TRANSCRIPTION
What are your earliest childhood memories?
Well growing up in the small community of Karnes City, Texas, which is about fifty miles south east of San Antonio there really wasn't much to do. The only real thing I do remember is my fifth birthday party down in Karnes City I also remember the cake and playing outside on a new swing set that my dad had built for me, I also remember everybody who was there too.
What were your childhood dreams?
Growing up in a little town what everyone wanted to be was a Cowboy or an Indian. Also it was the first time *Jackie Robinson* was heard of. He was the first negro allowed in the major leagues. So when we would place baseball out on the streets everyone wanted to be Jackie Robison and if not him Babe Ruth, at that time we would just listen to the games over the radio since we didn't have televisions. Besides that I joined a Future Teachers of America Club, I had hoped to be a band director someday but well that didn't come true. My ultimate first career choice though was to be a priest.
What did you know about the Vietnam War before you joined the Navy?
Well I was still in Karnes City, and my friends and I would hang around the court house in 1962. One of my friends joined the army instead of being drafted, and he came back as an electric technician. In those days everyone who joined the army would get sent off to Germany so that's why a lot of people would join. Well this young man by the name of Gilbert Rodriguez got sent to this little place in South East Asia by the name of Vietnam and that's the first time I had ever heard about Vietnam. So I asked him, "Well what's going on there?" and he said "They are having like a civil war and American soldiers are going there as advisors, and I am putting in like a microwave satellite system for communications for the country". So at that time it didn't mean anything to me, but it was the first time I had ever heard about Vietnam.
If you wouldn't have joined Vietnam, what would you have done with your life?
Before I actually went in to the service I was going to college to get a degree in Business Administration. That didn't work out after going to school for almost two years, so after that I was drifting around wondering what to do with my life. At that time I was still living in Karnes City, and because I didn't have a student conferment anymore I was facing the draft. A lot of you might not know what a draft is but in those days you had to register at a draft office and each county every few months or so would submit names to the military for people to be drafted mainly to the army. So my brother Raul R Crisantez and I decided that we didn't want to be in the army so we decided to join the navy together in September of 1965. I went immediately in to the navy and my brother deferred for six months because we didn't want to leave our mother and sister alone.
Would you have been drafted?
Yes! I hate to sound racist but in those days in Karnes City the Anglo boys did not get drafted, usually their daddies had enough money or were on the draft board. A lot of the Anglos would get deferments or were just over looked. Some of the poor Anglos would also get drafted. This was in 1962 still before the Civil Rights Movement, so drafting people especially Hispanics and Blacks just seemed like a way to get them off of the streets.
Why did you join the Navy?
In September 1965, I joined the Navy and went to boot camp in San Diego, California. On a Monday after I got my orders my mother Maria took me to the airport. It was going to be my first plane ride from Texas to California that was my first time out of the State, well no really out of the county. I arrived at San Diego late in the afternoon and there was a Navy Petty officer who was driving a bus and was waiting for us at the airport. He lined us all up and told us to get on the bus and we drove off. He drove us to the Naval Recruiting Station in San Diego, California. He lined us up on numbered squares, there were at least eighty of them. At the same time it was the first time in my life that I had seen Filipinos. In those days they allowed Filipino boys in the Navy but they could only be cooks for the military officers. I also remember we had our commanding officer who tried to whip us in to shape, he taught us how to march and stand at attention. After that we marched to the mess hall where I had my first navy meal and it wasn't that bad. The first few days of boot camp were exciting but it was also rush, rush, rush between marching, eating, sleeping, washing our laundry and getting our shots. Also during boot camp we took some Navy classes that taught us about self defense and how to hold and shoot a rifle. We also practiced standing guard at night with a fake unarmed rifle. We had to wash our own clothes by hand with wire brushes and hang them up on wires to dry. Once we graduated from boot camp and marched through the parade they lined us up for orders. This was very unusual. So as we were lined up at attention they started calling out names and were giving out sealed orders to be assigned to certain ships. Well there were about fifteen of us who hadn't gotten any orders. So we met in the office and it was pretty crowded. He told us congratulations men y'all are going to Vietnam. We were all assigned the duties of a CB (Construction Battalion) and were headed off to Vietnam.
Why was the US in Vietnam?
Well at that time in 1965 our biggest threat was communism. Vietnam was divided in to North and South. North being communist and South being an Independent Republic. The North was governed by a man by the name of Ho Chi Minh. The government led us to believe that if we didn't stop communism that it might spread to other countries like it spread all through Russia and all over Asia. So we had to take a stand in South East Asia to stop communism. That's what we were to believe. Of course we were fighting for our country, the (Red White, and Blue of America) but the ultimate reason we believe was to stop the communism period.
Where was your basic training?
Well as I said earlier my basic training was in San Diego, California and once I was drafted in to the Navy as a CB I was stationed in Davisville, Rhode Island.
Did you enjoy your basic training?
Yes! I loved it, it was the best experience in my life. We had a lot of fun working and just hanging out. We also had our certain clicks that we hung out with I hung out in a click of about 20 Hispanics.
Was there discrimination in the military?
Well no, not really, I mean there was some but not too much. If any at all it was going back to the Filipinos who were only allowed to join the service to be cooks and waiters for the officers. They could never fight. Also some of the snot nosed older white males in the service would still discriminate against some of the Hispanics and African Americans, but in the end it basically came down to the fact that we are all wearing the same uniform so we are all equal.
How was it when you first stepped on Vietnam soil?
Well let me tell you, my first thoughts were well I'm here and I made it in one piece. But ultimately it was the extreme heat and humidity in Vietnam. I thought Texas heat and humidity was bad, but it doesn't even compare to Vietnam. Surprisingly though as hot as it would get during the day it would cool off pretty good at night. As I was stepping off the plane I noticed that they were loading it with coffins with fallen soldiers. So immediately I knew that being here meant business, at the same time I felt bad for the families of the fallen soldiers, but I also knew that these soldiers had fallen in pride for their country.
What was your primary job in the Navy?
My primary job was as a CB (Construction Battalion). Also we were there to help support the marines.
Where you scared to fight?
Yes! Everybody is scared to fight and anybody who tells you that they weren't are lying. On my first night there in Vietnam I was scared to death and I remember it like it was yesterday. They had told us that one of the attacks the Viet Cong would use was a murder attack. As time goes on you begin to realize that these attacks are being aimed at you and your unit. I was told that about a month or so before I arrived that there was an attack at my camp in Vietnam. So I was really scared and my first night there I couldn't sleep, they put us in a hooch which was a little plywood house which housed about a dozen people. We all slept on canvas cots which I guess was ok. Believe it or not as hot as it gets during the day it gets really cold at night. So I finally fell asleep to the sounds of heavy gunfire in the distance (Boom……Boom………Boom……Boom) I thought oh my god they are walking the murder's straight towards us. I was the only one up and I was thinking how come nobody else was awake. I kept looking outside and I could see flashes from the explosions in the distance but I knew that we weren't under attack because the sirens were not going off. At that time nobody was worried about anything but yea my first night there I was scared to death.
What was your main mode of transportation while you were in Vietnam?
Well in Vietnam and in the CB's our main mode of transportation were one ton trucks. They had signs on them and were armored in canvas. So that was the main mode of transportation for anyone in Vietnam who wasn't riding in a tank. Depending on where we were going we would either march there or ride in trucks. Of course we were armored the best we could, as another source of protection we would put chicken wire along the top of the trucks because when we would travel through small villages we didn't know if they were controlled by the Viet Cong or us. So we would just use extra protection because people from the Viet Cong loved throwing grenades into our trucks full of soldiers, that's what the chicken wire was for though so we could throw the grenade off the truck and back at them. Unfortunately that didn't always work out.
Did you have a friend closer to you than the others?
Yes, I had several but I guess my closest friend would be Louie Saldavar from California and also Martin Dominguez who was from Indiana. There were a few more but Louie Saldavar and Chris Salazar from New Mexico were my closest friends. In general I had about five or six guys I would hang around with but some were closer than the others.
How would you keep in touch with your family back home?
Good question, in those days the only way to keep in touch with your family was writing letters and sending post cards. I wrote lots and lots of letters to my family because I missed them so much. There was one unique way maybe once every two to three months depending on when and where at they had a short wave station called M.A.R.S. I don't remember what it stands for, but you would go in to a tent on certain days to communicate. Of course I told my mother to go to such and such place on a certain day and there is going a be a short wave system so we can communicate. The way it works is that you say what you want and go "over" then the mars operator would flip a switch and send the signal out, and then my mom would reply. So it was a really cool way to keep in touch with my mom and family, it was so nice being able to hear their voices. Mars, come to think of it I remember what it means now (Military Assistance Relay System) was sponsored by the Red Cross. So it was a very nice way to communicate and really the only way to without writing letters.
While in Vietnam, who did you miss the most?
Well of course since I was young I missed my mama, my sister and my aunt. Yea oh and my grandfather too, but the sad part about my grandfather, though, was that he was getting old. He was in his eighties and could barely walk, so I miss him a lot. I didn't have any girlfriends at the time so I was just a family guy, and oh I also missed my brother who was stationed on the east coast at the time. But overall I'd say I missed my family tremendously.
Today do you receive assistance by the VA?
No, but I would sure like to someday, I've applied many times but got turned away.
How would you compare today's military to the military of the 1960's?
Good question, well in the sixties the army was mainly a draft, and hardly any volunteers. I also believe that they were more naïve compared to today's army. The military today is based on a volunteer basis since there is no more draft and I feel that most men going in to the army know what they are getting in to. Also they are more in tune as to what they want. We were very naïve like I said but also very loyal. The army today is still very loyal and not really naïve anymore especially since the technology is more high tech as well. Also there is a lot more to offer now compared to back then, now the army will pay for your school as long as you serve them for a term. There are also a lot more opportunities today as well for them.
How did you meet your wife?
Well I met my wife in 1970 while stocking shelves at a grocery store, we worked at the same store, I would offer her rides home so she didn't have to wait for her parents and well we hit it off.
Do you still keep in touch with your Vietnam friends today?
No I do not but I sure would like to someday.
Would you go back to Vietnam today?
Yes! Vietnam is a very beautiful country very mountainous and a lot to see, I would love to vacation there someday.
Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
Well just that I really enjoyed the time you took to hear my stories. I really enjoyed this project and I hope others learn from my experiences. I can hardly wait to hear how it goes thanks for your time and may God Bless you.