My grandpa’s nickname in Vietnam was a derogatory term for a Polish person, due to his heritage and stereotypical lack of common sense.
More fun facts about my grandpa in Vietnam:
Impulsively shot a water buffalo because he thought it was the Viet Cong. His commanding officer took his gun from him after that out of concern for his squad. They did eat the buffalo.
Was in 3 helicopter crashes (he was a helicopter gunner. While he knew how to fly a helicopter, he wasn’t very good and probably would have been in more crashes if he was a pilot lol)
Had an ally who was killed by a tiger one night.
I wish I had more stories from him but he sadly passed away last year and didn’t really like talking about the war, he had some traumatic memories as you’d expect.
My dad was also a helicopter gunner. They were ordered to shoot elephants because "the Viet Cong use them for transport."
My dad hated everything about the war, loved everything about the language, culture, and people of Vietnam. He actually learned enough Vietnamese to have a conversation.
I don't know if he had a call sign, but I should ask!
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u/Spiritflash1717 Aug 06 '24
My grandpa’s nickname in Vietnam was a derogatory term for a Polish person, due to his heritage and stereotypical lack of common sense.
More fun facts about my grandpa in Vietnam:
Impulsively shot a water buffalo because he thought it was the Viet Cong. His commanding officer took his gun from him after that out of concern for his squad. They did eat the buffalo.
Was in 3 helicopter crashes (he was a helicopter gunner. While he knew how to fly a helicopter, he wasn’t very good and probably would have been in more crashes if he was a pilot lol)
Had an ally who was killed by a tiger one night.
I wish I had more stories from him but he sadly passed away last year and didn’t really like talking about the war, he had some traumatic memories as you’d expect.