VA Military Memories Competition
SGT Robert Pryor, U.S. Army (1967-1969)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Disembarking at Cam Ranh Air Force Base, Viet Nam, in 1968, we were to exchange our field jackets for steel pots (helmet with liner) and flak vests (body armor). I dutifully lined up like everybody else. After handing my jacket to a member of the Rear Echelon Military Force (REMF), I reached for a helmet. He grabbed it and said, “Not you.” When I asked why, he said, “I thought you knew. Your Green Beret is bulletproof.”
Cpl William Stilwagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1968-1970)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Who knows how many lives each of us destroyed in Vietnam. Confirmed kills is a term for the official way of counting dead enemy bodies. But unless you were a sniper whose spotter could document your kills, you really have no way of knowing. The environmental conditions in Vietnam were such that clear sightings and clear shots were illusive. The vegetation and terrain were extremely rugged and concealing. Once we located the enemy, we d saturate the area with firepower and/or call in supporting arms. Unless you saw an individual go down when you squeezed the trigger, you never knew if it was truly your bullet that ended the life of an enemy soldier. We knew we were responsible in part for enemy deaths, but there was really no way to make a quantitative accounting for the individual warrior. Most times, the killing took place in an obscured environment, or at a healthy distance in the case of mortars and artillery.
1LT Al Bedrosian Jr., U.S. Navy (1968-1970)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Broken Glass
It took place in anticipation of an IG inspection of our AIT (Advanced Individual Training) barracks Fort Dix, New Jersey back in 1968. I d been in the Army for only eight weeks, having recently completed basic training.
DMSN Raul Herrera, U.S. Navy (1965-1969)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Fifteen minutes after midnight on July 15, 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, the crew of Swift Boat PCF-79 fulfilled the Operation Market Time mission by taking the lead role in the U.S. Navy’s historic Sa Ky River Victory. LT j.g. Edward J. Bergin received the “PER GRA” radio message from the on-scene commander granting permission to take the evading North Vietnamese gunrunner, code-named SKUNK ALPHA, under fire at the mouth of the Sa Ky River on the tip of the Batangan Peninsula, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam.
SP4 Joseph De Frank, U.S. Army (1966-1968)
What memorabilia/souvenirs have you kept from your military service? What special meaning do these have for you?:
Many years ago, I purchased a handmade, richly finished personalized box for my Army memorabilia. It had a gold-filled laser engraving: SP4 Joseph A. De Frank, B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry (1/6), 198th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB), Americal (23rd Infantry) Division, surrounding a beautiful embossed Vietnam War Veteran medallion.
The unit crest of the 1/6 depicts an alligator which symbolizes service in the Seminole War, when the regiment bore the brunt of the fighting at the battle of Lake Okeechobee on 25 December 1837. Service in the Mexican War with General Scott is commemorated with a scaling ladder by means of which the walls of the citadel of Chapultepec were stormed. The 1/6 s long proud lineage can be traced back to the War of 1812, when it had the distinction of being commanded by Colonel Zachary Taylor. The Battalion has three Presidential Unit Citations, Two Valorous Unit awards, and three Medal of Honor awardees. The unit motto is Unity is Strength.
SP4 Joseph De Frank, U.S. Army (1966-1968)
Where did you enjoy the best chow during your military service and what was the best meal you remember? Where did you experience your worst chow?:
In 1966, during Basic Training at Ft. Hood, TX, we had a fantastic Thanksgiving Dinner, including shrimp cocktail with hot sauce and crackers, roast turkey with bread stuffing and giblet gravy and cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, buttered mixed vegetables, assorted relish tray, hot Parker House rolls with butter, fruit cake, mincemeat pie, pumpkin pie w/whipped cream, assorted fresh fruit, nuts, and candy, milk, tea and coffee. I still have a copy of the menu.