THE SCREAMING EAGLE
Brian Thomson emigrated to America knowing he might be called up to fight in Vietnam, although he thought the chances were slim.
Thomson, now 78, was a 24-year-old man whose wife Margaret, now 74, had family in the country. But he was told those who were drafted were mostly single with an average age of 19.
The former soldier, who grew up in Fife and now lives in Dunfermline, said: “American law stated that after six months in country you had to register with the draft. I waited until the very last day before registering but within six months I was in basic army training at Ford Ord in California. It turns out that Brian Mcangus and I were there at the same time. That was in 1968. On January 13, 1969, I left for Vietnam.
“I remember getting our orders like it was yesterday. We had been out on manoeuvres and it was chucking down with rain. There were a couple of hundred of us and almost all were sent to Vietnam. I had a choice. I could have gone home but I am old-fashioned. It was ‘death before dishonour’. And even although some people were saying, ‘don’t go, go home’ I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I had.”
Thomson, who with his wife has a daughter Melissa, now 49, shipped out to the 101st Airborne Division – the Screaming Eagles – at Camp Evans, north-west of Hue in central Vietnam. From there he joined a security team protecting a general but as a former coach maker skilled in electronics, he helped set up firebases – like Berchtesgaden.
He said: “One night I was away from Firebase Berchtesgaden and getting supplies when it was overrun by the enemy. Of the 35 guys who were there, we lost 14. We secured the base. If I had been there I might not be alive now. It is the luck of the draw. You didn’t have time to be scared. You just concentrated on making it through.”
Thomson, who was given US citizenship during R&R in Hawaii, returned to the 101st at Mai Loc 101st south of the demilitarized zone. He said: “I was probably within a couple of miles of John and Brian but we never met.”
He served the obligatory full year in Vietnam. “You could have extended for 40 days,” said Thomson, “but I figured if they didn’t get me in 365 I wasn’t going to give them any more opportunity.”
Thomson was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Achievement and the Army Commendation Medal. He later joined Los Angeles police working in traffic, narcotics, vice, and as a detective. He retired in 1991 and returned to Scotland, working with young people with disabilities for the council. Now retired, he said: “It was always our plan to come home to Scotland.”