at approx. 6,000 in Jan. of 1963. We were there as trainers but after being there for a few weeks, could see that it was not working, because of the laziness of the South Vietnamese people. The Country was a classified area at the time so all mail incoming & outgoing was censored. There was alot going on that the US public did not know about and I strongly feel that had they been informed, that war would never have gone where it did. JFK promised to start bringing home 1,000 troops a month beginning in December. I happened to get on that list. It was rather un-nerving to hear that our President had been killed, prior to me being able to vacate that Country. I did manage to return Stateside in mid-December. The rest of the Vietnam story un-raveled after that! I came home,unable to say where I was for quite some time and when Minnesota offered a $500 Bonus(1973) for Veterans who served in Vietnam , I was told that I wasn't elegible because I hadn't served in S. Vietnam. It took a few years to get that straightened out, but did rcv the bonus, altho I felt it was a slap in the face to have to prove I was there. I could tell stories for hours but this isn't the place for that ! Happy Chipping! Rich...