How did spending your last night in Vietnam in the hospital's air-conditioned comfort compare to your previous experiences during the war?


 I served in Vietnam from 1970–71 as a field interrogator with the First Cav on the Cambodian border, frequently going out with the infantry on intel missions. I was fortunate that despite several close calls, I was never wounded.


Some of my fellow Soldiers were wounded and medevaced back to hospitals in Vietnam. Some recovered there and were sent back out on the line. The grievously wounded, including missing limbs and the like, were medevaced back to Japan, often facing years of operations and rehab.


One buddy of mine, a marine, was on patrol outside Khe Sanh and was overrun by an overwhelming NVA force. His best buddy was killed and he woke up in Japan with half his face missing. Those were the people who spent their last day in the Nam in air conditioned comfort.


The rest of of us were glad to get out on the Freedom Bird without ever once having air conditioning. So that last night in Vietnam in a hospital’s air conditioned comfort must have been worse than any other wartime experience for them.

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