Stories of service, sacrifice, military life, and the bonds that survive long after the uniform comes off.
This story is part of Brothers In Arms — my collection of firsthand military memories, Vietnam stories, veterans’ experiences, and the strange bits of Marine Corps life that never made it into the history books.
A firsthand account of arriving in Vietnam in 1969, the culture shock of serving near the DMZ, a violent blanket party, nightly rocket attacks, and the hard lessons boot camp never taught.
Service leaves marks that never completely fade. Some are visible. Most aren’t.
The uniform eventually comes off. The memories don’t.
Brothers In Arms is where I write about military service, Vietnam, veterans, combat, the VA, military culture, and the people who shaped my life—both those who made it home and those who didn’t.
Some stories are funny. Some are painful. Some took decades to tell.
All of them are true.
Start Here
If you’re visiting for the first time…
- Want my Vietnam story? Start with Boot Camp Didn’t Prepare Me for Vietnam.
My Vietnam story begins here—culture shock, drugs in the platoon, a violent blanket party, nightly rocket attacks, and the realization that the enemy wasn’t the only danger. - Interested in PTSD and life after war? Begin with Living With PTSD.
A firsthand look at PTSD from a Vietnam veteran—survivor’s guilt, nightmares, hypervigilance, and what I’ve learned about living with a war that followed me home. - Looking for lighter military stories? Visit Boot Camp Legends or Jungle Legends.
The lighter side of military life—the strange, funny, outrageous, and sometimes unbelievable stories Marines were still telling decades later. - Curious about military fraud? Read about Stolen Valor.
Military impostors don’t just steal honors they never earned. This series looks at why people fake military service, how they’re exposed, and the families and veterans hurt by their lies. - Did someone you know or heard about die in Vietnam due to Friendly Fire? The nicest name for the worst day.
Veteran reality: sometimes your own side kills you—by mistake, by malice, or by “incident” paperwork. And the language gets polite when the truth gets ugly. This is a personal look at friendly fire, the memories it can leave behind, and why those two words can still hit a veteran decades later.
Brothers In Arms follows my military journey in roughly the order it happened—from boot camp and Vietnam, to the long aftermath of PTSD, the VA, and reflections on military service more than fifty years later.
If you’re interested in my personal Vietnam story, begin with Combat & Vietnam below. If you’re looking for veterans’ issues or PTSD, skip ahead to The War Came Home and Veterans & The VA.
1. Service & Military Life
Boot camp, deployments, military culture.
Before Vietnam
- Why I Chose the Marines Instead of the Army or Navy
Long before Vietnam, there was a decision that changed everything. This is the story of why I chose the Marine Corps, how my family reacted, and the journey that began on the yellow footprints. - The Yellow Footprints
Every Marine remembers the moment he first stepped onto those yellow footprints at recruit training. This story looks back at that first intimidating arrival at MCRD San Diego—the shouting, confusion, fear, and realization that civilian life was over and the Marine Corps was about to take control. - For the Marines: Uncle Jack, the Pueblo, and a Night Out of ITR
Freezing tents, spinal meningitis rumors, and stolen heaters made infantry training at Camp Pendleton miserable in 1968. Then my uncle Jack Rice, a WWII Marine combat correspondent, unexpectedly appeared with steak, beer, and a welcome escape. Years later, I learned how that unforgettable evening connected to the USS Pueblo incident—and why Jack’s influence on my life went far beyond the Marine Corps. - Marine Corps Boot Camp, 1968: Welcome to Hell, Recruit!
What was Marine Corps boot camp really like during the Vietnam War? In 1968, I arrived at MCRD San Diego with no idea what awaited me. From screaming drill instructors and brutal discipline to rifle qualification and graduation, this is my firsthand account of earning the title United States Marine—and why I remain proud of it nearly sixty years later.
Combat & Vietnam
Vietnam Memoir Series
- Boot Camp Didn’t Prepare Me For Vietnam – Part 1 of my Vietnam Story
My first days in Vietnam shattered everything boot camp had taught me. Drugs in the platoon, a brutal blanket party, nightly rocket attacks, and the realization that surviving the enemy wasn’t my only concern. - The Theft Ring – Part 2 of my Vietnam Story
Life near Da Nang seemed safer than Dong Ha—until fellow Marines and local civilians were caught stealing from their own. Exposing the theft ring set off a chain of events that made me a marked man in my own unit. - The Walking Dead Men: When Doing The Right Thing Made Us Targets – Part 3 of my Vietnam Story
The dramatic conclusion of Richard Schaefer’s Vietnam memoir series, recounting how exposing corruption inside his own unit led to threats, isolation, and a desperate battle to survive. - The Day My Mom’s Babysitter Thought My Vietnam Call Was a Hoax
My one chance to call home from Vietnam turned into pure comedy. When a teenage baby sitter answered the phone instead of my Mom, she thought someone was pulling a fast one, what today might be considered a voice clone scam. It took me the whole MARS call to convince her I was on the level. - Before “Whatever,” There Was “There It Is”
Long before Americans began ending arguments with “whatever,” Marines in Vietnam had their own expression: “There it is.” Two simple words that captured frustration, resignation, acceptance, and the dark humor that helped veterans survive the war. - Sleeping With One Ear Open
At Camp Red Devil, AKA Dong Ha Combat Base near Dong Ha, Vietnam, I learned to sleep through the thunder of outgoing artillery—but the faint pop of an incoming rocket could wake me instantly. Vietnam taught my brain the difference between noise and danger. - The Enemy Inside the Wire
I arrived in Vietnam expecting rockets, mines, and enemy fire. I wasn’t prepared for drugs, a blanket party, a theft ring, threats, and the realization that sometimes the greatest danger wasn’t beyond the perimeter—it could come from the men inside it. - The Freedom Bus and the Freedom Bird
After thirteen months in Vietnam, my journey home began with beers and burgers at Freedom Hill and a goodbye to my best buddy Richard and his uncle Jim, who still had months left in the war. Then came the Freedom Bus, a Flying Tiger Line DC-8, ten tense minutes after takeoff—and the unforgettable cheer when we finally reached the South China Sea and knew we were safe. - The Fairway and Frenchie: From Ambushes to Birdies in Vietnam
In 1969, a Marine supply convoy near Da Nang came under enemy fire. The driver of my truck, a Marine named Frenchie, was killed, and I was wounded. Nearly forty years later, a luxury golf cruise introduced me to Montgomerie Links Vietnam, bringing back memories of a Marine I’d known for only a few hours but never forgotten.
The War Came Home
The shooting stopped. The war didn’t.
When Vietnam Finally Came Home
The Pat Tillman case forced me to confront memories I’d buried for decades. This is the story of my PTSD diagnosis, the fight for VA disability, and how I finally found peace after Vietnam.
Living With PTSD: A Marine Explains It
PTSD isn’t always visible, but for many veterans it’s a daily companion. Drawing on his own experience after Vietnam, Richard explains survivor’s guilt, nightmares, hypervigilance, and the practical tools—including therapy, routine, and AI conversations—that have helped him navigate life after combat.
2. Veterans & The VA
Benefits, disability, PTSD, VA experiences.
Let Down By The Crisis Line
Reaching out for help is one of the hardest steps a veteran can take. When I finally did, the response left me questioning whether the system truly understood the people it was meant to serve.
The Ghosts In The Barracks
A Marine’s Memory of Vietnam, Fragging, and the Long Tail of PTSD
Life Inside The VA
A firsthand look inside the Department of Veterans Affairs—from PTSD treatment and medications to fellow veterans, the Manila VA, and what the system gets right… and wrong.
3. Brothers We Remember
Tributes to the Marines, friends, and fallen comrades whose lives and deaths became part of my own story.
These aren’t names on a wall to me.
They were Marines I knew, laughed with, served beside, or whose loss shaped my life forever.
PFC Victor Cartier – a great friend and hometown boy and the main reason I wanted to go to Vietnam, killed in action: April 8th, 1969: United States Marine Corps, L CO, 3RD BN, 5TH MARINES, 1ST MARDIV, III MAF, near Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam.
PFC Reavis Montrey – brother of my high school classmate Janet Montrey, killed in action: November 16th, 1965, United States Marine Corps, M CO, 3RD BN, 9TH MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF, near Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam.
Lcpl Elton Davis – a feisty Texan and brother Marine that hated combat and dreamed he would die there. Killed in action: September 29, 1969, United States Marine Corps, F CO, 2ND BN, 4TH MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF, near Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.
George “Georgie” Howard – from Pascagoula, Mississippi, a fierce warrior afraid of nothing. Killed in action: October 9th, 1969, United States Marine Corps, 3RD PLT, L CO, 3RD BN, 4TH MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF, near Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.
4. Life After Service
The war may end. The service never really does.
Stories about transition, retirement, PTSD, aging, purpose, and carrying military lessons into civilian life.
5. Stolen Valor & False Heroes
Military imposters don’t just deceive the public. They damage families, exploit trust, and undermine the sacrifices of those who actually served. This series explores the fraud, the victims, and the psychology behind one of the military community’s most despised forms of deception.
Don Shipley and the War Against Stolen Valor
Stolen valor isn’t a harmless lie. Former Navy SEAL Don Shipley has spent years exposing military impostors and defending the honor earned by those who actually served. And here is a bit of Shipley trivia, the very first imposter he outed was a fake Marine SgtMaj!
Stolen Valor: Why Some People Pretend to Be Heroes
A look at the growing problem of military imposters, stolen valor, fake heroes, and the veterans determined to expose them.
The Richard Archives
A Collection of Stories, Memories & Military Mischief
Not every military memory is about combat. Some are funny, some are strange, and some have been passed around among Marines for so long that nobody remembers where the truth ends and the legend begins.
These are the stories that never made the history books—but somehow survived every barracks, VFW hall, backyard barbecue, and reunion.
Boot Camp Legends
Boot Camp Legends – Stories Every Marine Still Tells about Marine Corps Basic Training
Every Marine remembers the official parts of boot camp, but the stories that live on are the ones never found in the training manual. From daring escape attempts and unforgettable inoculation day to practical jokes, platoon folklore, and Marine Corps myths, these are the tales recruits still tell decades after earning the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.
Jungle Legends
Jungle Legends Vol. 1: The Stories Every Vietnam Vet Heard
Not every Vietnam story involved combat. Some involved rumors, practical jokes, terrifying wildlife, and the strange folklore that developed when young men lived for months in a war zone. From saltpeter in the chow and Black Syph to Rocket Watch and rats that seemed larger than life, these are the stories veterans still tell decades later.
Jungle Legends Vol. 2: Things Nobody Mentioned About Vietnam
The Vietnam War wasn’t just firefights and patrols. It was burning latrines, swallowing malaria pills the size of horse tablets, surviving monsoon rains, battling insects, and learning that the jungle itself could be as dangerous as the enemy. These are the stories that rarely appear in history books but remain unforgettable to those who served.
Why These Stories Matter
War isn’t made up entirely of firefights.
It’s also made up of rumors, practical jokes, exaggerated stories, and the strange folklore that grows anywhere young people are asked to live under extraordinary stress.
Some of these stories were true. Some almost certainly weren’t. But every one of them was part of Vietnam. And somehow, fifty years later, they’re often the stories we laugh about first.