Help with Vietnam dates of tour duty (1 Viewer)

[Catskills]

Hey guys/gals,

Hoping someone can help me with this.

I am working on a scholarly article and am trying to determine why an author would have changed the dates of a character's service dates from the first edition to the later ones.

• In the first edition, the character, a sniper, served from August 7, 1966 to May 2, 1968.

• In revised editions, he serves from August 7, 1966 to September 2, 1968.

I have a theory that the author wanted to place him in Vietnam for something that happened in those months he tacked on, but all of my research has led to dead ends.

Any help at all would be appreciated and I would cite your valuable intel in the paper.

Thanks in advance, Kris

 

[Helipilot]

I was there in 1968 in I Corps. I will check my files but off hand I can't recall any noteworthy events in I Corps. Maybe something happened in the other three Corps.

Perhaps the character in question needed a couple of more bush assignments for the Combat Infantry Badge. I will get back to you and if you can identify the area the character was in it would help. I was 101st Airborne, a gunship pilot, a Chief Warrant Officer and later direct commission to a RLO (real live officer) or so the joke goes.

 

[Catskills]

Thank you so much!

He was 12th Infantry. It says "Battalion" in the first edition and then that is taken out in the revised editions. 3 tours.

 

[Helipilot]

First issue is the Army had 12 month tours as a standard so, three tours would be 36 months and not two years as described. Aug-'66 to Sep-'68.

Still checking with some of my buds to see if they know of anything noteworthy.

 

[jdayment]

12th Infantry would have been a regiment I just did a quick search and it shows several battalions were activated under the 12th Infantry Regiment throughout Vietnam at least 5 I think from what I read. Unless the author typed incorrectly and he was meaning 1-2 Infantry which would be 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment. Do you know which division he served in lieu of just the regiment or battalion?

 

[Helipilot]

I have nothing to report on the original questions. Checked with three people who were there during the time in question and they had nothing to report. Sorry.

 

[Catskills]

No, there is nothing more on it. I just reread sections of it last night and am not coming up with anything new.

He had several ballistics errors in this text as well, so I am guessing now that's what it is with this timeline issue, but errors are unusual for him, so I just wanted to see if any of you guys had any idea why...

Thanks so much.

12th Infantry would have been a regiment I just did a quick search and it shows several battalions were activated under the 12th Infantry Regiment throughout Vietnam at least 5 I think from what I read. Unless the author typed incorrectly and he was meaning 1-2 Infantry which would be 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment. Do you know which division he served in lieu of just the regiment or battalion?

 

[Catskills]

I have nothing to report on the original questions. Checked with three people who were there during the time in question and they had nothing to report. Sorry.

I appreciate your work. Thank you.

 

[Downey]

During the Vietnam war it was common for a serviceman's tour of duty to be extended involuntarily, perhaps that happened here, so both dates could possibly be accurate???

 

[Helipilot]

l agree with Downey on involuntary extensions as it happened to me due to a shortage of Cobra pilots.

 

[daniel.watters]

During one of my deployments, I was involuntarily extended in Iraq... part of the surge.
Oct2007-Jan2009

 

[AJP]

Just ensuring the character had two full (12 month) tours? thats my wag