Deployment to Vietnam preparation

In 1966, my company as a whole was to be deployed to Vietnam. Every section had a conus or two to pack all their stuff in for overseas shipping. As I was walking past the company armorers shack, I noticed they were throwing out all obsolete stuff like garand parts/manuals and other stuff not related to any of our weapons. It all went into a garbage can. So, I helped my self to some old manuals. Too bad at the time, but, garands and parts were not on my hoarding list alas. I assume all those parts went to a warehouse somewhere. I could have filled a duffle bag with them.

Makes one want to cry, thinking of all the goodies the military throws out.

In the mid 50s we had a bunch of military depots that , with Civil Defense authorization, one could pick up pretty much anything for the price of shipping to the depot. We made many trips with a 10 ton flatbed truck and never returned without a full load. I was too young at the time to have an interest in the hardware or weapons gear. My dad was an Okinawa vet and didn't even want to tell me what all the cool stuff, to a young boy, was. Generators and spot lights were the big draw at the time. We could fit 5 generators powered by flat head jeep engines on the truck. Oh if only a time machine was available.

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Ours was Easter Sunday 1975 for the evacuation. I was eating breakfast at the Camp Hansen, Okinawa O club. I had an hour to pack everything I could take with me in a WW-2 backpack. I had a blue "Maupintour" bag from a college trip that I painted over with some OD model paint and took every piece of fatigue clothing I had including a jungle jacket I used to keep paint off my good clothes so that got touched up too. I had checked out my NM M-14 to dry fire with in preparation for the 3rd MarDiv matches and I turned that in, thought about taking it with me, would that have ever generated some message traffic! By 1100 I was on the parade deck at Hansen getting on board a CH-46. All the USMC officers had these cool B-4 bags and all I had was my pack and this cheap ass partly-painted shoulder bag.

I had been warned a week before as we had a false start and did go to Confession!

When I was out waiting for our helos, I saw that one of our corpsmen was carrying his privately owned shotgun, I had a Remington 1100 in the 3D. Med Bn Armory but it was totally sporting - no sling swivels. I just left it there and advised my older brother where the gun was and who I left my jalopy with.

Did not have anything to throw away!