History 10.03 (Spring 2023): The Dartmouth Vietnam Project: Learning Oral History in a Digital Age

The experiences of enlisted personnel in Vietnam ventured far beyond the dangers of patrol bases. Most service members never strayed beyond the safety of forward operating bases (FOBs). FOBs varied in degree of safety. Some FOB’s were only subject to the occasional rocket or mortar, while others, in more austere positions, experienced almost being overrun. Bien Hoa, Binh Thuy and Long Binh were a few of the largest American military bases in Vietnam, experiencing any form of combat at these two posts was rare. However, during the 68 and 69 Tet offensives both of these bases were mortared and rocketed, but VC forces never penetrated the perimeter. 

The dichotomy of deployed troops was constructed around the privilege of safety. The name REMF (rear echelon mother fucker) was informally created to delineate the experience of maneuver (Infantry, Combat Medics, Cavalry, Armor, Forward Observers, Combat Engineers) troops from support troops. The name was perjorative, meaning to create two levels of valor, where non-REMFs held more value. The term POG’s (Personnel Other than Grunts) was created to pedestalize the risk-facing infantry above the more protected combat roles (Cavalry, Combat Medics, Armor, Combat Engineers, Forward Observers). Combat Medics could sometimes shed the derogatory nickname considering their crucial position and organic attachment to the infantry platoon, however, this honor was bestowed case by case, every new medic had to prove their worth as a grunt.

Infantrymen had a variety of different roles; Machine gunners, riflemen, grenadiers were the core of the platoon. However, for every Infantry platoon there was always one RTO (radio telephone operator) , usually a specialty given to the most dependable and intelligent troopers, considering the importance of communication between maneuver elements. The RTO was also responsible for calling in artillery and mortar fire missions. 

Communication was key for military success in combat, and both narrators served in the capacity of RTO. Similarly both men saw combat in Vietnam, however, to call them POGs or Grunts would paint their experiences entirely too black and white. 

After the Tet Offensive had run its course, Robert Munson was moved from just outside of Dalat to Cam Ranh Bay, which he referred to as the “safest place in Vietnam to be”. It was at these outposts that he was exposed to what life was like in the rear echelon.

Serving in non-combat roles could have its dangers, but these were rarely present in large bases like Long Binh Post and Cam Ranh Bay. Many men served in positions where they were rarely under stress. There was plenty of leisure time, with these enormous bases providing recreation and relaxation, which was antithetical to the common portrayal of the stressed and locked-in soldier. Entertainment was often provided, and the soldiers enjoyed the many amenities that the bases had to  offer. 

One of the core experiences that Munson recalls while at in the rear echelon was his time with Spc/6 Hammacher, the legal clerk for his battalion. With Hammacher, Munson was able to see a side of the war that is rarely portrayed by the media. Due to being removed from the constant stress of war, the interactions of legal clerks were mostly with other Americans. These interactions ranged from simple conversations to complex trade negotiations. With Hammacher, Munson was able to see how the movement of goods in the army really worked. For example, Munson tells a story of how Hammacher was able to procure navy rain jackets for the grunts in the battalion and finagle a Jeep for himself. As Munson says, “There’s always some scrounger in the military. It was these guys. I learned all how it, firsthand how some of this stuff you see in movies, it's actually true.” These “scroungers”, despite not serving on the front lines, were a vital part of the army, even if they weren’t always serving on the front line. Without them, the war effort would have been significantly hindered.

While soldier experiences at Cam Ranh Bay, Long Binh, and other bases lacked excessive violence, they were not absent of their own problems. Removed from the often-uniting force of combat, clashes between military leaders and their soldiers were more apparent at these bases. Frustations over the war bubbled over in a number of ways. Fragging, or the intentional murder of a higher-ranking officer by a lower-ranking soldier reached an all time high for the American forces during the war, with some estimates putting the number of estimates at over 700 incidents between 1969 and 1971. The uncertainty of the war, along with the boredom of non-combat positions, lead to high rates of drug abuse and addiction. The prevalence of heroin and marijuana created a powerful temptation to dissociate from the war.  Further, grunts returning to bases often returned with PTSD which could further cause divides at the bases. Munson speaks to this in regards to the Marines which joined his outfit, who he described as "completely bonkers". The Marines would have fist fights between each other for no reason, which further alienated the POGs from the grunts. The life of soldiers in forward operating bases, while lacking violent interactions with PAVN forces, had stresses that made military life difficult and occasionally dangerous.

Of course, it is important to understand these negative aspects of base life in the broader context of the war. On the whole, drug users made up a minority of American soldiers, with many, such as Munson himself, abstaining from hard drugs altogether. While fragging was at an all time high, it was still a very low number of officers killed, considering that over 2 million Americans served in Vietnam. PTSD is and was a serious problem for many Vietnam War veterans, but Munson's anecdote about the Marines is an extreme one, which cannot be taken as representative of the traumatic experiences (or lack thereof) of the wider military. While it is important to recognize that addiction, PTSD, and violence were not a negligible part of life, they do not represent most Vietnam War veterans' experiences.

Munson’s usual distance from the front line along with his combat experience may have caused him to develop a nuanced view of the war. Despite not fighting often, his  personal interactions with grunts and POGs played an inextricable role in his view of the war. Munson does believe that there were key errors made in the war, but he does not regret his service. Despite serving in the rear echelon and having interactions with leadership, he did not have a good relationship with these men, going as far as to say that he “didn't have any respect for most of them.” Additionally, due to what he refers to as his ability to “withdraw, emotionally, intellectually without maybe showing it,” Munson did not deal with the trauma that many “grunts” came back with.

The combination of these two phenomena, along with his combat experience during  the Tet Offensive causes Munson to exist at the intersection of POG and Grunt, taking up a position that does not neatly fit into the supposed dichotomy of front line fighter or REMF. Although he spent more time with POGs, it would be far from the truth to say to that he was truly a POG. After all, he was injured in the Tet Offensive, and never seems to persoanlly identify with the POGs. However, his duties were in the rear echelon, so it is impossible to paint him as a grunt. It is this lack of stereotype that makes stories like Munson’s so important for understanding the vast range of experiences of Vietnam soldiers.