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Vietnam War

SP4 Robert Kickenweitz, U.S. Army (1966-1968)

SP4 Robert Kickenweitz, U.S. Army (1966-1968)

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List the names of old friends you served with, at which locations, and recount what you remember most about them?:

Darkest Day for Blackhorse, SUOI CAT, By Robert Bob Kickenweitz. The 21st of May 1967 was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning, the day you were happy to be alive. I got up, put on a clean set of fatigues, and went to breakfast at the mess hall. Leaving the m ss hall, I noticed steam coming up from our tent as the dew from the night before was evaporating from the heat of the sun into little clouds. Yes, that’s just what we needed in South Vietnam: a little more humidity! After breakfast, I walked up to our chapel about one block from my tent for Sunday mass. Our chapel was located on the southwest corner of an intersection, with the 7th Surgical Hospital on the northwest corner, and across the street diagonally from the chapel on the northeast corner was the 37th Medical Group, and on the southeast corner was Regimental Headquarters.

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SP4 Eugene Dawson, U.S. Army (1966-1968)

SP4 Eugene Dawson, U.S. Army (1966-1968)

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List the names of old friends you served with, at which locations, and recount what you remember most about them?:

Richard Henry and I connected during induction to basic training at Fort Polk, LA, in February 1966. During our first recreational break, we headed directly to the recreational center and checked out guitars and amps. We hit it off right away. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitar guy, and I was the lead guitar guy and backup singer. We were both assigned the same MOS, transferred to the same locations in California and Maryland, assigned to the same unit, 81st Quartermaster Platoon, and deployed to Vietnam together.

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Mustache March

Mustache March

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Every November for the past few years, more and more American men are adopting the custom of growing out their mustaches to raise awareness about men's health issues. "Movember," as it's come to be called, raises awareness on such topics as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide.  Portrait "Mustache March" is a Military Tradition to Honor Robin Olds The men of the United States Air Force adopted a similar custom, except theirs comes in March and for a very different reason. "Mustache March" is a military tradition to honor one man: fighter pilot, World War II triple-ace, and Vietnam War legend Robin Olds.  Robin Olds was, without a doubt, one of America's greatest fighter pilots. He was the son of an Army Air Corps captain who hung out with a virtual who's who of Air Force legends: Billy Mitchell, Hap Arnold, Carl Spaatz, and Eddie Rickenbacker, just to name a few.  When Olds came of age, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (where he...

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Col. Bernard Fisher, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army National Guard, U.S Air Force (1945-1974)

Col. Bernard Fisher, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army National Guard, U.S Air Force (1945-1974)

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It's hard to know where to begin telling Bernard Fisher's military story. No one could have predicted that a kid who joined the Navy at 18 to fight in World War II would eventually receive the Medal of Honor as an Air Force fighter pilot in Vietnam. No one would have guessed it would take the same man 57 years to receive his bachelor's degree. That's the extraordinary life of Col. Bernard F. Fisher. Charting the Course: Bernard Fisher's Unforeseen Military Odyssey A native of San Bernardino, California, Fisher joined the Navy in 1945 at the end of World War II. When his time in the Navy ended in 1947, he attended Boise State Junior College and then transferred to the University of Utah—but he didn't get to finish his degree. He joined the Idaho National Guard around the same time he began his higher education. In 1951, the same year he was supposed to graduate from college, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force. To be clear, Bernie Fisher had done the classwork, and he...

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Doorsteps of Hell by Tom Williams

Doorsteps of Hell by Tom Williams

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As the son of a military officer who grew up in an always-moving military household, it makes total sense that Tom Williams would also grow up to be a military officer. His adoptive father was U.S. Air Force Maj. Carl Williams, but young Tom was destined for the Marine Corps and for the Vietnam War. "Doorsteps of Hell": Insight into Tom Williams' Vietnam Tour "Doorsteps of Hell" is the first book in Tom Williams' autobiographical "Heart of a Marine" series and covers his early years and his first tour in Vietnam. He pulls no punches in his thoughts or descriptions of events. The result is an honest narrative that covers not just Vietnam War combat but the trials and struggles of being an infantry Marine out in the jungle. It also details the camaraderie and leadership so central to being a Marine.  Growing up as a military child, Tom traveled the world, picking up a propensity for languages and a love for military life. When Carl retired, and the family settled down in Georgia, Tom...

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SP 4 Tom Hirst, U.S. Army (1969-1971)

SP 4 Tom Hirst, U.S. Army (1969-1971)

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Of all the medals, awards, formal presentations, and qualification badges you received, which one(s) are the most meaningful to you and why?:

“What is that?” asked the person parked next to me in the “VETERANS ONLY” parking space at Home Depot. “That’s the COMBAT MEDICAL BADGE,” explaining my vanity license plate. “It’s the Army Medic’s version of the Combat Infantry Badge.” “I’ve seen some of the other Florida license plates, with medals and stuff, but I’ve never seen that one. I was in the Air Force.”

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A1C Joseph Jr. Carvalko, U.S. Air Force (1959-1964)

A1C Joseph Jr. Carvalko, U.S. Air Force (1959-1964)

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Of all the medals, awards, formal presentations, and qualification badges you received, which one(s) are the most meaningful to you and why?:

Post Cuban Crisis, October 1963, I was honored as Outstanding Airman of the 818th Strategic Aerospace Division Lincoln, AFB. I had three consecutive monthly wing recognitions while serving in the 307th Bomb Wing, Medium, SAC, Armament, and Electronics Squadron. Now, from a pool of 6,000, I, amongst five others, was nominated for the Award that included two bomb wings and a missile wing. I took home the honor, partly due to my role in the critical launch of the final B-47 Bomber during the Cuban crisis.

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HM1 Robert Hays, U.S. Marine Corps (1967-1969)

HM1 Robert Hays, U.S. Marine Corps (1967-1969)

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Of all the medals, awards, formal presentations, and qualification badges you received, which one(s) are the most meaningful to you and why?:

On April 9, 1969, an event happened which made bona fide heroes out of three of us. I was sitting on my cot writing a letter and heard an explosion. When I looked up, I saw a ball of fire rising from the ammo dump about 200 yards away. This dump was a big one. It was about 300 yards long and 200 yards wide, covered with pallets of ammo and explosives of every size and description.

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A1C Jim March, U.S. Air Force (1964-1967)

A1C Jim March, U.S. Air Force (1964-1967)

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Of all the medals, awards, formal presentations, and qualification badges you received, which one(s) are the most meaningful to you and why?:

USAF Airman’s Medal. Stationed at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, social opportunities for a young Airman were somewhat limited. My mode of transport was a Vespa motorscooter — not designed to attract young ladies. One Saturday evening, while driving back to the base, I passed by an establishment known as a Texas Ice House. Such establishments were a combination of local delis, local bars, and weekend party sites, serving primarily the Tex-Mex community. Since it was a warm summer evening, there was also dancing to a Mariachi band on the front porch. I decided to stop and check it out.

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Sgt Allen James Lynch, U.S. Army (1964–1969)

Sgt Allen James Lynch, U.S. Army (1964–1969)

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When Allen James Lynch Graduated from high school, he knew he would either have to go to a college or trade school or wait to get drafted. He decided to chart his own course and join the Army. He didn't want to wait for something to happen to him, so he made his way to a recruiter.  "I wasn't the hero you read about in books, you know," Allen said in a 2011 interview. "I was bullied a lot, pushed around in grade school, high school. I had a bad self-image. I had to test myself… I had to figure out who I was."  Allen James Lynch Volunteered to Serve in Vietnam So Allen James Lynch joined the Army in 1964. Two years later, he volunteered to serve in Vietnam. Lynch arrived there with Company D, 1st Battalion of the 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) on May 31, 1967. Around six months later, he would be fighting for his life and the lives of his fellow soldiers. For his acts of astonishing bravery under fire, he would receive the Medal of Honor.  In...

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Service Reflections of CAPT David Edling, U.S. Coast Guard (1969-1999)

Service Reflections of CAPT David Edling, U.S. Coast Guard (1969-1999)

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I completed two tours of duty as a Naval Officer serving aboard the USS Duncan DD-874 and the USS Lipan ATF-85 before considering service in the U. S. Coast Guard. Both of those shipboard tours included deployments to Vietnam, the first in 1970 and the second in 1972. I liked the Navy. I had been designated a Distinguished Naval Graduate on commissioning from the NROTC program at Oregon State University, which meant a Regular USN commission. Both of my initial shipboard tours were excellent experiences because I served under very competent Commanding Officers, and my shipmates on both ships were guys used to form my abilities and competencies as a sea service officer.

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SGT Mark Reisetter, U.S. Army (1969-1970)

SGT Mark Reisetter, U.S. Army (1969-1970)

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Which individual(s) from your time in the military stand out as having had the most positive impact on you and why?:

1SGT Robert L. Millirons (a WWII, Korean War, and 3rd-Tour Vietnam Veteran) was a bare-chested old soldier sitting against a tombstone in the lowlands of Thua Thien Province when he sounded a commanding “Troop” in my direction as I reported to my company. I left Camp Eagle as an individual replacement in January of 1970 bound for where C Company, 1/327th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division was located.

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