I had orders for Nam when I finished school at Ft. Rucker, Alabama Oct. 5, 1970 and was sent for 3 day Vietnam orientation. On Friday when I went to the orderly room pick up my orders they were cancelled and I was sent to Korea instead. They said we were the first class in two years that didn't go to Nam.
When I returned from Korea January 1972 I reported to Hunter AAF in Savannah, Georgia. Our base primary mission was training Vietnamese helicopter pilots but by July they began phasing out the school and standing down the base, this meant there was no more replacements. Even though I was an E-5 air traffic controller and would normally never be assigned outside duties, with being shorthanded I was assigned to the honor detail. I rode the little green bus the 120 miles to Jacksonville six times in the latter part of 1972 and was part of the 21 gun salute detail at military funerals. It was a very surreal experience and something I still remember.
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