Vietnam Archives • DAVIDPDX

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OLD SONG RINGS TRUE TODAY

March 4, 2026 by David Gillaspie

These are the opening lyrics of an old song, for what it’s worth: There’s something happening hereWhat it is ain’t exactly clearThere’s a man with a gun over thereA-telling me I got to beware That’s the name of the song, For What It’s Worth. Click the link for the live video.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, change, college, education, fuck ups, gangster, golden ticket, history, kids, learning, morons, old song, Oregon, Patty Hearst, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, revolution, Southern Oregon, story, travel, Vietnam, vietnam era, wife, writer, writers, writing

SEPARATION DAY, EVERY VETERAN’S DAY

November 12, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Separation day is the day you become a veteran. You get your papers and hit the road. My veteran road began in New Jersey, Fort Dix to be specific, which has a new role to play. The Army road began in Fort Ord, which also has a new role. From one September to another two […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, Baby Boomer blogger, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, Death, destruction, Elvis, historical video, leadership, leadership training, learning, MARRIAGE, married, military, North Bend, older, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, separation day, story, u.s. Army, veteran's day, Vietnam, war, war zones, writer, writing

RESTFUL SLEEP FOR BETTER DAYS

October 10, 2025 by David Gillaspie

For those who wonder about the benefit of restful sleep, stay up a little longer and keep reading. If you’re not on schedule for a solid eight hours of sleep, with power naps mixed in, keep reading. There is something keeping you up, something you can’t put your finger on, or step on, but what? […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Afghanistan, Army, Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, better day, blog, blogger, calm down, chain of command, china, dismissed, education, history, illegal orders, Iraq, Korea, lawful orders, learning, Marines, mental, military, military mindset, mindset, narrator, normal, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, Power Nap, rest, restful, restful sleep, senior citizens, sleep, story, stressful, turbulent times, unreliable narrator, Vietnam, woke, writer

LEARNING MORE AS WE GO? OK BOOMER

June 22, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Learning more is a life goal. Sharing life goals with others makes it even better. Baby boomers in the long haul of marriage have so much to look forward to, and look back on. That’s the benefit of sticking around, of sticking together. Embrace your history, ok boomer? How does that work? Stick around.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, black belt, BOOMER, education, history, history books, history question, learning, learning more, listening, martial arts, more better, ok boomer, pain, personal history, pho, read books, reading, sticking around, sticking together, teachers, teaching, the boss, Vietnam, Vietnam War, war story, what happened, writing

BRAGGING RIGHTS ON THE WALL OF FAME

June 10, 2025 by David Gillaspie

You’ve got bragging rights when you’re got a good dog like this. We went to class together, graduated together, and one of us peed on the floor during class. We’re still going strong but the teacher and the store she worked for moved on. Education is funny like that. What we learn stays with us […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: advanced degree, Army veteran, bragging, bragging rights, college diplomas, doubters, fame, following orders, free spirits, generations, high school, high school diplomas, home team, homer, honorable discharge, Korean War, rights, service, skeptics, the Beatles, veteran, Vietnam, vietnam era, wall of fame, WWII, young guys

EXCITABLE BOY, THEY ALL SAID

March 5, 2025 by David Gillaspie

An excitable boy at age eighteen is a good thing. I had a great year at that age. Graduated from high school, got a summer job, hitch-hiked to Iowa and back. I left town for college, then turned nineteen and joined the Army the next fall like it was school. That’s where I saw older […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, berlin bunker, best results, blowhard, dangerous, excitable boy, exciting times, germany, historical documentaries, historical industry, history, history degree, human depavity, killers, machine guns, peer pressure, research, teachers, testosterone, Vietnam, WWII, young men

ACCEPTABLE LOSSES WITH EXCEPTIONS

January 23, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Acceptable losses come with a line. Whether losses are acceptable or not usually depends on which side of the line you’re on. If friends and family are on one side, and you’re not? Either they’re on the loss side, or it’s you. Then what? Since I’ve been around a while, here’s a few ideas:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: acceptable losses, Afghanistan, dignity, draft, drafted, family, friends, honor, Iran, Iraq, Korea, Kuwait, reality, science, self respect, star trek, television, twin towers, Vietnam, WWII

THE INTIMATE PERSONAL, BUT WHY?

April 30, 2023 by David Gillaspie

The intimate personal is the #1 Rule of memoirists, novelists, poets, playwrites, noodlers, doodlers, and bloggers. Their readers want to know things, not necessarily first hand. Something on a page, or screen, is more than enough. But, someone’s still got to get it there. Some of my favorites:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomerpdx, intimate, intimate personal, love story, memoirists, novelists, personal, Vietnam, Vietnam War, Vietnam-era, writer, writing

VIETNAM VETERANS ON BOOMERPDX

March 29, 2023 by David Gillaspie

My Vietnam Veterans show up on BoomerPdx not as veterans but as guys I’ve met along the way. Extraordinary guys I’ve been lucky to meet. What’s my plan to meet anyone? Get out of the house and walk around and you can’t go wrong.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: active duty, Air Force, Army veteran, blogger, boomerpdx, john prine, navy veteran, Portland, sam stone, south portland, story, veteran, veteran status, Vietnam, vietnam veterans, Vietnam War, Vietnam-era, war zone

LATE SIXTIES GATHERING: 500K IN VIETNAM, 400K AT WOODSTOCK

July 21, 2022 by David Gillaspie

A late Sixties gathering in the air: We would take off at max gross weight 6000 pounds light on fuel. At the first refueling we would fill up to the inflight max gross weight to head North. Refueling here was a “piece of cake.” Try it at night and in the weather and was […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomers, BOOMER, external conflict, internal conflict, late sixties, LATE SIXTIES GATHERING, Portland Oregon, top gun, veterans, Vietnam, Vietnam War, Woodstock