# Has any real-life soldier served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471 "2007-04-02T20:52:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/1 "2007-04-02T20:52:16Z")
[B.D.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.D._%28Doonesbury%29) has, but cartoonists are allowed to play fast and loose with real time and the aging process. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/2 "2007-04-02T21:23:24Z")
Well, Admiral William Fallon was a combat pilot in Vietnam, was the Commander of Attack Squadron 65 in Desert Storm, and, as of March 16, 2007, is head of US Central Command, which has overall authority over the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/3 "2007-04-02T21:23:25Z")
You have to be pretty much at general officer level to have lasted that long in the military. General Tommy Franks did; Petraeus was just too late for Vietnam. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/4 "2007-04-02T21:26:47Z")
I don’t know of any specific individuals, but some of the reservists are in their fifties, so I’m sure that there are a few who have served in all three theaters. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/5 "2007-04-02T21:27:40Z")
How about [Tommy Franks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Franks)? There may be plenty of enlisted men with careers that long, but it’s probably harder to find one that actually participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/6 "2007-04-02T21:36:45Z")
You need to give a specific definition of what you mean by “served in”. Are you only counting those who were actually in the theatre during the conflict? Otherwise Colin Powell may count – he served on the ground in Korea and Vietnam, and was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs during the Gulf war, but then retired from the armed forces and was Secretary of State during the start of the Iraq war. (Not to mention Panama, Grenada, and other ‘minor’ wars during this period.) Another possible candidate for longevity in the armed services would be Grace Hopper, who served 43 years, thru WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/7 "2007-04-02T21:37:46Z")
Sorry for the tangent, but I had an uncle who volunteered for the Marines in WWII; fought in Korea and was stationed in Japan for Vietnam, though he did sneak into the country at times. Based on him, it could happen without rising to the top of the heap. I doubt that he rose above Lieutenant, if that. ---
**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/8 "2007-04-02T22:36:52Z")
Hello everyone. I can’t find the link, but in my local paper (Sun-Sentinel) there was a link about an Army Reservist who just retired. He was active-duty in Vietnam, active-reserves in the Gulf War, and was recalled back to reserve status and served in Iraq. As far as dodging bullets, I am not sure. Would this count? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/9 "2007-04-02T23:43:34Z")
[QUOTE=FormerMarineGuy] Hello everyone. I can’t find the link, but in my local paper (Sun-Sentinel) there was a link about an Army Reservist who just retired. He was active-duty in Vietnam, active-reserves in the Gulf War, and was recalled back to reserve status and served in Iraq. As far as dodging bullets, I am not sure. Would this count? [/QUOTE] Since I’m pretty sure BD was in the Reserves, that’s a perfect match. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/10 "2007-04-02T23:55:53Z")
I’ve got numerous men in my unit that have been in all of the aforementioned wars, as well as Panama, Grenada, and Haiti (twice). The Guard has a mandatory retirement age of 60, and we had a guy who did his 42 years retire last year. We have a few over 40 years of service and several others pushing 40. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/11 "2007-04-03T03:04:26Z")
I served under a Colonel during the beginning of Iraq II who had served as air crew during Desert Storm and was an enlisted maintenance troop during Vietnam. He wasn’t in-theater for Iraq II, but he was also pushing sixty. Four eight-minute miles every Monday and vice command of an intel shop was just about the right speed for him. I’m guessing that if I knew one guy in my five years there must be dozens if not hundreds. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-real-life-soldier-served-in-vietnam-the-gulf-war-and-the-iraq-war/398471/12 "2007-04-03T03:17:53Z")
My parents’ friend Tom was in the Army in Vietnam and served in the Gulf War in the Reserves. They’d like him to come back for this one, but his wife won’t let him. There must be a kajillion of other men Tom’s age who might be more willing to go back, and the military does want them.