Tompkins, Leland E, SFC

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY.

My Father in WW1

My father had been in the Army from 1910 until 1920. As I grew up, I heard him say, "I should have stayed in the Army until I retired." My half-brother was in the Army from 1940 until 1946 and fought through the Pacific. Consequently, it was something that I decided to do when I was in jr. high, and I joined Jr. ROTC in high school.

I listened to the reports of the fighting in the Dominican Republic in 1965 and paid attention to all the news from Vietnam. I believed those people wanted to live without Communism, and I wanted to help them to live free. The other reason I stayed for a career is the officers and NCO's that I lived and served with during my first five to six years in the Army. There were still WWII and Korean veterans, and most everyone had been to Vietnam.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I enlisted in Nov. 1967 and went through BCT and Infantry AIT in 1968 at Ft. Ord, CA. From there, I was assigned to 2/54 INF, 4th AD from 1968 to 1969. My PCS was in Nov.1969.

I attended the School of Photography at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. Then I changed my

Basic Training photo taken at Fort Ord with my M14ackson, SC.

primary MOS to 84G and 2d 84B, with the addition of 11B April 1970. I was assigned to the Army Pictorial Center, White Sands Missile Range, NM. I was sent to Vietnam in Nov 1970 and ended up in the 101st Abn Div. with the 101st MI Co.

I was at Ft. McArthur, CA, from Dec 1971 until March 1972. My PCS was to the163d MI Bn., 3d Corps, Ft. Hood, TX. I moved to the 57th Sig Bn, Photo Plt. in Aug 1972. I served as Photographer for M-60A2 Tank testing and Cammo Pattern testing with Modern Army Selected Systems Test Evaluation and Review.

In Oct 1973, I changed back to my primary MOS of 11B and joined the 1st Sqdn 6th Cav., 1st Cav Div, Air Troop, Blue Plt, LRRP, as an E-6. My PCS in Sep. 1974 was to Ft. Ord, CA. I was part of the startup of the 7th Inf Div. In Mar 1975 I became a Drill Sgt. My PCS in Feb 1976 was to Ft. Sill as DS. In late 1977, I joined committee group, tactics, and hand grenades. Next, I went to Infantry ANCOES and then Jump school, but dropped out. In 1979 I was with the1/13th Inf, 8th Inf Div, until 1981, as an E-7, Plt Sgt.

I had a PCS to Ft Sill, back to committee as NCOIC, U.S. Weapons, then BRM. My next PCS was to Korea in 1984 to be in the 1/17th Inf, 2d Inf Div, as a Plt Sgt, and then Ammo Sgt. In 1988, I retired at Ft. Sill. My last assignment was to HHB in the S-3 at FATCFS as NCOIC of scheduling.

IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
It is significant in how many lives were lost in a cause that we walked away from. I never felt it was a waste until our leaders decided to leave and let the chips fall where they may. That made it all wrong. Not long after I left, everything between

Spotter Plane

the DMZ and almost down to Hue was overrun by the North. So much for the Peace Agreement. The time spent looking for the enemy was the main thing. What stood out was the search for truck parks and bulldozers.

We found that bulldozers that had been destroyed were being replaced with working ones, used at night, and put back in plain sight each day. There were many recon flights before we went back in to reopen Khe Sanh for Lom Son 719. Also, ARVN troops suffered heavy losses in Laos and in the retreat from Laos. So very many aircraft were damaged during that time. We lost of one of our own during a mission flight near the DMZ in the late summer of 1971. The pilot's body wasn't recovered, and an MIA tag was put on him. Witnesses described how his aircraft burst into flames upon impact. In minutes, nothing was left but the tips of each wing and a part of the tail.

OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
Lots of them give me fond memories. Only I would say that the first one to 2/54 Inf stands out. As a Pvt, I was pissed to be in Germany and at first, started to ask for RVN. I was told I would be an APC driver and the PSG

Legs and Mechanized on the ground.

took charge of training me. We had NCO's that had been in Korea and Vietnam, even a few from WWII. We were under-strength and never in a squad with more than four others. I respected and liked these men and wanted to be like them. My PSG talked to me about putting in for OCS. That caused my earlier request to be canceled.

I was in a fast changing environment and saw many people come and go. We were changing PSG's and 1Sgt's in short order. The CO's came and went quickly, and my platoon hardly ever had a Platoon Leader. I went to an NCO Academy within a year and became a Sgt Acting Sqd Ldr and even PSG at times. I didn't get past the board for OCS and had reenlisted for photography. My young wife wanted me to get out of infantry. As a result, I PCS'd in Nov 1969, leaving a place that I had grown to like and feel a part of. I had seen most of the NCO's that had meant much to me PCS and head to Vietnam, most for their second or third tour. I felt sad to not be with some of them. Those men are the reason that I spent almost 21 years with the Army.

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
I remember all the funny things and people that I liked. It was a great time. The good out-weighs the bad or harsh times by far. I think one is the time when I an APC driver during a movement and the PSG told me to go into a swamp

APC's, better than walking.

where I could see where tracks stopped. He said go, and I went and the APC sunk. The BN CO and my Company CO came over and talked to the PSG, who along with the others, had left me on the APC. Then the CO yelled for me to get over to them. I jumped off the track and tried to make it to dry looking spots. As I made a jump near them, I went up to my waist in the mud. The Lt Col and Cpt each grabbed one arm each and pulled me to dry ground. I felt like shit.

The BN CO asked me why I went in there. I told him because the PSG told me to do so. I didn't know if the PSG had told them that or not, so I was wondering how this was going to end. I thank SSG Conners. He had stood up and told them that he said, "Go for it." He was a stand-up PSG, and he was always that way. He was a Korean War vet and had one tour in Vietnam. The other great one was when we had SFC Henderson join the company. We ended up at a big ceremony where he received the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Captain who was our CO had been his Lt in Vietnam who had put him in for the Medal Of Honor.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?

Gettng pinned for doing my Job.

No. I didn't do any wonderful or fantastic things. I am proud of all that I did and the recognition that I received for doing my job well. I was a Drill Sergeant for a time, so I was making a difference.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?

I am starting to like this assignment.

At the time, I didn't like being chosen for Drill Sergeant duty in 1974. After putting in two cycles of Basic Training, though, I realized how much I actually enjoyed changing these young men into members of the Army ready to move on to take on new challenges.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
One of the NCO's in the first infantry platoon I was assigned to was Sgt Frankie Willard. He was a SSG before he PCS'd in 1969. He took me under his wing, as they say. I was not in his squad and was a Sqd Ldr when he became our

The DMZ Brdge

PSG in 1969. He always explained things and was willing to talk about things. He had been to Vietnam twice and was wounded each time. He had been a SSG before and lost it for some reason. When I saw him last, he was headed back to Vietnam again. Another NCO who impressed me was SSG Corker. I saw him again at Ft. Ord.

He was a SFC. When I saw him next in 1978 at Ft Benning he was a 1SG.

Now, most of the NCO's in that company were combat vets and all had an impact on me. Sgt Cornealious, in another Plt, had been a 1SG in the Korean war and had fought in WWII and Vietnam,. He had every medal except the MOH. SFC Henderson had the DSC awarded to him while with us for action in Vietnam. SFC Klingelburger went on to become DS of the Army in 1971. The first Company Commander I served under, Cpt Sail, had been a SFC and received a battlefield commission. While a DS at Ft Ord, our CO, Cpt Jones, had been a SFC and earned a commission for combat ops. He was part of the Son Tay raid in North Vietnam and other ops. In 1981, I served with a SFC in the 1/13th Inf that had received a battlefield commission in Vietnam. He had reverted back to enlisted during the RIF of 1975. He had been in the French Foreign Legion in Africa before joining the U.S. Army in 1966. Lots of wild guys made my experience interesting and a hoot.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?

Screaming Eagles, Hooahh!!

There were many. One stands out from when I was a PSG with 1/13th Inf in Germany. While in the field one day, I went over to check on my second squad area and heard a lot of noise and laughing. When I reached them, I found four men from the squad and a team leader SGT. They had found some baby mice, and he said for money he would eat one alive. Damn if that was not what the commotion was-he had just done it.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
I went to work as a Security Guard at the Lawton Goodyear Tire Plant. This was for Guardsmark out of Memphis, TN. I took over as OIC at that client location in 1989 in the spring. In May of 1990, I became a Goodyear employee and was working on the

These didnt get away.

production line. From then until May of 2006 I performed a number of jobs to do with the making of tires. I never went into any type of supervisor position and spent most of the years in the mixing department, where the rubber is blended into different compounds for parts of tires. I retired in May 2006 and spent most of the following year fishing in Bass Tournaments in Texas and Oklahoma.

I got my CDL and bus driving certification and went to work for the Lawton Public School System in Aug 2007. The amount of off time allowed me to spend much time at fishing tournaments and touring on a Honda Gold Wing. The wife and I have both started our Social Security, and I retired from this job on 1 Feb 2014. I do not have any plans to work more. However, that might change-who knows?

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?

Got my bush hat on. I must be in the Bush.

I am currently in the VFW, VVA, DAV, 17th Inf Association, and a life member, not active, of 1st Cav Div Association. I really have not been a go-to meeting member with any of these groups. At other times, I was in The American Legion, 2d ID Association, 101st Div Association, and 101st ABN Vietnam Vets Association.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
The military was my life and to a point still is. It had no influence on what other things I did, other than the fact I always tried to be a team player. I carried on with all the things I had lived by while a soldier. The family was

This was my Team

my priority, and the money earned was to give myself and them a good life. I do not suffer fools much, and I have a temper, and I do get rude and overbearing at times. I keep from telling people what I think as much as possible. I am not always a nice guy and can be a mean SOB. I do not take crap from people any more than I did as a soldier.

I believe in our leaders and more so in our soldiers and always support the troops. My only son was a soldier and KIA in Afghanistan under stupid conditions. I found out from his men what the situation had been and spoke to the BN CO and some General Officers. I did not get disrespectful, but I told them why I thought what had happened should not have. Most of what I said turned out to be in the after-action investigation that I received a copy of. The decisions that were made that night hopefully will not be made the same in the future. I continue to stay in touch with many men and women that served with my son during his 11 years of service.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE ARMY?

The Firing line is no longer clear.

That depends on the situation. I give an ear to venting and suggestions here and there. I have been speaking to NCO's that are facing medical boards, and I have spoken with soldiers of my son's units who have gone wrong. I never sugarcoat things. I try and be positive and tell them, "Thank You for serving." They can be proud of what they are doing or have done. I run into men who I knew in service once in a while, and it is different than speaking to young people or any person who has never served. I think they should bring the draft back so that more of our citizens have at least a two year experience in the military. Our country is getting really divided between those who have or have not served.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.

TWS and the US Army

It is always nice to remember the old days, and this makes it possible to do so. I have not made many contacts with those who served in the same places or units, but that is a possibility. I think the ability to sit and write about those times is good for a man's state of mind.

DS 8/21/18