21 Things the Army Never Told Grunts About Their Last 30 Days in Vietnam

December 1969. Thirty days, and a wake-up. Every man in Vietnam knew his date — DEROS. Nobody told him the last month would feel longer than the first eleven. Twenty-one things the Army never told the grunts about their last thirty days in Vietnam, counted down. "I'm so short I left yesterday." The short-timer stick and the calendar nobody finished. Two-digit midgets and "a wake-up." One more reenlistment offer. A field jacket for a country you'd almost forgotten. Clearing, and the sign on the gate: "Here today, home tomorrow." Green money again. A seat, maybe. A flight time changed six times — "inexcusably subjected to avoidable anxiety," in the Army's own words. Every bag searched. The "last chance" box. The test that came a year later. Stay six months, get thirty days. The 150-day early out. Out of the field — maybe. The buses in the dark. The Freedom Bird. The new guys got off first. Short-timers died too. And number one: the moment the wheels left the ground. Note: Our soldier is a composite character, and his scenes are dramatized from many veterans' accounts. Every fact, number and quotation is drawn from the sources below. Real people named in this video are quoted only from their own published accounts or the official record. Where sources disagree, or where a popular statistic has no reliable source, the narration says so. What was your DEROS? Did you keep a short-timer calendar or a stick? Tell us in the comments — we read every one. Chapters 0:00 Thirty days and a wake-up 1:37 #21 I'm so short 3:08 #20 The short-timer stick 4:19 #19 The calendar 6:11 #18 Two-digit midget 7:40 #17 One more offer 9:24 #16 A jacket for the cold 11:17 #15 Clearing, and the sign on the gate 13:15 #14 Green money 15:13 #13 A seat, maybe 16:58 #12 Avoidable anxiety 18:25 #11 Everything gets searched 20:11 A word for veterans (PACT Act) 20:42 #10 The last chance box 22:32 #9 The test that came later 24:53 #8 Stay six months, get thirty days 26:45 #7 The early out 28:52 #6 Out of the field, maybe 30:59 #5 The buses in the dark 33:00 #4 The Freedom Bird 35:05 #3 The new guys got off first 37:01 #2 Short-timers died too 38:52 #1 Alone, with strangers 41:06 Back to the sandbag 41:57 Your turn