I was a draftee assigned to advanced electronics training at Fort Monmouth , NJ.  Spent time in AA2USA MARS station for something to do that did not cost money.  Got interested in radio. I received my first ham license at AA2USA.

Upon arriving at Cam Rahn Bay we discovered that all of my MOS positions were held by civilian contractors. (32E20 Fixed plan carrier Equipment Repairman). I saw the MARS station on the way in and discovered that our unit ran it.  During my first meeting with the commanding officer I asked about working there because I had the ham license. As it happened they were short on experienced operators and the MARS station was about to cut hours of operation for lack of operators.  I was immediately assigned to the station. I worked there 13 hours a night 7 days a week for almost all of the tour.  Did the night shift with one other operator. Radio conditions were best at night and we did the bulk of the station traffic. For most of the period we were Net Control Station for a number of other stations including AB8AS. We served the sixth con hospital. I handled uncountable calls that included every possible human situation, from happy, angry to the most tragic.

It gave me an incredible opportunity to witness every kind of human emotion between and among people. As operators on a simplex system we were invited observers, but for the most part totally ignored by the callers in the effort to communicate with their loved ones. Fourteen months of listening to conversations between soldiers in the field in a war zone and family at home are totally life changing. I suspect I have heard almost everything. 

I really have not been surprised by anything I have observed in human interactions since then.