The long, slow trip to Vietnam

I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kan., in 1965. 

This is where Col George Custer was also stationed, although a little before me. From here they went by horseback to Montana, where all his troops were killed in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  

Anyway, about July 1965, our 1st Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division was sent to Vietnam. The first big unit to go to Vietnam along with elements of the 101st Air Cav. Then it was our turn in August as all trucks, artillery, etc, were loaded onto railroad cars and shipped to Vietnam. 

Then for us, we flew from Ft. Riley to Oakland, and then to the Oakland Army Terminal where we boarded the USNS Barett Naval transport ship. There were 3,000 of us on the ship. Officers and senior NCOs were given sort of staterooms, with six in each room. The lower-ranking troops were down in the hold, stacked about three and four high. We sailed at midnight, under the Golden Gate Bridge which was all lit up. 

It was both exciting and sad as from our initial troops there, we knew we were going to war and that some would be killed in action. Our trip took 21 days. We stopped for one day in Guam to replenish the ship's water tanks. We were only allowed one shower per week due to 3,000 troops and limited water.  

Officers and senior NCOs ate in a nice dining room with tablecloths and a menu to choose from. The others formed a mess hall line and selected what they wanted to eat from a buffet. By the time the line got through breakfast, the first men were in line for lunch, so it was never-ending.   

When we hit rough water, the front of the bow was 55 feet off the water and the bow was going under the water.  A lot of troops got seasick, including me. Many in the hold got seasick and vomited; as you can imagine, the stench there was overwhelming.

We didn't have much to do, so many played cards and walked around. I saw flying fish, which I had thought were just a myth.

We sailed through the Philippine Islands and arrived at Vung Tau on the coast. We boarded landing craft that were like the ones used in World War II to hit the beaches. We saw helicopters guarding the ships flying around and wondered what we were getting into.  

To be continued another week. 

Roger Gregory is a Vietnam veteran and business owner in Priest River.