That’s all you got some rumors/ scuttlebutt about some one told me this and that, and everybody knows this BS, one Soldier who you doubt deserved any medals (what does it matter there non-combat and the Army uniform sucks so bad anyhow that they've got to put some Kind of BS dressing on it to at least make it presentable).

Funny thou you should mention Vietnam.  I had Joined Uncle Sams Misguided Children (USMC) just at the raged edge of that betrayed conflict and never got to see action there but all of my instructors had and most of the people that I had the privilege to serve under as my supervisors.  Among these was a retread sergeant from the early part of the war who was enrolled in the same electronics / Comms courses I was and he was looking at it as a way to get a general change in life by getting some scoop on high technology. He had I believe a good conduct medal, a Vietnam era national service medal, and something else that I don't recall.  Three stinking medals. He had to take the aptitude test a few times but finally he had scored high enough on the tests that they let him into the school.  You see he had been a combat engineer / demolitions ~ 65 to around 68 and after having lost his contracting business, wife and family after a series Tornados that ripped thru southern Ohio in the early 70's I think he went back to the last place I believe he had any friends and that was the USMC. 

Anyhow I and a friend had been stuck on the barracks mid watch (11:00 to 07:00) on a Friday night and the Sergeant had drawn NCOIC (adult supervision).  Well my friend and I got there about ten minutes early and we were quizzing the previous watches NCOIC, who we knew to have been a Recon, about all he could tell us about the real Marine Corps and Recon in particular. Anyhow with about a minute to spare our NCOIC shows up and we all relieve the previous watch after having gone thru the formal procedure, sign the book, and exchange some pleasantries.  The Recon Sergeant appears to know a few things already about our NCOIC and mentions that he is a Vietnam Combat Vet (maybe he was just trying to dodge our pestering).  Already thou the new NCOIC is not so much looking at me as intently gazing at me and asks if I from Southern Ohio. I say no.  It turns out that he had joined the Marine Corps under an old buddy program (they don't do this anymore) with a bunch of guys from his Football and wrestling teams and I was a dead ringer for one of the Guys he joined with. I believe in this program you'd all join together, go through boot camp together, and all serve as nearly as possible in the same unit when you were posted to overseas (Vietnam). His stare unnerves me a little because there seems to be a lot behind it but I haven't a clue what.  My friend would say latter that he noticed it too. 

Its not time to do our first round yet so both of us newbie's start asking him if he could tell us about Vietnam and the fighting he had been in.  He looked to the side a second or two and puts on a slightly sheepish grin and starts to convey the various operations he was involved in.  At first he relates how he basically fought all along route 9 and anywhere from Con Tien to the Au Shau valley. Somewhere during his story I learn that of him and his buddies only he survived the war and that the guy I reminded him of had been his best friend.  Around now both me and my friend detect a slight tremble in the old sergeant’s voice and we make the first of a few attempts to break off the conversation because we both feel we're touching a raw nerve somehow.  But the old sergeant refuses as if he's facing an old enemy and will not back down and as calmly as he can he continues to reiterate his experiences and how he lost each friend.

Finely we get to where he lost his last friend and it turns he was the guy I reminded him of.  Well it wasn't pretty. It seems that (I found out latter in life) that Sec of Defense Mac Nammara had ordered that a electronic fence be installed along the DMZ and that large quantities of Marines had to be detailed to guard the fence that was supposedly guarding all of them.  I heard latter that Mac Nammara had gotten this brilliant idea from a squash buddy in Harvard while they were playing.   Latter from a CWO who I had taken some courses from and had worked for who ran most of the Marine Comm going into and