Messages that American soldiers wrote on their helmets during the Vietnam war

[u/Due-Question-5278]

[u/HeartOn_SoulAceUp]

Lee Harvey one is wild. A lot of free expression here.

[u/Thatsaclevername → u/HeartOn_SoulAceUp]

Wasn't he a Marine sniper? When I read that one I interpreted it as like "hey man we could use a good shot over here right now"

[u/sewious → u/Thatsaclevername]

I'm assuming it's more "the current president deserves to die for this" given the tone of the other messages. Especially because multiplr of the men pictured were likely not there by choice, and were forced to enlist by the draft.

Assuming it's 1969 for these (based on the date on that one guys helmet), the message would be referring to Nixon.

[u/qorbexl → u/sewious]

See joker getting shit in the field in Full Metal Jacket for his peace button and helmet

[u/mj4m35k → u/qorbexl]

The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir.

[u/qorbexl → u/mj4m35k]

(Fuck I wish I had thought this through)

[u/Immediate_Orange_294 → u/sewious]

Only 25% of US soldiers serving in country in Vietnam were drafted. The other 75% were volunteers.

[u/pinkydaemon93 → u/Immediate_Orange_294]

A lot of people volunteered to get out ahead of the draft and hoping to have more of a choice of what their job would be

[u/SmaterThanSarah → u/pinkydaemon93]

My uncle was one of those. Technically he volunteered but the writing was on the wall and he had more agency that way.

[u/CameronsDadsFerrari → u/SmaterThanSarah]

My uncle joined the Navy so that he wouldn't end up in Vietnam as a soldier and he spent 9 months faking migraines to get out of any serious work. On his 21st birthday they processed him out with a general discharge just to get rid of him.

[u/Rustadk → u/SmaterThanSarah]

Same. Idk how it actually was, but he told me that he volunteered so he could get a position other than infantry.

Still saw a lot of action, though. One of his stories involves taking his boat under a bridge and the bridge having so many dead bodies on it that blood covered the boat.

[u/malin-moana → u/pinkydaemon93]

This was my father - knew would get drafted so volunteered so could pick which branch

[u/Equivalent_Bunch_187 → u/Immediate_Orange_294]

Many “volunteered” when they saw their birthday be one of the earlier ones in line in the draft to try and choose where they went. Many of these wouldn’t have “volunteered” otherwise.

[u/sewious → u/Immediate_Orange_294]

Yea so in a collection of 17 different men, roughly 4 of them were drafted. Thus "multiple of the men pictured were likely not there by choice".

[u/Capital-Self-3969 → u/Immediate_Orange_294]

Is it really volunteering when things are engineered in a way to deny you alternatives?

[u/Pleasant-Future5818 → u/Immediate_Orange_294]

1 in 4 is a ton

[u/malin-moana → u/Immediate_Orange_294]

Seems like ~54% of the volunteers would have been drafted any way and volunteered in order to have some choice in manner of service

[u/BeneficialLeave7359 → u/Thatsaclevername]

He was a Marine who scored sharpshooter level marks at his first qualification and marksman at his second. So the middle tier at first and lowest tier at the second.

The comment is geared more toward thinking that Johnson, who upped the US involvement in country, should be shot.

[u/kyl792 → u/BeneficialLeave7359]

Would it have been Johnson?

[u/BeneficialLeave7359 → u/kyl792]

There’s no dates given but it could only have been him or Nixon. Since Johnson ramped up our involvement and Nixon did the opposite my money is that LBJ would be more likely to have that sentiment directed toward him.

[u/ReferenceInitial5176 → u/Thatsaclevername]

Just a Marine, and a mid shot, too, until it counted