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Although my aircraft was hit several times, I was never shot down during my two tours in Vietnam. Due to distance from our airfield, we had to fly to the Air Force base in Ubon Thailand to refuel before returning to Vietnam. One well-remembered mission included photo recon of the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia which had fallen into Viet Cong hands. I flew missions in the I CORP region including the DMZ, Ashau Valley, Ho Chi Minh trail, and also in Cambodia. The Mohawk conducted day and night low-level surveillance missions with installed cameras and infrared equipment. I was accepted into flight school after OCS and trained in the OV-1 Mohawk surveillance airplane, a twin-engine turbo prop built by Grumman. I attended Army basic training, AIT, then Officer Candidate School after graduation from SDSU. There are very few Americans and very few servicemen who have served in a combat zone and realized this experience. I believe I have come to terms with the war and have used this in a positive manner. My experience there has stayed with me for the rest of my life. The Vietnam War for me was difficult but rewarding. Because of this training, I was looking forward to going to South Vietnam. I learned to accept my situation and to make the best of it. Like all new recruits in boot camp, you ask yourself, Why did I do this? and How do I get out of this mess I got myself into? My parents were against me joining the Armed Forces and especially the Marines. There were two from our 1969 graduation class who joined the Marines. I joined the US Marine Corps in 1969 I just graduated from Freeman high school. I think Adams had a lot to offer had he lived. When I heard Adams got killed I thought what a waste-more so than usual. Any time trouble seemed to be brewing, he had a smile and wit and wisdom that would defuse most any situation. He was black and hung around with other black soldiers in the battalion. Nonetheless, I recall instances of racial tension between white and black soldiers in the 2/60th. My experience was that soldiers of all races generally got along with each other, and that personal issues between soldiers did not necessarily follow racial lines. However, when not on a mission, some soldiers tended to associate with those of their own race.

Today’s army is different but so many things stay the same, I love working for the military and supporting our brave soldiers and their families.Īgainst that backdrop, American soldiers of all races fought together. The other great things I received were my education bachelor and masters degree. After 28 years of marriage it was one of the best things that I “got out of the army”. I met my husband in Spain during a four day pass I got after being promoted to Captain. I still work as a Department of the Army Civilian as a nurse in Germany and have now been involved in assisting the soldiers in three wars and several conflicts-as an Army Nurse during the Vietnam era, an elementary school counselor for the 1st Gulf war and as a community health nurse for the 2nd Gulf war. Of course, the Cold war was going on, too. My hope was an assignment in Vietnam but we started pulling out forces so I was sent to Germany where we received some of the wounded. I initially joined to help take care of the soldiers who were hurt since they did not ask to be there in the first place. Since it was a draft army it was made up of everyone from every walk of life. Everyone worked together, the chief nurse would come and help pass out meal trays. I have wonderful memories of working long 12-hour days, six days a week, with one weekend off every 8 to 10 weeks. For a farm girl with three sisters it was a great way to get a college education. I joined the Army because it would pay for two years of college and then I would serve three years of active duty. There was a time when 24 hours seemed like forever and a week could be eternity.

I was living on my parents' farm near the little town of Seneca, South Dakota located in western Faulk County. Shortly after high school graduation, at age 18, I was drafted. Tales of the Vietnam War from the Veterans who lived it.īelow, you will find an illustration of the Vietnam War told by the sons and daughters of South Dakota as they lived it through personal experience, heroic actions and tragic loss.

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