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NEWS | July 12, 2007

Vietnam vet shares perspective on modern Air Force

By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

"When I was a kid, I had to walk eight miles to school - both ways - in the snow with no shoes." 

Well, it's not quite as extreme as that, but Master Sgt. Bill Pook, 1st Civil Engineer Squadron Individual Mobilization Augmentee, and one of a diminishing number of Vietnam War veterans still serving, said he knows what color the grass is on the other side. 

Sergeant Pook, who first enlisted in the Air Force in 1971 and deployed twice in support of Operation Linebacker in Southeast Asia, has seen the Air Force improve the quality of the force throughout the years.  He added that Airmen are enjoying a better quality of life and work today than Airmen did at the height of the Vietnam conflict. 

"First, there's technology," he said. "It's engrained in everything we do. My first Air Force job was working with the logistics mainframe. The computer would not fit into this room. The smallest was the size of a semi truck. Today, my PDA has more power than that mainframe. The F-22 would have been Buck Rogers back then." 

The equipment is not the only change, Pook said. The modern Airman has changed as well. 

"It's a 100 percent volunteer force," he said. "It's a totally different attitude. Everyone is doing it because they want to do it. More and more are looking at the Air Force as a career. I joined to avoid the draft, and the Air Force promised me a career. Truer words than could be imagined. It was the thing to do back then, do four and get out. Staying for one term was very common." 

More Airmen today take advantage of educational programs, and there is less drug and alcohol abuse, Sergeant Pook added. 

Some things, however, haven't changed. Sergeant Pook said Airmen today still complain that their lives will be easier once they leave the Air Force. The Milwaukee, Wis., native left the Air Force after one tour just to return to duty in 1990 for Operation Desert Shield. 

"What concerns me is younger Airmen perceive that the grass is greener on the outside," he said. "I wanted to get out because I didn't want them to tell me what to wear. Some of the things I thought I didn't like about the military were there, just cloaked." 

Perceptions are never as cut and dry as people think, and neither are comparisons, Pook said. One abstract comparison he continues to see is the one comparing the current war on terror to the Vietnam conflict in which he played a part. 

"It's easy to shotgun comparisons, but it's not the same," he said. "You can pick out anything. You can say it's like Korea. It's not World War II anymore, but it's still war. Vietnam did not attack us. Ho Chi Minh did not preach jihad. You can't compare the two." 

When comparing the Air Force then to the Air Force now, Sergeant Pook said there is no comparison. 

"I'm glad to see the Air Force promote a quality life," he said. "I can't remember us saying that back in the '70s. An Airman has an opportunity to make more of a difference." 

One thing that has remained steadfast over the course of 35 years is the mission. 

"The mission hasn't changed. Global air power," he said. "How we do it, yes, but the core mission hasn't changed. We're just going about it a different way." 

According to the Air National Guard Historian's office, there are currently only 59 Vietnam veterans on active duty with 452 Reserve members.