Leaving Vietnam

Late July 1971

Ralph B. Strickland, Jr.

I left the Republic of South Vietnam late in the month of July of 1971 after spending 362 days “in country.”  I arrived in Vietnam with one medal and one ribbon and left with 6 medals and 2 ribbons.  I was busy and called upon to do many things.  As I sat in the Flying Tiger Airliner at Cam Rahn Bay I looked at my left chest and felt a sense of pride in what I had accomplished – 8 ribbons reflecting my awards.  I did not go there to receive them but they came my way.

We were seated six across, really jammed together, and we were all exhausted from our year in the tropics.  I had lost 56 pounds and had been in a coma for two weeks and nobody knew why.  My VA doctors here in the states have diagnosed it as malaria. 

So we sat stone-faced, and other than a few handshakes we sat silently.  For me, I could not believe it was finally all over and when we took off it would be a 24-hour flight, more or less, on three planes, to get me to North Carolina. 

That very morning I had left Phan Rang Air Base in a C-123 cargo plane during a mortar attack and the pilot did a “combat takeoff” to minimize the risk of our being hit by a mortar, rocket or other killing device.  Basically, all the cargo planes had two propeller driven engines and each such plane in country now had an additional two jet engines out toward the end of the wings to use for combat takeoffs and also for the notoriously SHORT runways in country.

The pilot would roll to the flight line with the prop engines warmed and, without stopping, kick in the jets and we’d shoot down the runway for what seemed like 30 feet and take off straight up into the air.  Yes, it was longer than 30 feet and no, we didn’t go straight up – but it felt like it. 

The seats were canvas in metal racks and down the sides of the fuselage and that gave you a special airsick feeling.  You weren’t leaning back on takeoff – you were cantered at a crazy angle sideways.  The center of the fuselage would be taken up with equipment because, after all, it WAS a CARGO plane. 

So the very day I left Vietnam the bad guys were taking their last shots at me – I was the only guy at Phan Rang leaving for “The World” that day.

Finally, the stewardesses went around our Flying Tigers plane spraying bug spray and then closed and locked the fuselage doors as the cockpit crew fired up the four jet engines.  In no time we were rolling down one of Cam Rahn Bay’s giant runways and then lifted off into a bright blue sky. 

Immediately we swung out over the South China Sea headed for Japan and the Captain came on the intercom, welcomed us aboard his aircraft, gave us the weather and travel time and thanked us for our service to our country. 

The microphone clicked off and almost instantly came back on an the Captain said, “Oh, yes, I almost forgot.  You men are officially no longer in Vietnam!”

Well, that changed the atmosphere on board that plane – people cried, cheered, laughed, cried and just slid down in their seats.  We had all been sitting at attention without realizing it.

Then he came back on the intercom and said he had a special song he played on every return trip and it was nothing official – just a song by Chuck Berry to say, “Welcome Home!”  And he played

BACK IN THE U.S.A.

By Chuck Berry

Released 1958-1959

Oh well, oh well, I feel so good today,
We touched ground on an international runway
Jet propelled back home, from over the seas to the USA

New York, Los Angeles, oh, how I yearned for you
Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge
Let alone just to be at my home back in ol' St. Lou.

Did I miss the skyscrapers did I miss the long freeway?
From the coast of California to the shores of Delaware Bay
You can bet your life I did, till I got back to the USA

Looking hard for a drive-in, searching for a corner cafe
Where hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day
Yeah, and a juke-box jumping with records like in the USA

Well, I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
Yes. I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
Anything you want, we got right here in the USA

*

Altogether, he played it 5 times during the flight and we learned the words and sang along.  It was like a punch in the gut – it woke us to the reality of a juke box and hamburgers and GIRLS and in my case my wife, Drusylla, my daughter Lalenya – 16 months old; oh what I had missed – and my parents.

Back in the USA - thanks Chuck, more than you’ll ever know.  And to that aircrew – you were all special!

You may hear the song on You Tube.

This is a picture of a C123K with the two outboard jet engines.  This picture appears to be from Vietnam and although the soldiers are in fatigues they are probably on the way to “The World” though they are not in tan uniforms but are in fatigues.  They’ll change at Cam Rahn or Tan Son Nhut in Saigon.

Notice the weather.  It just loved to rain.