TRANSCRIPTION
Why did you join the Marines?
Well this happened back in 1968, I joined the Marines because something that uh the barrios, the students did because it was the way out really. We didn’t have a career or anything like that other than join the service. I got DRAFTED and joined the Army, that’s what I wanted to be, but the army denied me because I didn’t pass those tests. I thought I wasn’t gonna join (laughs) but they said no, where gonna send your recruiting package to the Marine Corps. I told them I wanted to join the service; I wanted to better myself because I was a High School dropout. I dropped out in 10th grade; I went to Lanier High School on the Westside. All of my friends joined or got drafted so I said I’m gonna do the same thing so l left to the Marine Corps back in the early 70’s. 71 I went to San Diego, MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) did my boot camp there and everything and uh basically if you wanna know why I joined, that’s the reason why I joined and I think I made the right choice. In those days they didn’t pay much I think I was getting 100 something a month you know and that’s after deductions (laughs) and uh I wasn’t the only one there , there was a lot of Hispanics and uh minorities. Some didn’t wanna join, some got drafted, me it was my way out for uh to make something of myself, which turned out to be that way after 22 years.
What are your feelings toward the Military Draft?
Uh, well I think it should be there, but umm and the reason I say that, because uh when it comes down to protecting are country the United States, nobody wants to go to war, nobody wants to go to the service, but if it takes to be drafted to protect our country and our American Way, but I guess volunteer is a lot better. We have had that program for a while now since they stopped the draft, we been doing real good with that, you know young guys go to the service like me, they don’t have nowhere to go or no base foundations so they join and that thing is good, I’m proud of them, but as far as what I think of the draft, I don’t like the draft, I wish nobody would be drafted, I think it should be volunteer.
What was basic training like?
Basic training, well I don’t know about the other services, all I know is in the Marines basic training is not the same like other basic trainings like Air Force, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard. The reason I way that because uh the marines they basic training is 15 weeks compared to 3 weeks, 4 weeks. We didn’t have no weekend liberty, meaning we didn’t have the weekend off, it was 24/7. We were training real hard and to me it was is easy because I had a rough growing and you know I thank my parents for that, umm I didn’t have much so for me it was fun. They train you and you get in shape and uh makes you and gives you a lot of discipline and respect, I’m sure the other services do the same, but in the marine corps you go through all kinds of training. Actually the Marines are the first to go and the last to know, you might say that, so when there’s a thing going on in the outside world, they would send the marine corps, which I’m proud of that and uh basic training wasn’t a cake walk, but if you go their not knowing its quite an experience .it was hard then , but know that I think about it I’m glad that I had that kind of training because it prepared me in the world and any kind of situation getting a job or what have you.
How did it feel to leave your family?
Well, that’s the hard part leaving your family, I spent 10 years overseas, during those 10 years, though I’m not saying I spent 10 consecutive years, but through my whole career if you add it up it’s about 10 years and that’s was the hardest thing for me and I’m sure it was for my family, but the thing is you sucked it up and I thought about them and I’m doing it for them, so they can have the privileges like medical, the pay was wasn’t good, be we still did good. I didn’t enjoy that, but you gotta do what you gotta do to provide for your family.
What were your feelings toward Vietnam as you joined the Marines?
Well uh the Vietnam war was not a popular war you might say , nobody wanted to be there and when you were there nobody liked it there, but when you join up and raise your right hand again, you gotta go because refusing to go you face serious consequences like dishonorable discharge, or what have you. So If you go there wrong your not thinking about your family or your career. Basically whatever they want me to do, I didn’t like the war, like I said it was an unpopular war and uh we left and we lost a lot of lives there, we lost over 52,000, Marines, Navy, Army that’s the most lost we had since World War 2, no I didn’t like the Vietnam War.
Where were you stationed in Vietnam?
First I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and from there they shipped us by ship to Vietnam and I was in Saigon (Now Ho Chi Minh City), Laos, I was on a hill called 54th hill, I believe it was. Basically my job was amphibious, uh we had those vehicles that went from ship to shore and we transported other Marines which were “grunts” infantry and we provided protection for them, we were kind of like their transportation, we were amphibious.
Did you have any kind of contact back home?
Contact back home then, its not like computers, Facebook, and all this other garbage they have now. The contact was there, but it was slow. When we got mail it was once month. I used to read those letters every day just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I would try to write everybody so I could get at least 2-3 letters during the time and then sometimes I got to read umm sometimes I saved them, sometimes I answered them. The reason I say that because it wasn’t Disney land over there because we had 6 months of monsoon season, which is rain, rain, rain, rain 24/7 and you had to be in a foxhole waist deep in water you know, and not only that you had malaria, mosquitos and everything, I guess mail was ok, but I wish we had the technology they have now.
What was a typical day in Vietnam like?
Actually, well in Vietnam we were always fortifying making sure we had plenty of sandbags, plenty of ammo, MRE meal ready uh food we had canisters then, I didn’t like those. We had to man our foxholes everyday and every night so we could protect our perimeter, which is the area because the Vietcong would come in unexpectedly and they would shoot us with mortars and then they would try and break through the concertina wire, so uh you had to be on your toes, you know at all times. Sometimes I wouldn’t sleep for 4 days and when I did it was because I passed out.
How did the Vietnam War change you?
It made me angry, it made me uh hate, not only the war, but also the public. It was unpopular war and coming back home they used to, but not all, call us baby killers and what have you and all that .So we had to wear that uniform and they would spit at us , throw rocks at us, call us names. Not everybody, but that’s the way it was, and when we had Jane Fonda go over there you know mingling with the communist up there, they take her to the American prisoners up there she would say “You deserve to die”, “You deserve to be a prisoner for doing what you did here in Vietnam” so nobody like Jane Fonda, nobody not even me (laughs).
Looking back do you feel the Vietnam War was justified?
No, it was all politics uh, the thing is when you join the service and sign under a dotted line and you say you know that you will obey all orders and what have you so it wasn’t our fault we were there, we didn’t ask to be there. I blame it on…If you wanna blame it on someone blame the politicians which were the ones that made all the money off the war. We could of finished it, just like we did desert storm and Iraq; we could have finished that war in 30 days. We dragged the war 8-9 years you know so everybody I know of that was there hated it you know because they didn’t take care of us when we got home, I’m just now 66, just now not to long ago started getting benefits, because back then disability benefits eff you out.
