Vietnam war not WWII - but interesting. 20% of US troops in Vietnam were heroin addicts.

Actionjick

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Sorry I don't think anyone would believe me, no evidence, only two possible witnesses haven't spoken to them in 40+ years. I would rather have someone make a freedom of information request about drug smuggling in Vietnam by military to the NSA or Army Intelligence, both of whom I was told I worked for.
Oh just suspend belief. It doesn't have to be factual, just entertaining!!

Simply channel the spirit of Tom Clancy, you'll be fantastic! 😉😉😊🤑🤑
 

R Hooks

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Their only optional for some, I can't say anything to convince a doubter, and what I can say would make more doubters. In my favor I know what happened. All of you already suspect drugs were shipped out of Vietnam, I saw it happen. They didn't keep code breaking in WW2 secret 50 years, some historian should find this and show the Big people involved, not a small cannon fodder like me.
 

Actionjick

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Their only optional for some, I can't say anything to convince a doubter, and what I can say would make more doubters. In my favor I know what happened. All of you already suspect drugs were shipped out of Vietnam, I saw it happen. They didn't keep code breaking in WW2 secret 50 years, some historian should find this and show the Big people involved, not a small cannon fodder like me.
It could always be a fictional account written under a nom de plume, or plum! 😉 Just sounds interesting.
 

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Just missed serving in Vietnam by 4 years (b.1958), but did enlist in USAF {1977-81, honorable discharge}. A good sized amount of
usage [lots of disciplinary actions typed up by yours truly]. This was in the "post-Vietnam" military, where you had to have a good
reference from God himself before any rehabilitation would be offered. Usually, one bust and you're OUT!
 

Jeff Waldon

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I did not serve in the Vietnam era. I heard of marijuana use, never saw it. I’d believe 20% nicotine addiction.
 

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I did not serve in the Vietnam era. I heard of marijuana use, never saw it. I’d believe 20% nicotine addiction.
I joined the Marines in 1980. There was an individual in the barracks, open squad bay, who would sell joints throughout the squad bay. He used a little remote control car. He would send you the joint and they would put the dollar bill on the car.
When the O.O.D. would enter the TV area, everyone would just put the weed out of site -you know out of respect :). Nothing was ever said.
4 short years later and there were urinalysis tests every where.

A much more current situation. I was attached to the 10th Mountain Div., in Afghanistan, and they would bust individuals with weed & hash. They even busted an Officer with steroids.
 

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I did not serve in the Vietnam era. I heard of marijuana use, never saw it. I’d believe 20% nicotine addiction.
Wasn't aware of much about pot till I hit the fleet. Different there, that's for sure!🙄🙄
 
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Actionjick

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I’ve certainly heard of use of illicit drugs, I just never witnessed it from 1987-2007.
To expand upon the above didn't witness any use in the schools, just talk and graffiti. The fleet was an entirely different matter. Never heard of anyone using heroin though.
 

Jeff Waldon

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I guess my point is this, I was in infantry units and in the drill field for my military career. I never witnessed illicit drug use, so I have to question its prevalence.
 

TopT

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To expand upon the above didn't witness any use in the schools, just talk and graffiti. The fleet was an entirely different matter. Never heard of anyone using heroin though.
We were getting ready to go into Fallujah and we let everyone go home for the 4th of July. We told everyone that there would be a 100% urinalysis sweep when they returned. It wasn't bad, 8 marines popped on weed but 1 popped on heroin. I have always believed that they did not want to go in to Fallujah and that was their ticket out.
 

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Sounds l
We were getting ready to go into Fallujah and we let everyone go home for the 4th of July. We told everyone that there would be a 100% urinalysis sweep when they returned. It wasn't bad, 8 marines popped on weed but 1 popped on heroin. I have always believed that they did not want to go in to Fallujah and that was their ticket out.
Sounds like it.
 

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I guess my point is this, I was in infantry units and in the drill field for my military career. I never witnessed illicit drug use, so I have to question its prevalence.
I was in 1980 - 2010. Late 80's, CA was absolutely rocked by crystal meth and there were probably zero Infantry Bn's exempted from this. It was everywhere. 29 Palms, CA was literraly awash with crystal meth -hundreds were discharged and that is not hyperbole. CamPen had the same issues. By the mid 90's the Corps' was getting a very good handle on drug use and had adopted a zero tolerance for any use. Individuals were processed out fast so as to excise the cancer before it spread.

The Corps was good for about 10 years but OpTempo created bad habits and supervision waned. I was passing through Cherry Point, NC and they had mandated a seminar for Senior Enlisted Advisor's to attend. I was the only E9 that didn't have horror stories of illicit drug use AND alcohol abuse -one always went with the other.
My daughter was also stationed at Cherry Point at the same time. She was like you, never saw anyone use illicit drugs nor heard of any female that was sexually assaulted. Same period of time, New River Air Station had a female marine raped on successive weekends.

Just because you didn't see it, certainly did not mean it was not happening.
 

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I was with 1/8 during Fallujeuh, I don’t recall one Marine not participating due to illicit drugs.
And we advised to take ours with us as well (except for the heroin pop) but the CO said No. They all stayed behind and were discharged. My last deployment (2009) we had a couple pop for weed and the CO gave them the choice to go with us and face the music once we returned or stay back and be discharged. None of them went with us.
 

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And we advised to take ours with us as well (except for the heroin pop) but the CO said No. They all stayed behind and were discharged. My last deployment (2009) we had a couple pop for weed and the CO gave them the choice to go with us and face the music once we returned or stay back and be discharged. None of them went with us.
I wonder if the boys in Nam were given that choice and what their answer would have been?
 

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My first stint in the army was 1969-1973 and though never went to Viet Nam our unit in Germany was rife with drug use, progressively getting worse in 71-72 as many 'Nam vets were re-incorporated into the unit and the anti-war/anti-soldier civilian attitude had reached its peak both at home and abroad. My estimation was 70-75% of troops (rank immaterial) at least tried some form of illicit drug on a casual basis and perhaps 25-40% used it on a regular basis. However, most illicit drug was use was in the form of hash or weed with about 1-2% of personnel using harder drugs (LSD, heroine, etc.). In most instances the people using illicit drugs on a regular basis were primarily REMFs (cooks, clerks, other rear area ash & trash types) whereas the in the line Cav troopers would contend themselves to getting high on weed or actually the drug of choice, alcohol but seldom during duty hours. Our mission as a inter-border cavalry recon unit gave us a real mission so perhaps the basis for comparison with the army in general is a bit skewed as the officers & NCOs were some of the more dedicated in the service at the time and this filtered down to the rank and file as well. By '72 not only had the draft been eliminated for all practical intents and purposes but the Army had instituted a pretty regular drug testing program and many casual users just simply gave up using illicit drugs to avoid its repercussions should they intend to stay in the Army or make rank, but alcohol consumption was still a pretty common escape mechanism. Having been in the army for 30+ years and associated with vets even when I was not, I can say with a certain degree of certainty that there drug use was certainly a problem in for forces in Viet Nam but from my discussions with vets (and we're pretty frank with each other about our experiences), the majority of drug use was with weed/hash and usually on a casual basis, though at times perhaps prolonged intensive use. The use of hard drugs has certainly been noted for rear area personnel (and by draftees) at a much higher rate than by front line personnel no matter where they served. As my buddy (and senior NCO & occasional pot smoker) had once said, "If on mission & I found a guy high on hard stuff, I would have taken him out myself". (BTW when I first met him he was a PVT E2 with 11 years in the Army, 3 tours of Viet Nam, a Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars for Valor, 4 Purple Hearts and had previously been a Platoon Sergeant - It wasn't his use of drugs that got him busted, but his Platoon Leader had a busted jaw and spent 6 weeks in a hospital).
 

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(BTW when I first met him he was a PVT E2 with 11 years in the Army, 3 tours of Viet Nam, a Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars for Valor, 4 Purple Hearts and had previously been a Platoon Sergeant - It wasn't his use of drugs that got him busted, but his Platoon Leader had a busted jaw and spent 6 weeks in a hospital).
I was a young marine marksmanship instructor (1983-84) and we had a totally squared away SSgt Vietnam vet, medals galore and I just amazed that he wasn't higher in pay grade. I asked him one day why and he said the same thing "I punched a 2nd Lt". It was a shame.
 
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