For watch-lovers and Vietnam veterans - this will make you smile...

[tac]

and if you are anything like me, maybe cry a little, right? If you are a watch lover, and even more, a veteran of Vietnam, then you MUST watch this two part article on youtube. A wounded US Marine is getting care and attention in the jungle from a Corpsman - take my watch, he asks.

Fast forward fifty years, to the very day, and he is holding it in his hands again, battered and worn. This is the story of two US Marines and the memories that rejoined them, and of Rolex/Tudor Watch Company, who made it like new again.

The Long Return, Part I: Restoring The Tudor That Took A Bullet In Vietnam -

You really can't put a price on this happening.

Have something handy to wipe your eyes, y'know, just in case there's some dust around, eh?

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[Boss]

Saw this elsewhere, worth a share.

Boss

 

[RicInOR]

me too

: For watch-lovers and Vietnam veterans - this will make you smile...

 

[tac]

Saw this elsewhere, worth a share.

Boss

Now I wonder where I saw that before?

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Straight out of the chute, I'll fess up to not watching the videos, but I have a good and deeply personal reason...

It wasn't uncommon for injured troops to hand over items of personal importance or value to a trusted buddy, NCO or Officer because there was a general understanding that once the medical personnel took it from you the likelihood of you or your next of kin ever seeing it again were slim.

I had an ammo can where I kept all of the personal effects that I was given either directly or indirectly over the course of 4 tours. Those that returned to the company had their property returned to them. For those that did not return, but were sent stateside, I sent their property directly to them. For those that did not survive their wounds, I sent their property and a personal letter directly to their next of kin.

I still have that ammo can. Inside it are the personal effects of 9 of the finest and bravest men I've ever had the honor of knowing. All were sent back to me by their next of kin with letters to the effect of "We know he would have wanted you to have this.."

Every Veterans Day I sit on the edge of my bed, open that ammo can, look at the items, read the letters......and cry, like I am right now just thinking about it. 50+ years later and it still hurts...

 

[Medic!]

I watched it.
Bitter sweet story all in all. But nice.


Also. I do feel the man giving back the watch should have been given a new one.

 

[tac]

I watched it. Bitter sweet story all in all. But nice. Also. I do feel the man giving back the watch should have been given a new one.

The man giving the watch back had had it in his safekeeping for fifty years, why would he want a new one? It wasn't his in the first place.

 

[Ruger Rich]

Straight out of the chute, I'll fess up to not watching the videos, but I have a good and deeply personal reason...

It wasn't uncommon for injured troops to hand over items of personal importance or value to a trusted buddy, NCO or Officer because there was a general understanding that once the medical personnel took it from you the likelihood of you or your next of kin ever seeing it again were slim.

I had an ammo can where I kept all of the personal effects that I was given either directly or indirectly over the course of 4 tours. Those that returned to the company had their property returned to them. For those that did not return, but were sent stateside, I sent their property directly to them. For those that did not survive their wounds, I sent their property and a personal letter directly to their next of kin.

I still have that ammo can. Inside it are the personal effects of 9 of the finest and bravest men I've ever had the honor of knowing. All were sent back to me by their next of kin with letters to the effect of "We know he would have wanted you to have this.."

Every Veterans Day I sit on the edge of my bed, open that ammo can, look at the items, read the letters......and cry, like I am right now just thinking about it. 50+ years later and it still hurts...

I understand . . . . .

 

[Medic!]

The man giving the watch back had had it in his safekeeping for fifty years, why would he want a new one? It wasn't his in the first place.

He was ''given'' and thus, owned the watch for 50 years.
It had become more a part of his life than the man who gave it.

He was generous enough to find its previous owner and not return, but ''give'' it back.
A kind gesture. And I'm sure He felt was the right thing to do.

I see a lot shared between these two men.
And I don't think there could be any animosity.

But If somebody game me back a treasure like this one from my past?
I would reward their efforts.

Call it an act of appreciation, love, whatever.

 

[tac]

I guess we see thjings differently. I saw the wounded officer handing it over for safekeeping, not keeping. I don't believe that we should argue about this, there are a lot of things more worth arguing about, I'm sure.

 

[Medic!]

Your right.

Nice story anyways. Thanks for posting it.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

You could buy really nice stuff in the PX's in Vietnam. Many a young grunt would be sporting an expensive time piece that he bought for not a lot of money. I had a nice watch. My girlfriend gave it to me as a token of her undying love and affection. proof that she would never give to another man that which she had given to me..............................until the plane's wheel were up. Anyway I bought an amazing Nikon camera. It did everything. I really was very happy with it. The VC used to drop mortars on our position almost every day at about the same time. When the first one of the day came in, I had my camera all ready on the sandbagged roof of our machine-gun emplacement. I had set the timer so that it would take a photo every 20 seconds. The second round must have landed directly on top of the camera. There weren't even pieces left of it! I wanted to go out into the bush and find that mortar team and make them buy me a new camera before I killed them to death!

 

[Dungannon]

You could buy really nice stuff in the PX's in Vietnam.

Oh yeah. I caught rides twice to DaNang and used the PX catalog to order dishes and jewelry for my fiance, a camera for my brother-in-law, stereo equipment for myself, etc. Everything shipped direct to home.