VIETNAM DIARY
Sunday, May 14, 2006
WEEK 3
DAY 11: AUGUST 5, 1968: MONDAY.
Today was the usual thing during the day
But, when I went back to work, it all started again.
But, I must admit that tonight was my best night at work.
I had little trouble with the NCOs because I never came i
In contact with but three. I was gunner for SSGT. Cloud, a quiet but militant person. He tries to be nice but he can’t seem to hide it. We had
no trouble with “Charlie” last night, but I still get that empty feeling
because I know he’s out there. Now I have to wait to see what tomorrow brings.
AMAN.
DAY 12: AUGUST 6, 1968: TUESDAY.
Today was just about usual. I was suppose to
Go and get some shots but I was to tired when I got off work.
So, I put it off until tomorrow morning. I can’t forget to take them,
For these people act like it’s a crime to miss an appointment.
It rains nearly every evening and yesterday was no exception.
Right now it’s 4:00 pm I guess it’s up to 85 degrees out.
It is three things that you get here: rain, hot whether, and
lots of harassment and work. I hope that tonight
and tomorrow will be better
AMAN
DAY 13: AUGUST 7, 1968: WEDNESDAY.
Last night was a real quiet night and for the first time since
I been heen here, that the NCOs left me completely alone. My
Patrol had an area along the perimeter of the base
Along the village of Nah Trang
The way these people live is amazing. They build huts from
Almost anything. And believe it or not, some of these
Huts looks like a hog pin with a top on it yet, they have
Modern motor cycles. And I’d like to make one last point, and
That is that these people don’t care whether they win or lose.
All they want us for the G.I’s money.
AMAN
DAY 14: AUGUST 8, 1968: THRUSDAY.
Last night was the 13th day in which we haven’t heard
From Charley. Although this base amazes me.
At night the vital equipment is lit up like a
Christmas tree. These people don’t act like a war
Is going on here at all. I got a chance to look at some more of
The Vietnamese housing for the military, and the
Civilian housing, it looks to me like they build shake
Out of anything, which in my opinion these houses
Can’t even keep out the rain.
AMAN
DAY 15: AUGUST 9, 1968: FRIDAY.
Last night was another good night.
I had no trouble with anyone. I was on a mobile team (SAT)
And I got another chance to see how the people
Of Nah Trang lived. As we rode down the streets of
the city, both sides of the street looks like a
garbage dump. It looks like everyone puts their garbage in the street. We were suppose to have gotten attacked last night
but didn’t. I hope we don’t tonight, because I
have a post on the flight line (guarding B-52s).
They played war games today. WAR GAMES
IN A WAR ZONE, makes good sense.
AMAN
DAY 16: AUGUST 10, 1968: SATURDAY.
Last night was a pretty quiet night. I had a very important post, alone. I had to control entry onto the alert aircraft.
And it seemed as though I had to check a million
Passes. That wasn’t the hard part, the hard
Part was spending the whole night alone at a
Senseless post. I had no trouble at all,
No one messed with me.
AMAN
DAY 17: AUGUST 11, 1968: SUNDAY.
I finally got another day off. What is beginning to
surprise me is that the time is moving right along.
I slept most the time today, went to the chow hall to see
That they had a bunch of old cold cuts, so I went the entire
Day with only one meal.
Now the time has come for to go back to work, and I
Hope that I don’t have to see Charley, for I’ve en
been here17 days and Charley has not shown up.
Not that I want to see him. But it’s just unusual .
AMAN.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
THE FIRST FULL WEEK
WEEK 2:
This was the week of hell for me. As I recall I discovered that even in a War Zone being in the military was no refuge from being an African American. As I was being processed I found out that it did not matter what your were trained to do did not matter. I found myself, for the first time in over a year and a half in law enforcement and patrol dispatcher, I was being placed on regular security detail. I would later find out that the base need a golfer to represent them in some tournament. Therefore, since I knew very little about golf and didn’t like the sport. I was assigned security so that this other guy, who was white, could practice for this tournament. As you will later learn, it took the military six months to correct this mistake in judgment.
This was a week of adjustment and survival.
DAY 4: JULY 29, 1968: MONDAY.
I got up at 6:30 this morning, because I had to process in at
7:30 AM. I went to the mess hall and then to personnel.
They let us in at 7:15 but they made all of the airmen leave
For it was crowded only to be called back at 1:00 PM.
I went back to our orderly room where the top dogs gave me even more harassment for no reason at all. After I did about four or five delocks (I don’ t remember what that was), I went back to personnel and stayed
There until 6:00 PM, ate and went back to my tube to rest
For another day.
AMAN
DAY 5: JULY 30, 1968: TUESDAY.
I got up at 6:30 and went to the mess hall and back
To that god-for-saken orderly room to clear into to the
SQ(SQUAD) SGT. Hart, a clerk, gave me some more
And I and eight (8) other guys. Then made our rounds into the SQ to
Clear in. Most of the time we were given advice, but we
Managed to finish at 4:00 PM. I then went to have stripes sowed on my uniform because I’d made a new stripe. I ate and
Went back to the barrack, for I had to go to work at
9:00 PM with the mid-night flight.
AMAN.
DAY 6: JULY 31, 1968: WEDNESDAY.
I went to work at 9:00 PM. On last night (July 30) a night I
Want ever forget. I want go into it for it’s not enough pages in this book to explain. I’ll just say that last night was hell, for I
Found out that I just had to see more people to harass me.
Most of them were SSGT(Staff Sargents and TSGT (Tech Sargents).
Most of those above those ranks were ok to talk to.
I slept most of this day and went back to work tonight at
9:00 PM to have more embarrassment and harassment. It looks like
That’s how Nha Trang is run.
AMAN.
DAY 7: AUGUST 1, 1968: THURSDAY.
The most important thing about this day is that now I
Am officially SGT. (Sargent) Gilbert. Last night work was ok.
I worked my first post with a guy, I don’t recall his name, but last night was the first night I’ve had, that for the entire night, no one said a harsh word to me. But I can tell you, working from 10:30 PM to 5:00 AM is
Hard work keeping your eyes open. I slept most of the day and played some pool with a Vietmanese boy in the recreation center and
Got ready to go to work.
AMAN
DAY 8: AUGUST 2, 1968: FRIDAY.
Today turned out to be a most hecked day. I got off work
At 5:00 AM, couldn’t go to sleep for I had a doctor’s
Appointment at 7:30 and had to get paid at 8:00. When
I went to see the doctor I was told that he wouldn’t be in until the 15th of the month. Then I was told to come back to finance at 1:00 PM to get
Paid. I went backat 1:00 only to find out that they had no record of me, and after all day of running around they loaned me $50.00 because I
Was broke. I didn’t go to sleep at all today and had to
Go to work at 7:30 PM.
AMAN`
DAY 9: AUGUST 3, 1968: SATURDAY.
I went to work last night at 7:30 and I only had trouble with
One SSGT. But once I was posted no one messed with me.
Last night was peaceful, although I could hear the fighting in the hills. At 3:15 AM this morning I was told to stand by for relief. I was
Glad for I hadn’t eaten and hadn’t had any sleep for 36 hours.
But to my surprise, I had to stand by to clean the building which
Made me sick. So I got messed over once again in this messed
Up war. When I went to sleep at 5:30 I slept for 9 ½ hours,
Now I feel fine.
AMAN
DAY 10: AUGUST 4, 1968: SUNDAY.
Last night at work was the same old story. I was on
A SAT(I’ve forgotten what that was) team with a SSGT
Rodorty, a SSGT which is no different from the rest. He Jumped
All over me about why I didn’t press my pants. THEY WERE
NEW FATIGUES. So you see that all of the SSGTs and above love to
Chew ass, but I make up my mind to take it all,
For God will see me through. I slept most of the day. I intend
To go to church this evening, I’m off tonight. I’ll try to catch up
On my sleep. I’m very tired.
AMAN
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Wednesday, March 22, 2006
ARRIVIAL IN WAR ZONE
DAY 2: JULY 27, 1968: SATURDAY
I remember that on this day, after we landed at Yacota, we had a lay-over. I had time to collect my thoughts and recover from the nine and a half here trip over the ocean. I also remembered that my mother had told me to always pray and that she believed that if one person would return from the war, that I would be that person. I also recall how the military ran us from one station to another to catch the next flight. I had a flight to Cam Ranh Bay , South Vietnam Nam
We stayed at Yokota about an hour and a half. For the
contonuation of the flight to Cam Ranh Bay (VN). Both flights were shaky and we had lots of bad weather. But at 3:15 PM, we were on the grund in Vietnam
DAY 3: JULY 28, 1968: SUNDAY.
I saw from the stat that ths place was going to be hell
to stay in. They put me in the NCO bay of the barracks. None
of them really wanted me there, for most of them were something that I can’t write here. I stayed in bed most of the day, for that night (the 27th )I didn’t sleep good because of rifles firing in the hills.
Sgt. Stiles, the man who lived in the same “tube”[sleeping area] I
Lived, was the only one who showed me a little kindness in my first 48 hours here.
Aman
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
IN THE BEGINNING
MY VIETNAM
This project began more than Thirty-Eight years ago when I was in Seattle Washington waiting, along with about one hundred and fifty other military personnel, to board a plane that would land us in a war zone that was over ten thousand miles from the little town of Ridgeland , Mississippi
The history of this diary since my return from Vietnam Joliet , Illinois Joliet
Throughout this project, I will reveal, within reason and good taste its content day by day, and reflect on my experiences as it relate to the entry. This is not something I want to do, it is something that I feel compelled to do. READERS PLEASE ACCEPT IT IN THE SPRIT THAT IT IS PRESENTED!!!!
DAY 1: JULY 26, 1968: FRIDAY
This is the day I left the States. I was shaky, but most
People are at this stage of the game. We boarded the plane at
5:30 AM and at 6 AM we (153-55) others were on our way to the
And that was in Yokota , Japan
On the airplane, for I don’t like flying and the plane ride almost kills me.
We land in Yokota at about 9:30 Japan
We had flew through a day and night in just 9 ½ hours.
Aman
About Me
- Name: DOCTOR JAYE
- Location: RIDGELAND, MISSISSIPPI, United States
BORN IN RIDGELAND, MS, 1948, MARRIED, 4 CHILDREN: kEVIN 34, lYNNETTE 30, MARCUS, 24, AND MARY 21. FIVE GRAND CDHILDREN. PRESENTLY, INSTRUCTOR OF HISTORY, JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY. BA AND MA, HISTORY, CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY. Ph. D, POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNION INSTITUTE.
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