Question about Vietnam Draft

[RubyDuby in GA]

Sorry to have to ask about such a topic, but does anyone know (and can provide sources) of how long those who were drafted during the Vietnam War got training? Was it a matter of weeks, how long?
Thanks in advance!

[Wilber_Stool]

1. 16 weeks

Eight weeks Basic Training, eight week AIT (advanced individual/infantry training). Thats for the Army BTW.

[Blue Wally]

4. It depended on........

your specialty. Everyone got eight weeks of Basic Training. Advanced Individual Training could vary from six weeks to six months.

At first, men were given two weeks leave then shipped to Vietnam for a year. They would return from Vietnam with about seven months left in their two year term of service and had pretty bad attitudes about stateside service. The Army then moved to giving the draftees about seven months stateside duty before they sent them to Vietrnam for a year. They returned as their two years were expiring and would get a "gang-plank" discharge at the port of entry.

[markdd]

2. Not nearly an expert...

one year too young to be drafted. I seem to recall Basic Training was around 12 weeks for Army, Navy & AF. It may have been longer, up to 22 weeks for Marines. For a while after the war they shortened all of them, but I think they were all moving back to longer cycles before Iraq.

If you could get into more specialized programs training could be extended up to a year. I think some crypto equipment repair schools lasted nearly that long.

edit for diff between basic and other training.

[I thought so.]

3. This is it.

There was 6 weeks basic training. Then 6 weeks of special training(AIT). Why do you ask?

[RubyDuby in GA]

6. Research

I'm doing research for a debate and I'm getting different answers from different sources. I figured I'd ask here because this would be a good way to find a veteran (thanks for your service) who would know from experience.

[newyawker99]

8. Hi RubyDuby in GA!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Chef]

5. Training

Sixteen weeks, normally. I received one additional week of AIT. Two weeks leave, then off to Viet Nam. I got about another week or so training in the rear area to acquaint me with how things were done there. The total tour was 12 months; however, if you extended your tour in Viet Nam by the amount of time it would take to have served a total of 19 months of active duty, you got to go home and not serve any additional stateside time thus, shortening your total active duty time from the required 24 months. Why you ask?

Initally, if you signed up for officer candidate school the training could last up to a year. Toward the end of training, you could resign your commission, leaving you without enough time to do a 12 month tour in Viet Nam, avoiding being shipped there. You would be assigned some pud job until your 24 month active obligation ran out. The army caught on to this ploy and made OCS guys serve a three year term.

[Bandit]

7. I was drafted in 1967

Spent nine weeks Basic at Fort Lewis WA and eight weeks AIT at Fort Polk LA. Then I had an additional four weeks training in APCs and some Tanker training at Fort Knox Ky. They had just increased Basic from eight weeks to nine weeks the year I went in.