Page 37 - A Soldiers Exposition

ACCORDING TO THE ARMY

I’ll take a moment to make it clear:

According to the Army’s 1994 definition of combat; the so-called "Direct Ground Combat Definition and
Assignment Rule”; which was intended, and applied to restrict women from serving in combat and was
also the basis for rulings pertaining to “actual” combat service:

I never served in “direct” or “actual” combat
I was an ordinary Combat Service Support Soldier
I do not claim to have been a Direct Combat Soldier

But, I did:

• Train for service in Vietnam

• Serve with soldiers returning after a tour in Vietnam

• Serve with soldiers returning after a second tour in Vietnam

• Serve with soldiers returning after a third tour in Vietnam

• Provide service and support for those soldiers “In-Country”

• Handle the weapons and the chemicals used during the Vietnam war, and

• I remained physically, and as best I could mentally, and emotionally fit for war.

They talked and we listened. They had nightmares we heard, and we comforted our fellow soldier.

Remember the Army Creed: I will never leave a fallen comrade.

We witnessed their continued use of illegal drugs and alcohol.

We lived through the human devastation of the war first-hand through them.

We became anxiety stricken; worried when our name would be called, knowing we could become what
we were seeing in them or worse. Being a young soldier during the Vietnam War era was traumatic
simply by the constant knowledge that I could be called into action at any moment. Witnessing, on a daily
basis, the carnage inflicted on those returning from their first, second, third and in too many cases, fourth
tour “In-Country” weighed heavy on my mind, heart and soul.

We trained daily for war and service “In-Country.” It was a harsh reality that going into direct combat was
in our future and that what we were experiencing through the stories and sights of those who had
returned – was waiting for us.