medal, so do 1."2 SATURDAY 1JULY 1967-FLIGHT H244 Flight H244 will leave Saigon at 7:45 P.M. on the fourteenth ofJuly and will arrive at Travis Air Force Base, California, at approximately the same time (due to the International Date Line and other time changes, which even the pilots who fly these routes for years tell me they don't really understand ). This is one of several flights to Travis that day, but this one is important for one reason. With any luck this flight will be the GREAT GOLDEN BIRD WHICH GOES BACK TO THE LAND OF THE BIG PX AND THE ROUNDEYES. This is MY flight. I know that the youngsters making this flight with me will do no childish celebrating on the way back. Too much has passed through their lives since last year. Too many buddies won't be coming back. No, the passengers on this flight will bejust like the ones with whom I flew to Hawaii last month. They'll have a sense of awe because of the possibility that it may be all over for them now. I suspect that they now know more about life, and death, and philosophy than most other Americans will ever know. [54.235.6.60] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 15:05 GMT) Initiation· 203 They have this right to know because they have completed a year of postgraduate schooling. I hope they will be able to return and get their intermediate schooling before their turn comes to run our world. I remember writing about percentages during my flight into country. Well, percentages are interesting, although I don't know if they mean anything when you apply them to your one-on-one personal chances of survival. I had estimated that only one of our incoming group would not make the return trip. This figure was too low because casualty rates accelerated . Whether or not percentages demanded it, helicopter driver Pete Samaras...