Would You Have Been Drafted?

[hochiminhtrail]

well yes some of the guys there had a serious alchool problem i will say, i recall the NCO and the Caporal tables had free( i guess free, never dared to even ask) red wine jars for them at lunch, some of the German NCo were not to friendly with the polish volunteers, in the begining of the 90 s there were many east europeans coming in there, many guys from the Ex Roumanian Securitate, DDR, ex Soviet officers and many many poles.

 

but what am i talking about, we are talking about the draft and not about the recruiting buro for the FFL

 

 

Cheers

 

Alex

[J_Andrews]

Re Russian surnames: I knew a US Army officer with a very Ukrainian surname and first name Leonid. He got commissioned at The Citadel (a very tradition-bound, historic SOUTHERN institution in South Carolina). When a new cadet, his name(s) caused great interest and consternation. Many additional pushups and individual attention.

He became known as "Comrade Cadet", "Kursant Leonid", or just plain "Comrade" or "Commie". His gear had a mysterious way of sprouting red stars, which would get him demerits of course, if he did not discover and remove them first.

[hochiminhtrail]

Hi andrews

 

what year was it???

 

Alex

 

Re Russian surnames: I knew a US Army officer with a very Ukrainian surname and first name Leonid. He got commissioned at The Citadel (a very tradition-bound, historic SOUTHERN institution in South Carolina). When a new cadet, his name(s) caused great interest and consternation. Many additional pushups and individual attention.

He became known as "Comrade Cadet", "Kursant Leonid", or just plain "Comrade" or "Commie". His gear had a mysterious way of sprouting red stars, which would get him demerits of course, if he did not discover and remove them first.

[J_Andrews]

Alexei,

 

I am not sure, but he probably graduated about 1972 or 1973.

 

John Andrews

[Andrei]

I can imagine all the mess he had to put up with... being a lonely khokhol among Johnny Rebs !

 

When I was in the Army, the three tallest guy of my platoon were me and two Poles - Frenchmen of polish ancestry, I was not in the Legion.

At one time during the basic training, the DI said to the "real French" you guys better listen well and train well because one of these days you might have to fight hordes of commies looking like these three mean bastards !

One of the Poles was a giant but the nicest bloke you could meet around.

[hochiminhtrail]

i wonder what sort of security screaning you had (have) when you came into the US army as a foreigner.

 

Do you guys recall that the son of Aidid in Somalia? he was a US marines, and didnt he desert his unit to take control of his father forces??

 

by the way Andrei do you know if mercenaries were employed by the ARVN in vietnam?

 

i mean the 60 s was well known period for mecenaries, fighting in Katanga Africa and other hot spots

 

the only thing i know from the Foreign legion is that they knew everything of you, there was no way to lie, you were squeezed, they had the interpole files they had information from your home country ect.. i still wonder how they manage to do this.

 

i saw a guy being arrested by the Gendarmerie they came and picked him up one morning, he had an arrest warrant in poland for murder.

 

 

Cheers

 

Alex

[gunbarrel]

Do you guys recall that the son of Aidid in Somalia? he was a US marines, and didnt he desert his unit to take control of his father forces??

Alex,

 

Here are a couple of articles on this subject. They don't say anything about deserting his unit. They don't even say that he went AWOL, per se.

 

How a U.S. Marine Became a Warlord in Somalia

http://www.netnomad.com/aydiidyounger.nyt.html

 

From Marine to warlord: The strange journey of Hussein Farrah Aidid

http://www.boston.com/news/daily/11/somali_warlord.htm

[hochiminhtrail]

could be that i m wrong then, i thought he deserted.

 

 

Alex,

 

Here are a couple of articles on this subject. They don't say anything about deserting his unit. They don't even say that he went AWOL, per se.

 

How a U.S. Marine Became a Warlord in Somalia

http://www.netnomad.com/aydiidyounger.nyt.html

 

From Marine to warlord: The strange journey of Hussein Farrah Aidid

http://www.boston.com/news/daily/11/somali_warlord.htm

[J_Andrews]

Young Aideed IIRC was enlsited as a USMCR reservist, spending some 2 yrs on active duty, during which he served in Somalia. Once he was released from active status and back in the US, his new "career opportunity" opened up. Perhaps the USMCR still carries him on the rolls, but "unavailable due to overseas employment".

 

BTW non-citizens are (maybe WERE, given the recruiting problems of late) barred from commissioned status, but can be given advanced NCO rank or Warrants. I ran into a German in RVN who had been a HJ flakhelfer in 1945, in the Fr Foreign Legion in SEA in trhe late 1940s, tried to join the US Army in Germany for Korea (failed), became a Berlin police, then joined the Bundeswehr when it was formed. His Bundeswehr rank was Major. He got a leave of absence and joined the US Army as an E-4, entered NCOA at Benning, graduated as E-6, was promoted to E-7 a month or so later, and had made master Sgt in VN. He was a Psy Ops specialist (having learned to speak Vietnamese in the 1940s). When I met him, he was "short" and the Bundeswehr was calling him home.

 

In circa 1976 I ran into a former MRL artilleryman of the Soviet Army who was serving as an FDC/FO E-4 in the 1st Inf Div. He served two years in the Transcaucasus, got out and went to Poland (he was half Polish), from whence finessed emigration to the US. One day, watching TV to improve his Enlish and drinking, he saw the "Be all you can be" commercial....next stop the recruiting station....he went to BCT and was acting Cpl -- ostensibly because of his maturity and experience, but in actuality because he had beatn the stuffing out of all other candidates in his squad/platoon, and because his DI was of Polish ancestry. He reported to AIT, but his enrollment was curtailed so he could be an asst instructor until graduating with his cycle -- as permanent Spec4.

[hochiminhtrail]

Did you need a green card as a foreigner during the VN war to enlist, or did you just walked up the recruiting station???

Cheers

 

Alex

 

Young Aideed IIRC was enlsited as a USMCR reservist, spending some 2 yrs on active duty, during which he served in Somalia. Once he was released from active status and back in the US, his new "career opportunity" opened up. Perhaps the USMCR still carries him on the rolls, but "unavailable due to overseas employment".

 

BTW non-citizens are (maybe WERE, given the recruiting problems of late) barred from commissioned status, but can be given advanced NCO rank or Warrants. I ran into a German in RVN who had been a HJ flakhelfer in 1945, in the Fr Foreign Legion in SEA in trhe late 1940s, tried to join the US Army in Germany for Korea (failed), became a Berlin police, then joined the Bundeswehr when it was formed. His Bundeswehr rank was Major. He got a leave of absence and joined the US Army as an E-4, entered NCOA at Benning, graduated as E-6, was promoted to E-7 a month or so later, and had made master Sgt in VN. He was a Psy Ops specialist (having learned to speak Vietnamese in the 1940s). When I met him, he was "short" and the Bundeswehr was calling him home.

 

In circa 1976 I ran into a former MRL artilleryman of the Soviet Army who was serving as an FDC/FO E-4 in the 1st Inf Div. He served two years in the Transcaucasus, got out and went to Poland (he was half Polish), from whence finessed emigration to the US. One day, watching TV to improve his Enlish and drinking, he saw the "Be all you can be" commercial....next stop the recruiting station....he went to BCT and was acting Cpl -- ostensibly because of his maturity and experience, but in actuality because he had beatn the stuffing out of all other candidates in his squad/platoon, and because his DI was of Polish ancestry. He reported to AIT, but his enrollment was curtailed so he could be an asst instructor until graduating with his cycle -- as permanent Spec4.

[J_Andrews]

I do not know the answer. But I spoke with some Canadians (in US uniform, in RVN*) who said they just walked into the recruiting station in Detroit and signed up -- not even residents. One said the recuiter was himself a Canadian, who lived on the Canadian side.

 

* This was in Quang Tri province in prob May 1971. I saw Canadian flags flying and thought we must have VIP visitors. Turned out there were about 12-15 Canadians in US uniform having a cook-out in honor of the Stanley Cup hockey finals. An Army commo SSgt I knew fairly well -- but had no idea of his Canadian-ness -- was the host, and there was a USN EOD E-5 I already knew, as well as a USAF Capt. pilot of O-2s/O|V-10s (FAC) [NOTE: Commissioned -- I have no idea how that worked] and a USAF air traffic controller sgt. One of the Canadians was a Chinese-Canadian from Vancouver -- IIRC an MP.

[gunbarrel]

Did you need a green card as a foreigner during the VN war to enlist, or did you just walked up the recruiting station???

Cheers

 

Alex

 

You had to be a permanent resident alien to get drafted. Legal permanent resident aliens had "green" cards (which at the time were blue...). I'm not sure what the requirements were to volunteer to join, but I think that in those days, as long as you passed the background check (i.e. you weren't a pinko commie) and the physical test (no flat feet!), you were accepted. Things were different back then. For example, judges would give boys who got in minor trouble with the law the choice between jail for juvenile delinquents, or join the Marine Corps.

[hochiminhtrail]

Well it sounds almost like the FFL

 

i wanted to join the marines in the 80s from Europe when i was 17 turning 18, i had an US girl friend at that time and i wanted to marry here so i could get a green card and join the marines,( well here parents were not to happy about the idea, i think she wasnt either as she wasnt really military oriented if you know what i mean, not even to mention my parents they sought it was not the brightest idea an 18 year could have)

 

 

if i had known that there might have been another way arround i would have tried my chance and turned up at a recruitment center in the US, but at that time i thought it was impossible without a green card. I think i even asked the US consulat were i lived.

 

Alex

 

 

You had to be a permanent resident alien to get drafted. Legal permanent resident aliens had "green" cards (which at the time were blue...). I'm not sure what the requirements were to volunteer to join, but I think that in those days, as long as you passed the background check (i.e. you weren't a pinko commie) and the physical test (no flat feet!), you were accepted. Things were different back then. For example, judges would give boys who got in minor trouble with the law the choice between jail for juvenile delinquents, or join the Marine Corps.

[Jeff Ashenfelter]

# 5 for me. That's why I never play the lottery, bad luck! I joined the army in 1974 and immediately got into trouble for never having gotten my draft card. What a crock, it didn't matter that I was enlisting, you still have to have a card! Jeff

[Andrei]

A Canadian told me that he and two friends tried to join the US Armed Forces in 1970. They went to Detroit and Chicago and other big cities near the border and everytime they were denied enlistment.

At this stage of the war, the Canadian Gvt asked the USA to turn down the enlistement of their citizens and the recruiting stations near the border abided the US Gvt decision.

He said the US recruiters were really sorry to refuse them. After two weeks, the three mates got short of money and my bloke got tired of being rejected and went back home to Canada. His two friends took a bus for the southern most destination they could afford with the cash they had left.

One joined the Marines in Alabama and the other the Army. Hopefully they both made it back safe from Vietnam.

[J_Andrews]

A little off the topic, but in 1970 I ran into three Canadian officers at Ft Bragg who were in the process of getting a leave of absence from the active Can Forces, be carried in the reserves on paper, for up to four years, to enlist in the US Army and go to RVN (all headed for the 4th Inf Div, for unknown reasons). They said that they were not the first load, BUT might be the last, as Ottawa was "dicey" about the political ramifications in Canada if it became general knowledge. They were at Bragg, as foreign students (in Can uniform) for the Psy Ops, Civil Affairs and SF Qualification course (all wore jump wings). Once their training was done, their leave of absence would be in effect and they would wear US unifs. They then expected to do 4-6 months troop duty at Bragg before assignment to VN (the same as for newly commissioned Americans at that time). IIRC they were all Captains and two had done UN peacekeeping tours; one had served in the Korean War as a private (Canadian), so was "elderly".

 

I once worked with a US Army officer who was born, to Irish emigrants, in Canada, but then immigrated to NYC and was quickly a US citizen. He was prior-service USMC and he said half of his recruit platoon was Canadians: most of them from the same high school graduating class (circa 1960) plus a few who were friends or relatives. The high schoolers had decided to "continue their education" together in the USMC. They and the add-ons from their hometown hired a bus to take them to Albany NY. Two or three flunked the tests, but 20+ made it to Parris Island. I thought this was just a story -- until he got a phone call from one of the Canadian enlistees, with whom he had stayed in contact. The story was confirmed. The caller had served 6 yrs active --re-upping in order to go to VN in 1965 -- then gone home to Canada, but drilling as a USMCR reservist in Buffalo NY. Later, he got a job on the US side and stayed in the USMCR, in NJ. He was a GySgt when we spoke -- and "working on" the citizenship tests. He also said one of the enlistees had died in a heli crash and one of meningitis, but none in combat.

[CW4AFB]

In circa 1976 I ran into a former MRL artilleryman of the Soviet Army who was serving as an FDC/FO E-4 in the 1st Inf Div. He served two years in the Transcaucasus, got out and went to Poland (he was half Polish), from whence finessed emigration to the US. One day, watching TV to improve his Enlish and drinking, he saw the "Be all you can be" commercial....next stop the recruiting station....he went to BCT and was acting Cpl -- ostensibly because of his maturity and experience, but in actuality because he had beatn the stuffing out of all other candidates in his squad/platoon, and because his DI was of Polish ancestry. He reported to AIT, but his enrollment was curtailed so he could be an asst instructor until graduating with his cycle -- as permanent Spec4.

Gents---along this line, in my platoon at Parris Island in 1974, we had a brit, a pole and a haitian---none of whom made it through to gradulation...we also had a former Army sgt---he didn't make it either...telling your drill instructor that you used to out rank him was a bad strategy for getting ahead in the Marine Corps...later down at GTMO I ran into a CPL who had been a Paratrooper in the Israeli Army...he was running the Brig for the Marine Barracks and Navy Base... AFB

[ItemCo16527]

You had to be a permanent resident alien to get drafted. Legal permanent resident aliens had "green" cards (which at the time were blue...). I'm not sure what the requirements were to volunteer to join, but I think that in those days, as long as you passed the background check (i.e. you weren't a pinko commie) and the physical test (no flat feet!), you were accepted. Things were different back then. For example, judges would give boys who got in minor trouble with the law the choice between jail for juvenile delinquents, or join the Marine Corps.

This kind of thing happened as late as the 1980's. I had a friend years back who got in some kind of trouble of the federal variety when he was around 18 or 19 back in 1987/88. The judge told him it was prison or the Marines, so he took the Marine Corps option and would go on to serve six or seven years in the Corps, which included service in Lebanon and the Gulf War.

 

I have to say that despite joining the Marines to avoid a jail sentence, he was extremely proud of his service and almost always had a Marine Corps hat or jacket on him.

[cashman]

In 1973, I was 17 years old and registered 1-A. I had been watching the lottery real close. My birthdate always came up early. President Nixon ended the draft about a month before my 18th birthday. The guys born the year after me (1957) never registered for the draft. Thanks!!!

[DutchInfid3l]

Wow! That was interesting to see...thanks! Obviously I wouldn't have been drafted..(woman) mine was 088, but my husband has the birthdate of Sept. 14th.... draft number 001! Very interesting if we were around back then.

[72newport]

105..cya boys!

[Stinger Gunner USMC]

My father in law joined the navy because he figured he be drafted and didn't want to be "in country". The navy made him a CB and droped him off at the RockPile w/ the USMC for his 1st tour and LZ Sally W/ the 101st for his second tour.

Anyway, his number was 320. I didn't tell him, I figured he would be too excited to know that he wouldn't have been drafted.

[Captainofthe7th]

289

 

In 1972 my Dad's draft number was in the 150s. They never got him!

 

Rob

[ROCKET]

I scored 196 right on the nose!

[FightenIrish35]

111...Ill see my fellow forum members in the jungle!