Military Man

The smell of freshly mowed grass on a larger scale: that is the most memorable thing that Vietnam veteran Tom Bailey took from his war experience. When a helicopter landed, it would land in a cleared space that had already been created. The Air Force firebombed a certain area, knocking out all trees and brush in its path. The trees would create a perimeter around the area in which the helicopter landed. The first time Tom was flown out for a mission, this is what he smelled: "You know the smell: right after you mow the lawn--that is what the whole area smelled like." It is interesting the things that one person can remember.

Tom Bailey joined the army ROTC so his college would be paid for. After completion of school, he thought that this would be a career for him. When he made his wish list, he decided he wanted to be stationed in Germany. So this was his number one choice. It was granted for him. While stationed in Germany he kept up with the news from the United States. He knew that the situation in Vietnam was rising and thought he might end up there. And sure enough, in September of 1971 he was sent to Vietnam. His reaction was unsure: "It was an issue between my wife and me; I wanted to go because I thought it would be my career."

The first thought when he reached Vietnam was, "Am I ever going to stop sweating?" There also was a feeling of vulnerability. On the bus from the air base to his station at Icor, he noticed that the only protection all of the people on the bus had was that of an officer in the front with an M-16. He also said that being in Vietnam was like a "12 month sauna." The other vivid image was that of a huge white Catholic Church. It seemed so out of place to him after being in Europe and seeing all of the beautiful architecture.

Tom was an officer before he went to Vietnam, so he led a group of six men around the jungle looking for the North Vietnamese army. He was a company commander of a combat support group. They usually flew out by helicopter to an area near the Ashau Valley, which was a major supply route of the North Vietnamese army. They would move positions and sleep during the day, and they would set up so they could see everything or be in an ambush position at night.

There were times of tension, but they were few and far between. One night another group had a rifle that was malfunctioning. So Tom got in a helicopter and flew out to the position of this other group. They exchanged rifles, and since the group’s position had been compromised they were instructed to leave the area. Tom got back on the helicopter and didn’t listen to the radio traffic. Later that night the other group had taken on fire, and one of the men was killed. Another time he got out of a helicopter because his group was supporting a group that thought they had taken on fire. When Tom got out of the helicopter, he wondered why they were not taking on any fire. He was on the ground getting ready to crawl out of the open space when he looked down near his leg. There was a detonating device. His thoughts were: "Whew, good thing I didn’t wear the brown pants." Other than that there were not really any times when his group really felt threatened. One of the most interesting things about Tom’s duty in Vietnam was for his R and R: he returned home. Most men went to New Zealand or Taiwan. But his stay was late enough in the war that he was able to return to Oregon to see his family.

The trip home was also eventful. He knew that there might be some protesters at the airport. The flight home was Tom’s first on a 747. Pan Am was flying GIs out of Vietnam. On return to the airport in San Francisco there were people there who were very against the war. He explained, "There were a few people who wanted to get into it with me; I just lowered my head and walked past them." Tom got on his connecting flight to Portland and flew the last short leg home. "The goal was to have as quiet a return as possible," he commented.

Still feeling that the Army was his profession of choice Tom started his life after Vietnam in Ft. Bragg in Special Forces. He transferred out of that and into Psychological Operations. "In Special Forces I had to leave suddenly and I couldn’t tell anyone where I was going or what I was doing." This is when his first daughter was born; this also played a roll in his decision. While working in Psychological Operations, Tom worked for a commander whose one goal was "to get the star," or make general. Tom became disenchanted with the Army and decided to get out.

Tom would not trade his Vietnam experience for anything. He had some problems controlling his emotions at first, but now the experience is one he remembers vividly and is able to talk about with ease. One of the things that helped him was to talk about it. The first time he really felt better was after talking to a class at a school in Washington. Later that week he spoke to the whole school. A friend who had set this up for him worried about it, but Tom agreed. When he finished, his friend's wife told him he had 500 people’s undivided attention. Needless to say, Tom walked with his head a little higher for the next few weeks.

Matt Welsch