MPC Picksups for Today!

Thanks for letting me know. I am interested in these but can never find nice specimens, mostly grage sales and estate sales have some pop up. I think I'll check on your site for some of the raw ones. Thanks again!

 

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I have an uncle that was in the Vietnam war, so he would have used MPC...how would you go about seeing if he had any left? I wouldn't want to bring up any bad memories, of course.

 

Looks like you would have to be careful with that conversation depending on what he
Went through, i would just take it slow on any account and go from there

 

Be advised that all Nam Vets are not Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] basket cases. We also were not the baby killers as reported by the then dishonest press. And, the majority of us were not the stoned druggies as portrayed by the film industry. When arriving home, we were met with screaming crowds of anti-war protesters. We left the land of flying bullets to arrive home to flying rocks. These hostile receptions resulted in many vets regretting and/or deeply burying their in-country experiences. Once buried, they continued to fester in angry silence and, for the unfortunate, that silence continues.

If uncle Nam Vet was in the Infantry, he probably had a tough tour. The Infantry comprises only 12% of the Army, but accounts for over 87% of the casualties. The Marines share the same cruel plight. The 'sister' services get three hot meals a day, showered daily and sleep on clean sheets. [jesting, just jesting.] Not certain what branch or service your uncle was in. He may have been fortunate and served in a supporting role, avoiding the hazards of living in the boonies.

In most instances, vets are proud of their service and of the unit they served with. Many don't talk about their experiences because they find that others aren't interested or are put-off by the untidiness of 'war stories.' Yet, when they get together with other 'been there, done that' vets, they open up with a flood of stories. It's a kind of therapy not understood by others. We shared many of the same hardships, the same dangers and have an unspoken appreciation for each other. Simply put, it's a Nam thing.

Your interest in MPCs offers an excellent approach for initiating a conversation, and doing so without being a direct reference to something he would prefer not to discuss. Tell him about the notes you have and your affection for them. You may consider suggesting to him that his service is a source of family pride and that you would appreciate knowing about his experiences to pass on to future generations. Gene pool pride, so to speak. Show interest in him and see how he responds. He survived the Nam, he's not fragile.

Above all, keep us informed. Let us know how the situation is or has developed. Tell us what you learned about him using MPC and about his in-country unit, job, duties and/or experiences.

May Lady Luck be your close companion.

 

He lives in far away from me, but I talk to him now and then through facebook, he's been a help to me with my music business endeavors, as he was an entrepreneur. As far as I know he was a pilot, and he served two tours...I also know that he doesn't ever want to fly again...so we'll see if I can find a way to get talking to him about this, because I would love to hear his stories about using them. I missed out on asking my Grandpa about the war, only saw pictures, and he didn't get to use MPC...It's always one of those things I've been curious about, the experiences they had, that is...

 

Surviving two tours brings him close to being hero material. Depends on what kind of pilot [what he flew], the service he was in and the type of unit. If he flew with an Army Assault Helicopter Company or a Marine equivalent, he is a hero. If you are interested in the impossible situations these heroes survived, recommend you visit: vietnamgear.com. Place your cursor over the heading titled Articles and click-on War Stories. These are among some of the most accurate accounts recorded.

 

As far as I know he did a tour as a medevac and another as a combat assault helicopter pilot, and I've heard something about him never wanting to fly again because they were shot down, but I honestly only know whatever stories float on down the family tree. Definitely is a lot to survive two tours.

 

Good on him. He was a Huey pilot, having flown both medivac and assault gunships. He is among he best of he best. As a Grunt, we loved those guys. Their firepower was awesome and covered us during our withdrawal from a firefight. The medivac pilots had guts made of steel. They spared no effort, flying against impossible odds, to get our wounded out. Read those stories on the vietnamgear website and you will learn just how much of a hero he was.