Page 60 - Stand Down Vietnam

We went through Puerto Rico on the way back; we were
not supposed to get off the airplane. But, when we got
to Miami, customs guys were walking down the hall to
meet me. Somehow, they had gotten the word and when I
went through customs, an announcement was made:
Corporal Kenneth Gilliam report to the desk.” I was
escorted to the desk where they picked up the six rolls
of film. The full story was on the National News

within one hour.

When I got outside there was a Lieutenant out there. I
was wearing my brown uniform, except that I was wearing
my jungle boots. I had been robbed before leaving
Haiti, so I did not have the proper boots for that
uniform.

The Lieutenant chewed me out because I was wearing the
jungle boots. I told him I was lucky to be wearing a
pair of shoes. My wife was robbed too.

After the Lieutenant chewed me out about my boots, he
handed me orders for Beaufort, South Carolina. I was
stationed there for two years. Then I got orders for
Iwakuni, Japan.

I was there about six weeks when an airplane came in
from Washington to pick me up, I did not know why. A
guy asked if I was Kenneth Gilliam and when I said yes,

he told me an airplane was waiting for me. I asked why
and was told I’d know when I got there.

My bag was already packed, all I needed to do was to
get my shoes on. I boarded the airplane; we made a stop
in Okinawa to pick up another guy. The next thing I
know, I was in Vietnam. It was 02:00 and we were
assigned a tent next to a bunch of officers.