I found my Cambodian friend recently thanks to Google. The stories that I've heard from him are horrifying. I'm not even going to repeat them. Anyhow. Just thought I'd relay how easy I feel we've had it as far as survival. Count your blessings folks.
I re-connected in 2008 with Jeffry, who grew up in Uganda in the 70's under Idi Amin. He can tell some stories and has the scars to prove it. Yes, we don't have a clue in this country.
My best friend, Steffan, got a choice between Viet Nam and Angola Farm when he got caught stealing cars to support his heroin habit at the age o 16, he decided being a Marine wasn't such a bad idea and did back to back tours until he finally had so much steel in him that they wouldn't let do another one but he liked being a soldier and ended up in Belgium Congo> He only ever told one story about it and it just has to do with why he came home. I don't think he ever told that tale to anyone but me and Charlie but he sure came home a different man.
Talking with him made me choke up slightly. Never thought I made an impression on anybody. I'm my own worst enemy of course.
I don't need to concern myself with attending another 21 gun Salute Funeral to Honor anyone else that I didn't Officially serve with in Cambodia. Times are known to change. JMHO.
I pray that when TSHTF, it will be complete chaos. Nothing has ever been as bad as organized destruction, be it in the USSR under Stalin, or Germany under Hitler, or Pol Pet, or Idi Amin, or any one of 100 other pogroms. YMMV
Found out he's 5 years older than me but graduated a year after. Had to do what he had to do to get sponsored in the US. Classic move!
@Meat The "Boss" lost 2 brothers and one sister during that time. She still has one sister and brother, still alive. She's the youngest of them all. Want to talk about some stories? I know exactly what you mean. Between the Khmer Rouge and innocent people still killed or maimed from UXO (Unexploded Ordinance) still in the ground, a lot of people in this country have suffered some terrible events in their lives.
I had friends and relatives that were captured in different wars, only a few details were ever shared about their experiences. Though dad was stationed in the Aleutians, they saw plenty of action when the Japanese tried to take Alaska . Few people even know about that event.
I had not heard about the Alaska incident until a few years ago. You are right , it was not widely publicized.
Back in the late '80's I worked with a fellow from Eritrea, who had escaped from Ethiopia during their civil war. This guy was 6'8" and built like a tank, which was a good thing, because when he escaped he was hit by nine machine gun rounds! I counted the holes myself. Aside from his horrendous personal story he told us guys about the horrors of the war, it was mostly sickening! A very cool guy, though! In '68-'69, in Korea my best friend was a black dude, named Chester, from Detroit! He was one tough, bad azzed dude, and some of the stories from Detroit were pretty grim! I'd sure like to know his fate!