Desert Shield/Storm

Many of my Brothers and Sisters in MALS-14, from MCAS Cherry Point served during Desert Shield/Storm. One of the curious things about this period of time is that while we all served in the exact same location, half got a CAR and the other half of us did not. It appears that if you were buddy buddy with someone in the S-1, you got a CAR in your records. I made quite a few trips between the Scudbowl and Riyadh, SA, and on several of those, SCUDS and Patriots were flying overhead.

I wonder how many others served in a combat zone and had the same thing happen to them. I know our Skipper got a Meritorious Service Medal, CAR, and several awards, when he did nothing significant...although we were authorized to go into a possible war with nothing more than 3 rounds each for SNCOs and 6 rounds for Sgt and below carrying M16s. That's perfect planning by some college brat.

And hats off to those who served in combat and got your asses shot at...my humblest gratitude for your service.

I got a CAR in Vietnam as a truck driver. In Desert Storm I was in the Air National Guard as a security policeman. I got a Meritorious Service Medal for being in charge of an 86-man air base defense flight. Normally a lieutenant had that job but we were short on officers. I was a MSgt (E-7).

In Vietnam, I carried as much ammo as I wanted. Usually 14 20-round mags plus 2 30-rounders I scrounged from a next door Army unit. In Desert Storm we were issued 240-rounds for our M-16s (8 30-rounders) and those issued pistols too (like me) had three full mags. As a flight sergeant, I also had a 30-rounder full of tracer. In the Air Force, stateside ammo duty load for security policemen with an M-16 was 120-rounds (4 30-rounders), warzone was 240. In addition, our vehicles (Hummers) were loaded with extra cases of 5.56mm and 7.62mm linked as most Hummers had M-60 machine guns mounted on the roof, and some had Mk-19s.

Also, the pistols issued to people in my unit had Winchester Silver Tips loaded in them, not ball. We had a lot of civilian police officers in the unit and 9mm ball just didn't get it.

Gunny, most of us Nam guys didn't get 2 many decorations either. Seems like I heard that an officer had to witness our heroic stuff, not just another Cpl or private. You're out now, let it go.

Medals don’t feed the Bulldog :marine:

Technically, you have to had return offensive fire to be eligible for a CAR.

Correct

And even getting a Purple Heart doesn't automatically qualify you.

Those of us in the Nam line companies had no problem qualifying for the CAR. Our problem was that the CAR didn't come out till Feb 69, the month I came home. I finally got mine in the mid 90's.

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Originally Posted by advanced

Those of us in the Nam line companies had no problem qualifying for the CAR. Our problem was that the CAR didn't come out till Feb 69, the month I came home. I finally got mine in the mid 90's.

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I didn't realize that.

My SE Asian picnic was Feb. '66 - March '67....WIA 9/11/66 so figured the CAR was already created because it's on my DD214 as I got out June 30, 1969.
Seems like an impossible admin task to go back some years and make sure all who warranted the CAR during early VN years actually got it.

Oh well...what do I know.

Hope all are doing well....have a great day.

When I was going for my disability rating in the 90's I found out that I had 3 different SS #'s when I used the freedom of information to get all of my files. Also the 4th time that I was listed KIA my parents received the telegram, I was taken off the pay roster, my squad split up all my gear and they sent all my records back to the world. When I "came back to life" they even made me get all new shots as they no longer had my records, like you could go to the Nam without having a shot card.

At any rate, once I found out from my freedom records that my not having my CAR was the thing stopping my disability rating the disabled vets helped me apply for it. As soon as I had that I was rated 100% P&T for PTSD. I only have that one rating as I was never wounded. I was always lucky that way. Never got wounded in the projects as a cop either.

Russ....you was wounded Brother....just not physically....

I wasn't wounded from killing all those assswhites Billy, if I have any wounds they came from some of my dear brothers dying in my arms all those times. That's where I learned to really hate the NVA. And, I'm being punished to this day, the Gods decided to have 2 Vietnamese brothers move in right next door to me. My wife talks to them and tells me they're really nice. I simply say "That's nice."

FYI, anyone who thinks that they might be entitled to the CAR can submit a Form SF 180 to the MC or Navy records dept. and request that their record be reviewed for the CAR... the award has been authorized for Navy and MC personnel retroactively to 12-07-1941....

I picked mine up at Car Country Carlsbad with 0% financing......oh, wait.....