This Day in History: One Day and a Wake-Up Doug Miller Prepares to Leave Vietnam
ASHLAND, OHIO — On July 30, 1970, Vietnam War veteran Doug Miller began the process of leaving a country where he had spent nearly a year surrounded by danger, loss and uncertainty.
After 360 days in Vietnam, Miller started out-processing in his company area. The following day, he would travel to Cam Ranh Bay and board the next “Freedom Bird” home.
In a personal reflection shared as part of his “This Day in History” series, Miller recalled the conflicting emotions he experienced as his tour approached its end.
He wanted to return home, but he also knew he was leaving friends behind, men who remained in the field and in harm’s way.
“As I had time to reflect on the past year, it seemed surreal,” Miller said.
As he prepared for his final night in Vietnam, the opening words of The Doors’ song “The End” repeatedly came to mind. The song captured the finality of the moment, but leaving Vietnam would not mean leaving the war entirely behind.
Miller said he tried to sleep while memories from the previous year replayed in his mind. He felt detached from the scenes, almost as though he were watching the events happen to someone else from a distance.
“I found out over the years that it would not be the last time I would experience those events,” Miller said.
Within days, the physical part of Miller’s war would be over. The psychological aftermath, however, would take much longer to heal.
For American service members in Vietnam, the term “Freedom Bird” commonly referred to the aircraft that carried them home at the end of their tours. “The World” was the name many troops used for the United States, the distant home they hoped to see again.
The expression “one day and a wake-up” meant Miller had only one more night remaining before his departure. “Short” was another word used by troops nearing the end of their tours.
After 360 days in-country, Miller could finally say it:
“One day and a wake-up, and we will be on the ‘Freedom Bird’ back to ‘The World.’ I guess I can finally say it, ‘Short!’”
