Tag Archives: school

His plane once erupted up into a ball of fire as it hit the runway following a bombing run into North Vietnam — forcing him and another serviceman to eject — but that didn’t stop John Menoski from returning to combat missions the following week. He also once flew 40 missions …

While much of the United States population had by 1971 turned against the war in Vietnam, as well as many of those who fought it, John Lavelle experienced a touching piece of support from his daughter’s fifth-grade class. They collected food and other necessities to support orphanages in the Asian …

Having had the opportunity to see a screening of a part of Ken Burns’ film on the Vietnam War earlier this year, Fred Judkins had this warning for any veteran of that war with post-traumatic stress disorder: “Be very careful, because it’s very, very intense.” Judkins served in an Army …

David Willkomm served toward the end of the American ground-based conflict in Vietnam, and by then, he witnessed a sad breakdown of G.I. morale within his unit. Drug use, racial tension, and alcoholism were all too common, according to Willkomm, who later became a counselor at the Gainesville Veterans Affairs …

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 …

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: …