Ted Boquist And The Vietnam War

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The Vietnam was not a pretty war, there were many young kids that got drafted and others that wanted to go, like Ted Boquist. Boquist was a young kid straight out of high school and wanted to get away from his small hometown so Boquist decided to fight a war that many wish would never had happened. Boquist’s experience in the war was what most people expected it to be like, he was sent to basic training, AIT, and eventually to Vietnam to defend our country. Luckily he made it back safely, and he made it back safely with a true story to tell. This was not the case for many other soldiers that went to war and returned.
Boquist was not like a normal kid in 1965, Boquist actually wanted to go to Vietnam to fight the war so he enlisted himself. …show more content…
For Boquist this was the case, he wanted to be in special forces but after AIT Boquist was put in the 1st Cavalry Division. At the headquarters in Georgia is where are assigned to a group or even to be a driver. If they were assigned a vehicle it was their job to take care of it.The soldiers had to make sure it was always clean, keep it painted and keep it running. While they were staying at the headquarters, the news came that it was time to go to Vietnam. There was really no warning, just that it was time to go on a boat or a plane that was already packed for you. Boquist enjoyed his trip over on the PATCH, which was the ship that they were being hauled over in. It was a 30 day trip and it counted towards his time. Other people on the ship did not have the same excitement that Boquist had, some of them had never even been on a ship before so they were getting sea sick. A fellow passenger on the PATCH referred to the the trip as swimming in vomit. Although this time counted towards their time in Vietnam, it also counted down till they would be arriving in Vietnam, this was some of the soldiers greatest fears. During the trip, the platoon usually stopped at a couple different locations to refuel and get off the boat, for Boquist they stopped at Panama before making the complete journey across the ocean. This was a pretty common spot for the boats to stop. During this time there was no leave for the soldiers unless they had family there and they could prove it, the sergeants did not want to take the risk of anyone running away. After the 2 week voyage overseas they would arrive at Vietnam, there were many different locations where the soldiers arrived on the Vietnamese

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