Showing posts with label vietnam veteran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vietnam veteran. Show all posts

Friday, March 22, 2024

Come to Philippines Before World War 3


WWIII appears to be fast approaching.


Filipinos will fight for Freedom!

Does it look like World War III is coming?

As an American expat and a permanent resident of the Philippines, I am beginning to get an uneasy feeling. I met my Filipina wife in 2007. We now have a home in an upscale American style subdivision, about two hours' drive from Manila, where we live with our three children and one of my wife's cousins who is our live-in housekeeper. We have armed guards at our entrance gates and roaming guards throughout the neighborhood.

Should we stay or should we fly back to the USA? We all have US citizenship. Our children are all Phil Am kids. They and my wife have dual citizenship.

If you are thinking about coming to meet a Filipino now is a perfect time to do it. It can take a while to file the paperwork to apply for your future spouse's travel to your country. We thought about hiring an attorney to help us through the process but finally did it ourselves and saved a lot of money.


Recently it was announced that citizens may now apply to get semi-automatic weapons. Until now gun ownership has been restricted. See my article about self-defense in the Philippines.

See my articles about Philippine military and conflicts in the Philippines.

As a Vietnam vet I am somewhat knowledgeable about living in war zones. There are always safe places to be in a country even while conflict is raging. When I met my wife, she agreed to travel with me to the island of Mindanao. Her friends and relatives advised her not to go there. The US State department advised not to go or if one must go to use "extreme caution" and "do not stay in one place for too long." Well, we flew there and had a good time for almost a month before flying back to Manila.

Ladies of the Philippines.
You may not marry one if you have not met her,
in person, in the Philippines!

How long have you been communicating with a Filipina? Do you really want to meet her in person, take her out to dinner, get to know her better? Have the two of you talked about marriage? Are you going to wait until war breaks out? 

Come to the Philippines while it is still peaceful.

Update March 23, 2024: China boat attacks again.


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This post will be expanded upon. Check back for more information about come to the Philippines while still peaceful. Uploaded March 22, 2024. Updated March 23 & 24, 2024.

Friday, July 29, 2022

The Vietnam War

My Graduating Class

The Vietnam War

I got my draft notice and immediately went and interviewed recruiting offices in my town. I talked first to the Army. Then the Marines. The Marine recruiter explained that the Army always prepares a plan of escape, but the Marines never do. The Marines always try to develop a plan when it is needed. Well, it seemed the best way to survive would be to have a plan of escape (or retreat.) A no brainer to me.

If you allowed yourself to be drafted, you would only need to serve for three years. But if you joined you would be required to serve four years. So, to make a long story short, I went and joined the Army. If one joined one could choose an MOS (job.) I was told there were openings in Infantry, Gunnery and Finance. I chose Finance (another no brainer to me.) I would wear the diamond shaped lapel pins of a Finance specialist.

Finance Pins, MOS 73C



Finance Specialist

It was not too long, and I was on my way to processing in Miami. We got some shots there and I watched as some of the biggest and "toughest" guys were kneeling and sitting on the floor, holding their foreheads, propped up by the wall looking like they were about to pass out.

Well, I made it through that with flying colors. No sweat.

During basic training I qualified for officer candidate school and turned it down. I had no thoughts of making the military a career.

When I was about to board the plane to Vietnam, I remember thinking "maybe I will discover what this is all about." Well after almost a year there I still had not figured it out. 

After many years I met a Filipina online and flew to Manila to meet her in person. We met at a shopping mall and hit it off very well. In a short time, against the advice of her friends and family, we were on a plane headed to Mindanao. I was seeking some adventure and she was happy to travel along. The U.S. State Department advised "use extreme caution" while on Mindanao. 

We stayed at hotels there for weeks. 

The Philippines seemed a lot like Vietnam.

We married and had three children. My wife and children are now U.S. citizens and we have flown back and forth between the Philippines and the U.S.A. several times. 

Jet lag is always a problem. But we overcome it by sleeping at weird hours until it is gone.

The guy in this video will shed some light on the situation in the Nam. In the city where I was the people were friendlier. Probably because it was known as The French Riviera of the Far East, a rest area for us and the "enemy." 






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This post will be expanded upon. Check back for more information about read about a former Vietnam veteran in the Philippines. Updated July 31, 2022.