Vietnam 2nd battalion
Dave Gray
C Company 1967 – 1969
Jan. 1st, 1969 I boarded a plane from Bien Hoa headed back to the land of milk and honey, the way I thought it was 18 months previously.
My tour De Nam was not the most pleasant of journeys for a lad of 18. For some reason or another the local people did not seem to take to me as would in other lands and cultures. Even the bugs had a disliking (or liking) for my ass. The people shot at me the bugs/sketters gave me malaria twice. I had visited a number of hospitals from as far south as Bien Hoa to the Marine hospital in DaNang and a few in betweeners like Chi Lai and VungTao. Seemed like the locals were starting to get more target practice in and I was it.
I spent all of my pleasant days in country with the proudest/bravest of men of the 101st Airborne Division specifics 2/327/101st, 1st Brigade. The last time the locals popped me I thought it was a good time to try and get to the rear with the gear, a pleasant Major Sherman took pity on my sorry state and presented me with a new career, Base Security. Cool job 3 hots a day, showers when I wanted one, roof over my head (tin) and a real army bed. Then later to Division HQ. as Supply Sgt.
After returning home to the states I finished my military career at Fort Ord, CA. 9 months of stateside duty and I was out.
Married 3 months later (1st time) 1 daughter, graduated San Diego State and still living in San Diego, CA. Don’t have a clue where the X went after 7 grueling years. 2nd marriage lasted about 7 years 2 more (great) kids both now in high school. On the 3rd and final wife (I hope) so far going on 11 years, we get along pretty well. (I guess because I work out of town a lot) (Maybe Jody knows my schedule).
Careers over the past 30+ years. Local utility company 3 yrs, Prison Guard San Quentin State Prison, Ca. 7 years, Real Estate 4years, Supervising Engineer Bechtel, SF. Ca. 5 yrs, Deputy Sheriff twice in different counties 3 years, Design Engineer at Livermore National Lab 6 yrs, Construction Coordinator Sprint Telecom 2 yrs, 3 years with Lucent Technologies building personnel telecom systems (cell phone towers and systems). Presently with the State of Ca. as a environmental investigator (Strategic Environmental Investigations (SEI).
Here I am in my fifties and still don’t know who or what I want to be, are any of my brothers in the same boat out there, have you moved around as much?
