They sang along with tears in their eyes, because they were the ones saying goodbye to the men who were boarding the planes for Vietnam. But Country Joe, himself a Navy veteran — who when we first met him told us “I’m a veteran first and hippie second” — intended this “not as a pacifist song, but as a soldier’s song.” “It’s military humor that only a soldier could get away with,” he added. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. As Michael Rodriguez, an infantryman with the 2No one saw this coming. Not the writers of the song — the dynamic Brill Building duo of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; not the group who recorded it — The Animals and their iconic lead singer, Eric Burdon; not the 3 million soldiers who fought in Vietnam who placed extra importance on the lyrics. The American Bell UH-1 Huey is the most famous of the Vietnam helicopter types and proved a workhorse for air cavalry units throughout the war. We know that because we hear it from our readers every single day. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. Didn’t hurt that it spoke of “getting a ticket for an airplane” and “going home” because “my baby just wrote me a letter.” Nothing kept guys going more than love letters from home — and the dream of getting back to their beloved.Just before his tragic death in a place crash in Madison, Wis., in late 1967, Otis Redding had completed recording (When asked to sum up the music of the war, Peter Bukowski, who served with the Americal Division near Chu Lai in 1968-69, responded: “Two words. It’s personal, of course, but in a way it’s lyrical, too. We’d hear that music and it brought a smile to your face.” ROTC graduate and heavy mortar platoon leader Loren Webster singled out Maybe it’s because he could have been in Vietnam that Jimi Hendrix holds so much appeal for ‘Nam vets. When we played this song at LZ Lambeau, a welcome home event for Vietnam vets and their families held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., … Creedence Clearwater.” “They were the one thing everybody agreed on,” he told us. I first became a soldier in a war zone on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) 1970. But the fact is that We sincerely hope veterans and their families will read Next Avenue brings you stories that are inspiring and change lives. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Music was going to get me through my year in Vietnam.In fact, it’s sustained me for the past 45 years, as it has countless other Vietnam veterans.When we began our interviews, we planned to organize it into a set of essays focusing on the most frequently mentioned songs, a Vietnam Vets Top 20 if you will, harkening back to the radio countdowns that so many of us grew up listening to.Hendrix's guitar reminded GIs of helicopters and machine guns, conjuring visions of hot landing zones and purple smoke grenades.Well, it didn’t take long for us to realize that to do justice to the vets’ diverse, and personal, musical experiences would require something more like a Top 200 — or 2,000! As Jason Sherman, an AFVN DJ during part of his tour in Vietnam, recalled: “Misunderstood and misinterpreted by most Americans, Country Joe’s iconic song became a flashpoint for disagreements about the war and its politics.

Maybe that’s why When we played this song at LZ Lambeau, a welcome home event for Vietnam vets and their families held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., in 2010, we were overwhelmed by the response it received, especially by spouses of Vietnam vets. It’s an irony I’ve wrestled with for 45 years, due in part to the precise timing of U. S. Army tours of duty in Vietnam, which meant that Uncle Sam would send me back home exactly 365 days later — on Nov. 11, 1971.Needless to say, the date is etched in my mind and will always be. These are the 10 most mentioned songs by the Vietnam vets we interviewed. Several types of helicopters were used during the Vietnam Conflict- from observation and MEDEVAC to gunships and dedicated attack types. What story will you help make possible?A perfectly punctuated essay on a couple's commitment to good grammarMissing them is like separation anxiety and empty nest syndrome all in oneRecommendations for families from the author of 'Inheriting Clutter'The pandemic changes plans, but there is gratitude for good healthThese three people overcame their grief and found joy in living againTeens and assisted living residents chat and enjoy music, art and games ‘together’The cruel toll the pandemic is taking on these older AmericansDespite the pandemic, older singles are still hoping for connectionWe all feel lonely at times. The U.S. Marines liked it enough to adopt it as the SeaCobra.Armed Scout and Reconnaissance / Light Attack HelicopterMulti-Role / Utility / Attack / Transport HelicopterMulti-Purpose / Multi-Role Transport Utility HelicopterThe "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. This is alongside the standard troop carrier which also doubled as supply aircraft and artillery transports. Still, we did find some common ground.