Tag Archives: Florida Voices

Duane Romine saw his nearly two years in Vietnam in motion pictures, which he made as part of a Department of Defense combat motion picture team. He’s proud of the work he did and says, “I loved that job so much.” During our conversation on Aug. 28, 2017, at the …

Raymond Harris’ service was unlike that of any other veteran interviewed for this series. He was a member of a unit called MACV-SOG, or Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Special Operations Group. His job was “running recon,” gathering intelligence about North Vietnamese military operations, often behind enemy lines. Harris later …

The depiction of the Vietnam War in popular culture just isn’t for Terry Coons. He lived it, as a member of the Army’s 23rd Infantry Division in 1969 and 1970. This memory from those 13 months has never left him: A young Vietnamese girl in a nearby village was burned …

Lewis Alston’s military career was over by age 19. His time as a reconnaissance scout in the U.S. Marine Corps ended after he was wounded, but he faced what turned out to be a 15-year struggle to leave “a dark place — very, very dark.” He’s battled the effects of …

Tom Curtis spends some of his days at the Veterans Park in Ocala, where he helps veterans returning from this century’s wars. “You can just talk to them. You can help… That’s why I like it here,” he said during our conversation there on Aug. 16, 2017. I was born …

David Gold will admit he lacked direction in 1968, so when he was drafted into the Army, it was a little more welcome than it was for most. After excelling in training, he found himself in the middle of the Battle of Hamburger Hill as a member of 101st Airborne Division. …

With the name of John Wayne Edwards, there were times as an Army soldier on patrol in the jungles of Vietnam that he felt invincible. Edwards was twice wounded and is a Purple Heart recipient. Today, he says he maintains his pledge to God made in a firefight in Vietnam: …

Lorne Lister arrived back in the United States from serving in the Navy in Vietnam in 1969. He thought he had left the experience behind him, until a trip to the doctor’s office in 1992 revealed multiple malignant tumors on his prostate — an effect of his exposure to Agent Orange …

One-sixteenth of an inch isn’t much by most standards, but for George Guy Sr., it was the difference between staying home or going to war. Guy missed the Army’s height limit of 6’6” by 1/16th of an inch in 1968. He ended up taking part in the Tet Offensive and in …

Jim Lynch witnessed nearly two years of the American military’s involvement in Vietnam through the lens of his camera. As an Army photographer, he went all over country — often with his feet dangling out of a helicopter — shooting photos and telling stories for the Army. When he moved …