After completing basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Infantry Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and attending airborne school (did not complete) at Fort Benning, Georgia, my brother Wayne and I received orders for a 12 month tour in Vietnam. We went home to begin our 30-day leave before reporting to Fort Lewis, Washington and subsequent processing to Vietnam.

           Glyn Haynie Basic Training Aug 1969                                  Glyn, on left, and Wayne Leaving

​March 9, 1969, Wayne and I left our parents’ house for Vietnam. My mother, father and sister took us to the Columbus, Georgia airport, and we said our goodbyes. We boarded our flight and flew to Fort Lewis, Washington, the first stop on a long journey. We spent one night at Fort Lewis and the next morning we boarded an international flight to Vietnam with stops in Alaska and Japan. Wayne and I sat next to each other the entire flight.

​Our first assignment was the Americal (23rd) Infantry Division Combat Center at Chu Lai. The army didn't know what to do with two brothers in-country so they kept us at the Combat Center until someone finally made a decision. After six weeks Wayne went to Korea, and I reported to First Platoon, Company A, 3rd Battalion/1st Infantry, 11th Brigade, Americal Division.

​Wayne Haynie, April 1969, at the Combat Center in Chu Lai. Just finished cleaning gear. If I remember correctly our hooch would be to his left.

By Glyn Haynie

​Yes, I am a Vietnam Veteran! I served a year in Vietnam as an Army infantry soldier with First Platoon Company A 3rd Battalion/1st Infantry 11th Brigade Americal (23rd) Infantry Division and served in the U.S. Army for twenty years.

I told myself over and over again I would not get vocal about the Ken Burns documentary ”The Vietnam War.” Heck, it has not even aired yet. BUT I watched some interviews on television and the internet, and emotions surfaced that I didn’t know existed. At first I didn’t understand why, but then realized I am fearful that the American soldiers who fought the war and now the Vietnam Veterans will still not get the fair treatment or positive recognition they deserve. Will we still have to go on thinking we should be ashamed of our service?

The American public doesn’t know or maybe doesn’t care how the Marines, Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors who came home from fighting a war—for the American people and our country—were sometimes abused and ignored because of their service. The politics of the war don’t matter, then or in hindsight— American youth took the oath to support and defend, and that is what we did. The Greatest Generation took the same oath in World War II.

I am not saying the Baby-Boomers compare to the Greatest Generation, but I will say every soldier I served with in First Platoon was just as dedicated and brave as the generation before us. They were the Greatest of Our Generation! Most did not complain about the politics of the war or question why we were there. They endured the heat, rain, food, being dirty, hungry and scared as hell; that’s what good soldiers do.

I have three sons who served and returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. After returning, my two youngest, both infantry soldiers, asked how I processed and stored the memories of my Vietnam experiences. My only advice was that I put the memories in a box and stored it away. Probably not the best advice a father can give his sons, but that’s what Vietnam Veterans did. Heck, I was even envious of my sons because of the Welcome Home they received. How sad is that!

What’s even sadder, other than my petty envy, is how Vietnam Veterans greet each other. It can be anywhere… at the mall, a car wash or restaurant. When two veterans, strangers, greet they first ask each other what year they served, then shake hands and embrace and then say two words to each other: Welcome Home! If you don’t see the irony in this greeting, then you don’t get it. Hopefully the documentary will clear it up for you.

I have been asked if I would do it again. My response is always Yes – with the men of First Platoon, the finest and bravest men you will ever meet. 

To all Vietnam Veterans - Welcome Home Brothers!

Ok Ken Burns and Lynn Novick bring on the Documentary and reinforce my pride as a Vietnam Veteran!
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First Platoon photograph taken at our First Reunion 2016.

​Sitting, left to right: Gloria Ramos, Maurice Harrington, Mike Dankert, Fred Katz. Standing, left to right: Glyn Haynie, Don Ayres, Cliff Sivadge, Dusty Rhoades, Lesley Pressley, Charlie Deppen, Chuck Council, Dennis Stout, John “Mississippi” DeLoach and Ray “Alabama” Hamilton. Note: Gloria Ramos is the sister of Juan Ramos who was killed July 14, 1969.

By Glyn Haynie

​I was assigned to the 1st Platoon Company A 3rd Battalion/1st Infantry 11th Infantry Brigade Americal Division and awarded the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), along with every other infantry soldier who saw combat in Vietnam, however this is the award I am proudest to wear. This one award speaks volumes about the soldier wearing it. The infantry soldier is a unique breed.

​As stated by the United States Army Human Resources Command – The Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) was established by the War Department on 27 October 1943. Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair, then the Army Ground Forces commanding general, was instrumental in its creation. He originally recommended that it be called the "fighter badge." The CIB was designed to enhance morale and the prestige of the "Queen of Battle." Then Secretary of War Henry Stinson said, "It is high time we recognize in a personal way the skill and heroism of the American infantry."
 
We did not wear awards in the field and most times no other insignia. Mike Dankert came up with a solution to wear a “CIB”. It was nothing more than a safety pin pinned to the left pocket of his shirt. Others in first platoon adopted the wearing of the “field CIB”. This action is one way we could show how proud of this award we were.

​Mike Dankert with rear job at the brigade headquarters at Duc Pho. Note the safety pin on his left pocket. He is still wearing it even though he is wearing the authorized CIB worn above the U.S. Army tag.
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​When my son’s came home came home from Iraq and Afghanistan, I took this opportunity to pin my dad’s Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) on Nathan and my CIB on Bryan. Nathan served with the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry soldier and Bryan served in a Ranger Battalion as an infantry soldier.

By Glyn Haynie

​I found this photograph on the VietnamWarHistoryOrg page, posted by Tom Lacombe, and I thought it illustrated one hardship endured by infantry soldiers (unit unknown). After filling the canteens we would add iodine pills to make the water safe to drink and Kool-Aid to "try" to kill the taste of the iodine and nasty water. We would get water from streams and wells too, and it would taste as bad as this rain water.
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Look at the uniforms the soldiers are wearing. They are wet and dirty, and most likely soaked with their sweat. It was “normal” for us to wear the same uniform for weeks at a time before getting clean uniforms. Clean uniforms were dropped off in a bundle by a supply helicopter for the platoon, and we would search through the bundle of uniforms trying to find a set that would fit.

Dave Armstrong provided two of my autographed books to the 2017 Reagan Dinner Fundraiser for the Williamson County Republican Party at the Sheraton Georgetown, 1101 Woodlawn Ave, Georgetown, Texas 78628 on Monday February 20th, 2017.
 
The Reagan Dinner is the Williams County Republican Party annual gala fundraiser.  Proceeds fund headquarters operations, voter registration and identification efforts, community engagement, social media operations, and other important activities of the Williamson County Republican Party. The Honorable Karl Rove delivered the keynote address at this year’s banquet. 

Both books sold! Thanks Dave.

I am currently working on creating an Audio Book for my current book When I Turned Nineteen: A Vietnam War Memoir. I am working with the design company, 1106 Design Phoenix, AZ, to produce the audio book. The narrator, Kelly Klaas, provided a sample of the first two pages of Chapter 1 and I thought he did an outstanding job. Kelly is close to my age and I think he will be a good fit to represent me as he narrates my story.
 
I entered into an exclusive contract with ACX to distribute the audio book. ACX is brought to you by Audible.com, an Amazon.com subsidiary and a leading provider of audio content and entertainment. Distribution will be to Audible, Amazon and iTunes. The audio book will be available for digital download only.
 
The audio book should be available May 2017.

Sample from the audio book: Introduction

​I have received many positive comments about the cover of my book "When I Turned Nineteen A Vietnam War Memoir". 

Don Ayres took the photograph November 1969. Don came to the platoon as a replacement the end of August 1969. The day he took the photograph we were working in the mountains west of Hill 411. I was approaching the squad to get ready to move out when Don while sitting on the ground called out “Sergeant Haynie” and then took the picture as I stopped and looked at him. I have always thought this one picture captured my mental and physical state at the time by my expression and body language. 

Don lives in California and is retired. We got to see each other the first time after 46 years at our First Platoon Reunion July 2016.

Thank you Don Ayres.

This is the original photograph.

The proofreading is complete and before uploading the final files I need to approve the Full Dust Jacket Proof PDF and the Soft Cover Proof PDF for the hardback and paperback. The covers will include the barcode, ISBN and price information. Once I review and approve the dust jacket and soft cover, the PDF files are uploaded. The eBook file is uploaded last.
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Once the files are uploaded and converted ​I will receive the book Proof (Hardback and Paperback), this will take four or five days. Once I review the book and make sure all is correct, I will approve the printing of the book and it will be available for sale.

The Print Layout Design is completed. The next phase toward publishing my book is proofreading. The design team emailed a Proof PDF, the first fully formatted proof of my book I've seen so far.
They highly recommend that I print the PDF. It’s much more effective to check formatting on paper and note any corrections directly on the hard copy. The written revisions can then be added to the proofreader’s annotated PDF.

When reading the manuscript, check for:

• spelling mistakes
• missing information
• incorrect or inconsistent formatting
• placement of images, etc. (check that all captions are correct)

 
As soon as the proofreader finishes, they will send me the annotated PDF, so I can review what they found and accept or reject the suggested changes.

Now that the manuscript is formatted, it's more efficient for the design team to work from the Master annotated PDF. However, if changes to the Proof are lengthy (i.e., a new paragraph or section, or a completely rewritten paragraph), I can enter these revisions in a Word document and email them that file of corrections only.
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While the proofreaders try to locate and correct all errors, it’s impossible for just one person to find everything in a single pass. It's best to have as many people checking a document as possible. That’s why I proofread the book when the proofreader does.
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Proofreading generally takes from ten to fourteen working days.