SNCO reflects on changes from Vietnam to GWOT

Published Feb. 25, 2008
By Senior Airman Tong Duong
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The chair creaks slightly as he sits up to sip his cup of coffee, which temporarily fogs up his glasses. His eyes drift to the Plexiglas window, lost in thought.

Master Sgt. Scott Veaudry is back in Southwest Asia for the fourth time, each deployment one he willingly accepted. Deployed here in '03, '05, '07 and again now, he answered his nation's call to serve in Vietnam and is back overseas in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

"I enlisted in 1966 and did a tour in Vietnam with the Army Artillery Battalion from 1967 to 1968," said Sergeant Veaudry. "I got out in 1969 and re-enlisted in the Air National Guard in the eighties. I was activated in October 2002 and will be kept on orders until a week before my mandatory retirement date."

Sergeant Veaudry comes from a long line of military servicemembers. His grandfather was an Army private during World War I and retired as a lieutenant colonel during World War II. His father also served during World War II. The sergeant was fortunate enough to serve with his uncle in Vietnam, a colonel and West Point graduate. His older and younger brothers also served in Vietnam.

Sergeant Veaudry has seen many changes during his time in the service.

"The respect between the non-commissioned officers and junior enlisted has changed. It wasn't really good back in the early sixties," Sergeant Veaudry said with a chuckle. "Then, you did what you were told, how you were told, and when you were told. Now, leaders come to the lower-ranking enlisted and ask for their ideas on how to get the job done faster and better. They don't just say, 'Do this, do it my way, and I don't want to hear any more about it.'"

Sergeant Veaudry has also seen some changes in the way the military conducts business.

"The military has downsized a lot since the sixties," he said. "They expect you to do the same amount of work with less manpower, but thanks to advancements in technology the concept is easier [to uphold]."

As he looks down and flexes his fingers, he describes some of the old technology he has used.

"For example, we had these Remington typewriters that I used to bang on. Let me tell you, your arms are tired after doing that all day," Sergeant Veaudry said.

From "tent city" to the Blatchford-Preston Complex, he has seen many improvements each time he returned here for another tour, especially in the finance office.

"Over the last few years, this finance office has gone from doing business in tents and counting money on the floor to this nice facility with people using the Eagle Cash program, which to me is the greatest thing since sliced bread for deployed servicemembers," he said.

Sergeant Veaudry helped install Eagle Cash during his last deployment here just before his departure in May 2007 and fully supports the program.

"Whether you need to get a haircut, a burger, a beer, or something at the Base Exchange, just give them your Eagle Cash card and you're good to go," he said. "There are kiosks all over the base that you can use to reload cash on it."

Used in bases from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf Coast, the Eagle Cash program is convenient to use and a prime example of the technology we use to make our lives easier, he said.

"The cashier's cage and customer service representatives are sometimes very busy, and at times members had to wait more than 30 minutes to cash a check," Sergeant Veaudry said. "With the eagle cash card, you can load up to $350 a day onto your card from any of the five different kiosks on base."

Since the implementation of the card, finance members have noticed many improvements.

"One impact of the card is that servicemembers no longer have to carry cash in their pockets," he said. "That reduces petty theft, which was a problem on base. We have also reduced the amount of check processing, which allows us to better focus on our customer, such as starting and stopping of allotments, entitlements, pay problems, and such."

During his last deployment, Sergeant Veaudry said the finance office was cashing 400-500 checks a day. Since the implementation of Eagle Cash, the number is less than half of that amount. The program has also reduced customer wait time from 30-45 minutes on a busy day to less than 15 minutes, he said.

While this is Sergeant Veaudry's final deployment, his contributions throughout his military career will span just two months shy of 43 years when he retires in May 2009, a week from his sixtieth birthday.