Vietnam War Status

My year is Vietnam gives me the ability to recognize what represented status in the enlisted men pecking order.   The majority of soldiers lived a regimented life in the rear.  Officers would hound these soldiers to wash, shave, cut their hair,  wear clean fatigues, make their beds, and generally behave themselves.  It was thus high status - if you could manage it - to do none of these things.  And the infantryment - the grunts - were naturally awash in all the aspects of  high status.  And status was a visible thing - you could tell it at a glance.

 
This is a real grunt with status.  His hair is a bit unruly, his fatigue shirt isn't buttoned, his boots are scuffed,  his hairy chest is showing, and for good effect, he's holding a grenade.  He also has that soulful bad boy look.  Were he not in the middle of the jungle and instead able to saunter into one of the big comparitively safe bases in the rear, he would have had great status.

This is a soldier of low status.  His clothes are too clean, his boots are too polished, there's no hairy chest or grenade, and his big innocent smile is all wrong.  Any grunt would know this is no grunt.  This of course was me in early 1971.   I was out in the jungle with a real infantry unit (Echo Recon, 1st of the 7th, 1st Air Cavalry Division) but I was never mistaken for an infantryman.

When talking to grunts, I was told repeatedly that I'd never know what it was like until I went out with them into combat.  I went out twice on missions with an infantry unit for a total of 12 days and I think the advice was good.   I was astounded at how much the guys suffered, particularly in the monsoon season when everything was wet.   I never got shot at, added status that I was glad to pass up.  Even today, there is status in the brotherhood of the infantry.  And although I nevered managed to achieve that status, I now have some idea of what it is.