| I enlisted in the army February 1968, during my senior year in high school. I enlisted with a 6 month delay and went in July 1968. I had enlisted for 3 years with a guaranteed MOS, aircraft maintenance, which seemed like a good safe job at the time. My basic training was completed at Fort Lewis Washington. Upon completing basic, I headed out to Fort Rucker for my advanced training. Was I ever surprise to find out I had enlisted to become a door gunner! I don't think I will ever forget that feeling. I had envisioned myself working on aircraft in a nice, safe secure location. No way would I have ever enlisted to be a door gunner! Well, there was nothing I could do about it, but just try to make the best of it. One morning we were in formation and were being told that some of us were going to be selected for Air Traffic Control school. As I looked around, I didn't give myself much of a chance, as the number of future door gunners was great. As they started calling out names, I thought I heard them call my name! I wasn't sure, but I was not going to miss this opportunity. They took us to a room and sat us down, explained that we would have to give up our aircraft maintenance MOS if we wanted to become controllers. I was sitting there still not sure if I belonged, thinking, "please let my name be on the list." To my relief, I was where I suppose to be and I gladly signed the papers. Giving up becoming a door gunner was pretty much a no brainer. We had a couple of weeks before we would transfer to Keesler, so we were all assigned temporary jobs. Mine was the day room orderly. Myself and another future controller, John Matlock went in the day room about 8 am and had to have it cleaned and ready to go by 5 pm when it opened. We could have it cleaned and ready to go by 10, .it was great duty. We shot pool, played ping pong, watched TV, etc. Upon arriving at Keesler, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Everything was so much nicer: the barracks, the food, everything. School was interesting and I enjoyed it and the guys I was training with. Everything at Keesler seemed to be a step above anything I had experienced in the Army. I graduated with a 93J20 MOS. I got orders for Vietnam and was given a 30 day leave. I arrived in Vietnam and received orders to report to the 327th ASD at Duc Pho. I was shocked when I realized that I had to find my own transportation to Duc Pho. That is an entire story in itself. It took me about a week to find transportation to the 327th. Upon arriving at Duc Pho, I was assigned to the tower. I spent about a month in the tower before being assigned to GCA. At the time of my arrival in Duc Pho, most of the controllers assigned to the 327th had come to Vietnam at about the same time and were scheduled to depart at about the same time. So naturally, there were a lot of replacements arriving at about the same time. I was just one of the first. Ted Downing, Elia Clemente, Doug Koontz, Jerry Grinnel (Grinny), Jerry Hughs, Bernie Ramono, Milton Saiki, Derek Morgan (Smokey), and others whose names are now faded from memory, all arrived around the same time. As it turned out, most of us extended to take advantage of a 5 month early out. We all spent at least 1 ½ years together. We drank, gambled, smoked, played football, built a bunker, watched movies, partied, experienced 2 Christmases, pulled bunker guard, built a new tower, got short, and yes, controlled traffic together. It wasn't all fun and games and there were some scary times (155 mm rockets), boring times, and lonely times, but the friendships and relationships I made way back then I will never forget. I wouldn't want to do it again, but I am proud to have served and proud of those I served with. |
| Mark Grube |
| Last updated: 11/02/05 |
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