Home Contact AFVN Past Contacts AFVN Roster POWS: The Honored Taps: Those Departed AFVN Organization AFVN Reunions
AFVN History AFVN Photos & Stories AFVN Group Conversations Audio Archives Video Archives AFVN Guest Book
Project Jenny KLIK - 1st Inf Di v Women in Vietnam RELATED-- To AFVN To Saigon To Vietnam Further Afield Index
From: Rick Fredericksen
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Great document. I bet Jim White has this in our history site. I plan to look over closer. Thanks
From: Dick Downes
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Paul Bottoms, I left overnight on 6/15-16/70. Were we perchance, on the same Freedom Bird?
One Night Outside Phan Thiet (I Think) December 24, 2010 at 12:24am I wasn’t the only one. There were others who did what I did. One other out of my office, others out of other HQs in the war-divisions of South Vietnam. I-Corps, II-Corps and so on (pronounced Eye-Core; Two-Core). Half the time we didn’t even know where, exactly, we were.
We were buddies. We got to wear special press patches, had priority on flights up to about a colonel (well, that’s pushing it, maybe a major; and not on the wounded of course). Sometimes we’d even get to travel for a date or two with a USO show -- then write it up for our local newsletter. Or maybe Stars & Stripes would pick it up. Hey, it happened.
But mostly it was get on a chopper early, go to an FOB (Forward Operating Base), take pictures of soldiers, get a brief tape-recording, “Hi Ma, I’m fine.” Maybe write something up, make promises about sending copies to their families, then return to HQ, our flush toilets and air conditioning, the same day. We’d turn in a form with the hometown info of the guy in question and marry it to the material. It would be collated and the huge Army machine would see to it that the tapes went to local radio stations and the photos to the soldiers' home-town paper with a write-up. Or just a caption if he hadn’t been wounded or something else that was interesting.
Sometimes the weather or scheduling wouldn’t allow for us to get back the same day. On those occasions, we’d notify HQ by cell phone (HA! Gotcha -- they had radios, ironically called PRICKs, military acronym for whatever) and it would be arranged for us to spend the night. Sometimes it was in with a senior NCO, but mostly there was an empty cot in the bunkers of the infantry guys who were there to guard the place -- mostly at night.
These guys got hit pretty much every night. The positions were US Army spec. and fairly impregnable (emphasis on the fairly) --most of the enemy died every time they came. Somewhere in the hundred-yard clearing around the FOB, or as far out as they’d been able to clear, or (the sneakier and truly committed ones) in the 10 yards of concertina wire surrounding the place, they’d get nailed by the .50 caliber machine guns, grenade launchers and however many M-16s could be brought to bear. But every once in a while other people died. People on our side.
They got wounded, too. Usually just as good as a kill to the enemy. Unless it was just a minor injury, that wounded GI would go home.
But inside the bunker, late in the afternoon and into dusk, as the infantry and special forces guys were preparing for the evening’s festivities, it was like being a fly on the wall during those times when I’d get laid over.
“Billy?”
“Y’um”
Who’s got the gun t’nite case we get hit.?”
“Me, course.”
“Aw, man. You had it last night.”
“’Scuse me,” as he points to the rank pinned to his collar, “these are called stripes; they indicate rank -- I am a corporal, you are a private, private! I have them, you don’t. End of story. I’m on the gun.” Very emphatic. Then an aside: “But you clean it”
“Hey! FUCK you,!” The private leaps up, outraged, and turns to the ultimate decision-maker, “Hey... Winston?” he makes his case to the sergeant. One-stripe to two-stripe to three-stripes. 18, 19 and 20 back home. But this is in a bunker in the boonies.
Up to three stripes, there wasn’t much respect for rank, as they were mostly draftees. After that you got career military guys who wouldn’t put up with any insubordination. But it was fun to watch.
This is not hunting squirrels in orange vests back home with a 15th birthday .22 rifle (and a .32 pistol in case of a snake). This was a real-true actual war zone, with a real live, motivated enemy with real guns. So these boys took care of their equipment as if their lives depended on it.
Another 50 yards inside the wire, a bigger, even more solid, command bunker hulks. This is where the officers work, sleep, eat and work. Higher-ranked enlisted sergeants and specialists were in yet another bunker. They’d mostly figger out ‘what the hell are we doing here’!”
Twenty-year old Buck Sergeant John Winston, from outside of Charlotte, NC, puts the letter he’s been reading on his chest and glances at the bickering men under his very-temporary command. “You assholes just follow the god damm schedule and make sure the gun gets cleaned -- starting now -- and you two CAN shut the fuck up! He’s shouting -- but does he mean it?
He takes a breath and says to a fourth man sharing our quarters, “Somebody start a tape or turn on AFVN or something.”
In another setting, back “in the world” as the US is called way out here, it would be the senior DA bitching-out a room mate or sophomore pledge or brother -- then turning to a peer for a little peace and quiet late-night in the house or dormitory.
But these guys didn’t go to college and they got drafted. Or they did go to college, but didn’t move along fast enough -- and they got drafted. Or they enlisted... because they were about to get drafted. Instead of being a budding adult in the America of the sixties, the emphasis was ensuring you didn’t get drafted!
These guys were unsuccessful in their efforts not to get drafted. So was I, except I enlisted by the skin of my teeth; which is why I was a correspondent and they were grunts.
“John...” starts the corporal.
“That’s Sarn’t Winston to you, mother-fucker.” Now he’s messing with them.
The two-striper looks at the one-striper. “Oh, now he’s Sergeant Winston!” Enunciates the corporal (who has a year in Community College).
Both men laugh. They commence the cleaning of their .50 caliber.
The moment is over. It occupied a couple of minutes before another long night in the heat with the bugs and things that go ‘bang’ in the night. There are moths so big their wingspans cover a screen-door side-to-side, and their bodies are the size of a big-man’s fist. You’d quickly open, then slam the door, to send them flapping off into the dark.
Now they are at the sand-bagged entrance to their hootch. The men are straining to hear any strange thing in the dark.
There would be dozens of these conversations, shouting-matches, decisions and rulings during the time from late afternoon until dawn the next day -- except during the fighting. Afterwards, they would sleep until late afternoon.
That’s when the others decided about bridges, rice to the population, bombing Cambodia and other stuff that officers and senior NCOs were in the field to determine; and grunts were there to protect.
The corporal relented a couple of times a week and let the private be in charge of their biggest weapon. The other would be relegated to the grenade launcher. Others in the bunker, or hootch, would have M-16s (well all of them had M-16s -- a couple just had some extra firepower responsibilities).
Someone would have been assigned (out-of-hearing range of the subject) to ensure the visitor’s safe departure on the first Huey headed out in the morning. He was an unknown quantity.
So, one of the men in the officer’s bunker was my minder. He’d be a seasoned second lieutenant. Maybe a first, sometimes a captain; never a major -- it would be unseemly for a major to mind an E-5 specialist (the same rank and pay as our Sgt. Winston, but without the command responsibilities).
He’d come over to the bunker at dawn as things were quieting down. One of the guys in our hootch got a little shrapnel wound and was being escorted to a first-aid tent. His screaming had lent a little urgency to the evening. No one knew where the molten-hot piece of metal had originated, just that it decided to bury itself in private Simpson’s left buttock. He’d been out by the wire...
From: Paul Bottoms
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
There's a statement in this story (from Radio World) that AFVN was "one of the top three primary targets of the enemy in Saigon." I've never heard this before. Anybody got a source for it?" I'm not saying it isn't true, just wondering who made the original statement. Something else I've often heard is that "We Gotta' Get Out of This Place" was the most popular song by the troops in Nam. I've said that I was very involved in the music there for almost two years and I don't recall any survey backing that up. Then the other person will often say that it's the most requested at record hops, etc.
From: Jim White
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Rick, You're right, I have that survey, along with one for 1968 and another for 1971 on AFVNVETS.net. In fact, they have been there a long time and from the URL Dick Downes quoted it is obvious that is where he got the 1970 survey he posted. Just go to https://www.afvnvets.net/hist---surveys.html for all three of them. Since I had taken statistics and at least one course in "how to do a survey" as part of my graduate studies. I introduced Steve Wiltsie to some of the more arcane theory behind doing surveys. I also went with him to the MACV Data-Processing Center to get their cooperation in preparing a randomly selected mailing list and then in processing the results. This was for both the 1970 and 1971 surveys. Also, for the 1971 survey, I supervised the Vietnamese clerks when the surveys were enveloped on May 14, 1971. This was much to the disgust of every OIC and NCOIC in the station because I drafted every Vietnamese clerk in the place to help. I think we enveloped nearly 1,000 surveys in one day---although I might have done the last 100 or so by myself the next day. At one point I was scheduled to take over the survey from Steve, but then my next assignment asked that I be given an early drop and Cunar Grubaums took over. As a result, although I was involved in two of the surveys I did not receive even a small word of thanks in the acknowledgement for either one of them. Such is life and I am at peace with it.
Please ignore that fact that the above is almost impossible to read.
Courtesy of Harry Simons, the full article is posted on AFVNVETS.net
AFVN Group Conversations
From: Dick Downes
Dated: April 15, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Probably. Short-sighted, though. They should look at Amazon's model for sampling o previewing books, music & movies.
AFVN -- Article on, Bombings, Surveys, Etc.
April 2016
The following is taken from a Facebook chain of comments. As the title indicates, it covers a number of
topics and was therefore hard to define. I have, however, tried to index each topic as best possible. Webmaster
From: Doug Jennings
Dated: April 15, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
This should open a PDF file, then scroll to page 26. Click here. [This link goes to the April 13, 2016 edition of Radio World.]
From: Paul Bottoms
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Dick, I recall we did an extensive AFVN survey of the troops likes and dislikes which wrapped up around September 1968 which resulted in quite a few program changes. One in specific was that we only had to use military time just before the top of the hour news sounder. Before, we had to give it throughout the hour. I don't recall specific songs being mentioned although the type of music troops favored was. My point is I don't think the surveys are there to begin with to accurately make such claims about music. I'm aware of two attacks on AFVN Saigon facilities, the latest being in May (I think) 68. I'm not saying there weren't more. But if we were such a high value target, I just don't remember that resulting in the attacks when I was there which was between August 68 and June 1970. Does anybody else have specifics on attacks on AFVN Saigon facilities during those or other years.
[The attacks on AFVN Saigon are fairly well documented on AFVNVETS.net.
Go to the History page and the Index. Webmaster]
From: Paul Bottoms
Dated: April 15, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Doug, works great. Thanks!
From: Dick Downes
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
IOW I think this is probably fairly accurate given the constraints of the day and source.
From: Bob Morecook
Dated: April 15, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
From: Paul Bottoms
Dated: April 15, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
I got a message that I had exceeded the maximum number of pages I can preview. Do you have to be a subscriber to read this?
From: Dick Downes
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
We literal types will wonder, Paul. However as one who has studied Arbitron (and others) I can attest that even the best surveys are as scatter-brained as possible whilst given [giving?] at least a semi-accurate feel for market data even if anecdotal.
From: Paul Bottoms
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Dick, I thought we both had the same Deros Date, June 17, 1970 but re-reading your message above, sounds like you were a day or two ahead of me. I was attached to Chu Lai for the almost-two years I was in Saigon so I had to process out at Chu Lai but I probably had to come back to the Saigon area to catch the plane to San Francisco. I remember hoping to get processed through Oakland quickly but they took the whole day. I also remember getting $3400 in cash.
From: Dick Downes
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
You long-termers may smack your collective foreheads and think: "I knew that years ago!" If not, this is fascinating (esp. for a ratings freak).
[This link goes to the 1970 AFVN Listener Survey which is posted on the AFVNVETS.net History Page.
From the URL Dick posted, it is most likely that that is where he found it.]
From: Rick Fredericksen
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
The article says AFVN was heard on 13 countries. That would be an interesting list to see. Or, perhaps it was a particular show that was syndicated?
From: Rick Fredericksen
Dated: April 15, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Since this is about AFVN, perhaps we could get permission to post it to our history page, like Vietnam Magazine did.
[Permission was received, see link at top.]
From: Dick Downes
Dated: April 18, 2016
Subject: AFVN Major Article Posted in Radio World
Jim, I re-discovered the AFVNVETS site last night and came upon the surveys. Paul, My DD-214 says 6/17. But I think that's when I got to Oakland, so I thought I probably left 'Nam on the 16th depending on time zones and such. Vietnam is 14 hours ahead of CA. The flight was about 17 hours. It's all a blur - I don't know how you guys remember the details.