The Greatest Vietnam War Stories EVER E-Book

Phillip W. Meyer

• Herausgeber: PM Media LLC
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Continue where Volume 1 left off as Private Meyer's adventures continue going to Europe, getting married, and then finds out he's off to serve into another war, this time in Vietnam. He serves multiple tours of duty and finds new purpose again. These short stories about Army life abroad are all true and fully illustrated as wartime personal memoir nonfiction comics. These comics give you a front row seat to a wartime era veteran who served on the frontlines of Vietnam and Korea. The stories are true, universal, positive messaging, and fun to read. Phillip Meyer continues to write everyday and share his historical firsthand accounts of surviving the Korean & Vietnam War. If you haven't read Volume 1 first be sure to read it before reading Volume 2. All stories can be read out of chronological order. Every story is it's own unique moment in history.

At 90 years old Phillip W. Meyer still enjoys writing stories and poems.

Each story in this book includes a fully illustrated comic.

Leseprobe

Short Stories Written by Phillip W. Meyer

Personal Photo Archive Provided by Phillip W. Meyer

Creative Direction & Storyboarding by Paul P. Meyer

Graphic Illustrations by Roswena Saladier Brennan

Editing Assistance by Gloria Grant

Published by PM Media LLC

Copyright © 2023 by PM Media LLC.

Book covers and comic illustrations © 2023 Roswena Saladier Brennan

For inquiries to get this book in your library, classroom, business, or U.S. Army recruiting office, contact: [email protected]

ISBN 979-8-9885773-4-8 (ebook)

For my dad, Phillip W. Meyer Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant 1950 - 1971 5th RCT Korean War / 344th LARC Company Vietnam War

Table of Contents

Volume II

Introduction

Re-enlisting and going to France

Re-enlisting and going back to South Korea

Re-enlisting and going to Vietnam

Leaving Vietnam and retiring to civilian life

References & Resources

Introduction

Volume II continues where Volume I stopped; as Private Meyer’s enlistment ends for the Korean War and he finds himself thinking of what he will do next. In Volume II, his short stories develop and inspire during his years serving in the Vietnam War while also starting a family and then later exiting the military. If you haven’t read Volume I do it now! It is a great prerequisite of getting to know the character before reading Volume II.

My father always said his best years of his life were in the U.S. Army. Thanks Dad, for all your years of service to your country.

These short stories can be all read start to finish in chronological order or at random. They are interconnected, yet complete by themselves as vivid memories of my father during his time in the U.S. Army while serving multiple tours in the Vietnam War. If you were ever fortunate enough to meet my father, it would not take him long to start talking about an Army story.

For decades my father typed up his stories on his computer from the 1990s to into the 2020s. Finally, in 2020, I made an effort to collect them all, read them over, edit them, and start to incorporate the best ones verbally told into colorful film-like illustrated comics. Enjoy.

Chatellerault, France December 1952 - November 1953

In December 1952 I was on a ship headed towards Europe. On the ship I studied a little book on German. I was learning to count in German, basic greetings. I was ready. In January 1953 we arrived in Germany where I was interviewed by an officer who said, “You are going to France.”

The next thing I knew, I was on a train for France and ended up in Ingrandes, a town so small if you sneezed you would have passed it right by; now, of course, it’s a big city. My first trip to town was for a Christmas carnival which was coming to an end. I practiced speaking French with some locals. The next day as I walked down the street on another visit to Chatellerault, the next big town near Ingrandes, I saw a store that sold books. I went in and bought a French-English dictionary. A word here, a word there, I started to speak French.

I found the family I had met the night before practicing French with, the Flochets. My visits lasted around 11 months making friends with them. I visited their relatives in Paris. I went to a monastery. What was amazing on the bottom floor at the Flochets was a Catholic family but on the top floor, the leader of the Communist party and his son, what a difference, but I did not have any problems.

I went to the movies, and went fishing and I caught a big one. I had my first bicycle in France, an old one but it got me where I wanted to go. Many good days. In that year I saw Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis who did a very short skit for us at our military camp.

Paterson, New Jersey New Years Eve 1953

It was December 31st, 1953. I had a love affair that did not work, was back from South Korea and out of the Army, and not able to get a job. What to do? Many nights I just walked the streets of Paterson, NJ.

In 1953, New Year’s Eve night, around 11:30 PM I was passing a roller rink. “Why not go in and have some fun for New Years,” I thought. I paid and put on the roller skates. I was only nineteen. In a few minutes I was skating around the rink. Then the announcement, “It will be midnight soon; men, get your lady and ladies, get your man.” Looking around, I saw a young lady motion me to come to her. I went to her and at the stroke of midnight we kissed. She went her way and I went mine.

The next day it was decision time. It took a few days but the decision was to reenlist in the Army. In Paterson I went to a recruiter and on the 13th January 1954 I was back in the Army. I joined under the condition I would go overseas, which was granted but I had to wait awhile. My first assignment was Aberdeen, Maryland. Since I was still a PFC (Private First Class) my duties were spent on details - buffing floors, washing dishes, and other assorted details.

The middle of March 1954, I got my orders to go to France. We boarded a ship in New York. This time I did not get seasick on the trip over. We landed at Bremerhaven, Germany and went to Zweibrucken, Germany where we got on an old Army train which took us to Paris, France. It was there I boarded a train for Orleans, France.

Fountainebleau, France November 1954 Thanksgiving in France

While serving in France, I hosted a Thanksgiving Orphans Party on Thanksgiving Day. It was well received and I was happy to provide meals for all 20 orphan boys including entertainment by myself and Army friends. I was always volunteering my time to help when I could because I was also an orphan growing up in a boarding school during the Great Depression.

Orleans, France 1955 Nicole

On the outskirts of Orleans, France I hitched a ride with my bike to see a young woman. I bicycled to Nicole’s place often. She was a woman I met that I had a crush on. In between each house there was a wide hallway. Her house was on the left behind the fence. In back is where she went to school. I never met her father. All conversations were with her Mother.

I needed a place to stay for two nights and that’s how I met Nicole. Her mother told me about an extra room she had available for rent. So I was taken upstairs and sure enough a room very small with a bed; that was it. There was a door, of course, going into the room; then another door off to the side. That night I settled down to go to sleep. The door connected to the adjoining room was locked. That’s where Nicole and her sisters slept.

That night Nicole comes to the door and talks through the keyhole, “Hello, Phillip”; the girls would giggle and even Nicole found it a little funny talking through the keyhole. So the next day I saw Nicole with her many brothers and sisters. She showed me where she went to high school. I asked her if she would like to go to a movie together and her mother gave us permission.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

Re-enlisting and going to France

Re-enlisting and going back to South Korea

Re-enlisting and going to Vietnam

Leaving Vietnam and retiring to civilian life

References & Resources

Landmarks

Cover

Table of Contents

Introduction

Dedication

Footnotes