Tell me about the time you found out you're going to Vietnam up to the time you left for Vietnam.
I wanted to go to Vietnam, I thought it was my duty. I was raised on television shows like Combat and The Gallant Men, and movies like The Longest Day and Guadalcanal Diary. Can't forget Gung Ho or Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. America always helped the "little people" we wore the white hats and kicked the bad guys butt. I was hooked! My brother was Army Airborne but if I was going to go I had to go with the best. The Marines!

Tell me something about your time in Vietnam.

Rain, ambushes, patrols, being shot at with tracers, making friends, losing friends, sadness, heat, boredom, excitement, homesickness, ringworm, leeches, malaria pills, C-rats, interesting people, climbing mountains, walking in water up to your neck, humping humping humping, drinking water with dead flies or mosquito larva in it because your thirsty as hell and you don't have a choice, or soapy tasting water because someone dropped a bar of soap in the well, taking a bath in a river and seeing a piece of poop float by, but still getting out cleaner than before you went in, and more rain, ambushes and patrols... 

Tell me about your first few days back in the USA

Happy to be home alive. Just had to learn how to do things over again.

Tell me about you today, and how Vietnam has influenced what you do and how you live today..

My wife, Janet and I have been married 17 great years. It's the second marriage for both of us. We each had 2 from children from prior marriages and one that is ours plus 3 grandchildren. Our kids are Elizabeth 25, Jason 24, Ben 23, Beth 22 and Molly 9. I'm retired from the Marines and Ameritech, and baby-sit my Granddaughter weekdays, my wife works as an engineer for MCI/WorldCom. Vietnam made me appreciate life and friends more than I could have had I not gone there. Everyday since I came back from that place I've thanked God for keeping me around another day, now I also thank Him for finding my Delta brothers

Give me a 1 or 2 liner about anything you want to say.

Okay, Corvettes rule and one day the Cleveland Browns will play in the Super Bowl and win!

Copyright 2014  Q Madp  PO Box 86888  Portland OR 97286-0888  www.OurWarHeroes.org