Author Description

The 6th Convalescent Center at Cam Ranh Bay was the Armyʼs most notorious Amnesty Drug Compound in Viet Nam. Over 200 GI junkies were confined to an under staffed barbed wire enclosed hospital. Two months into operations the 200 plus GI junkies took control of the hospital. It all started with a midnight party. The GI junkies took all the beds out of the hospital, along with several pieces of hospital furniture, piled them up near the hospital entrance and set them on fire. It was one of the strangest sights I have ever seen. 200 plus GI junkies, high on drugs, dancing around a bon fire acting like a tribe of wild men. My reaction, along with the other 59 GIs staffing the hospital, was simple. We left the hospital and went on strike. Going on strike was not something the Army was prepared to handle. Our commanding officer, a doctor, ordered us to go back into the hospital to take control of the drug crazed GI junkies. We, on the other hand, where not so inclined to do this. Our chaplain decided he would talk to the drug crazed GI junkies, thinking he could defuse the situation. He gave a really great speech on how he felt their pain and understood them. They responded by allowing the chaplain to feel their pain first hand. They beat him up and threw him out the front gate. Upon hearing how the chaplain was given to a lesson in humility by the GI junkies, our commander, being of sounder mind then the chaplain made a decision. He decided he would get back to us later after consulting with higher authorities. Later became four weeks and the higher authority turned out to be Four Star General Creighton W. Abrams, Commanding General of the Army. Born at the Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in East Los Angeles, in the district of Highland Park graduating from Franklin High School, Los Angeles City College, California State University at Los Angeles, and University of California at Los Angeles. Served five years in the U.S. Army with tim