From Patriot Ledger.com: Bomb squad takes grenades from Cohasset
COHASSET —
A pair of Vietnam War-era hand grenades became the day’s drama in Cohasset Friday, when a town resident and Vietnam veteran took them to the police station.
The surprise delivery prompted police to close off Elm Street and order several nearby homes evacuated until a Boston police bomb squad removed the grenades and took them to Moon Island in Quincy to be safely detonated late Friday afternoon.
Cohasset police Lt. William Quigley said the weapons’ owner was a local doctor who had brought them home with him from Vietnam in 1966. After 45 years, “he thought it was a good idea to drop them off with us,” Quigley said.
Quigley declined to identify the man.
The episode began about 1:30 p.m. when the doctor drove into the police station parking lot. Police left the grenades in the car and ordered the home evacuations, but kept the police station operating as usual.
Elm Street was closed for 45 minutes, until the bomb squad took the grenades away.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Vietnam: War-era shell explodes, killing 2
From Taiwan News: Vietnam: War-era shell explodes, killing 2
A Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded in central Vietnam, killing two people who were cutting it up for scrap metal.
Police officer Nguyen Thanh Phong says the men died at the scene following Sunday's incident in central Danang city.
Phong said on Monday that the men aged 44 and 52 had scavenged the 175-millimeter shell and tried to cut it up at an industrial park that was a former American base during the Vietnam War.
Their deaths bring the number of people killed by deadly war leftovers to five in the past 10 days.
Vietnamese government figures show unexploded ordnance have killed more than 42,000 people since the war ended in 1975.
A Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded in central Vietnam, killing two people who were cutting it up for scrap metal.
Police officer Nguyen Thanh Phong says the men died at the scene following Sunday's incident in central Danang city.
Phong said on Monday that the men aged 44 and 52 had scavenged the 175-millimeter shell and tried to cut it up at an industrial park that was a former American base during the Vietnam War.
Their deaths bring the number of people killed by deadly war leftovers to five in the past 10 days.
Vietnamese government figures show unexploded ordnance have killed more than 42,000 people since the war ended in 1975.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Ohio woman finds Maryland man she wore POW bracelet for during Vietnam War
From The Republic: Ohio woman finds Maryland man she wore POW bracelet for during Vietnam War
CINCINNATI — Every time she lifted the lid of her jewelry box, Susan Wilson saw a bracelet that reminded her of a man she never met.
She would wonder if he ever made it home. All she knew about the man was on the bracelet.
His name: Peter Drabic. His rank: Sergeant. And the date the soldier disappeared while on patrol in the jungles of Vietnam: 9-24-68.
"I always wanted to send him that bracelet. That's what you were supposed to do — if he came home," said Wilson, an Anderson Township mother of two, grandmother of three and executive secretary at Procter & Gamble's downtown Cincinnati headquarters.
"But I never knew anything more about him."
She does now.
Forty years after she started wearing the shiny nickel-plated brass bracelet to honor troops taken prisoner or missing in action in Vietnam, Wilson finally found Sgt. Drabic. She located him recently at his home in rural Maryland.
The 64-year-old retired telephone worker can look out his window onto a peaceful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, far removed in time and place from the war-torn foothills of Vietnam.
Wilson mailed the bracelet to Drabic.
"I am always very humbled when I receive one of these," he said hours after opening Wilson's package. Over the years, he has received dozens of these presents.
Drabic marveled that people still think of him.
"That," he said, "was a long time ago."
He spent a long time as a prisoner of war: 1,635 days. When he was captured, he had been in Vietnam for 13 days. He was two months away from his 21st birthday.
Drabic spent the next 400 days in the jungles of Vietnam.
"I went from 162 pounds to 112. All they gave us to eat were two handfuls of rice a day and some water."
He served his final three months as a POW in the infamous prison and torture chamber known as the Hanoi Hilton. While behind bars, he devised a secret communications system that boosted the prisoners' morale and later earned him one of his two Bronze Stars. During his entire time as a POW, no one in the States knew, until his release in 1973, if he was alive or dead.
For a man who lost 4½ years of his life to a brutal enemy, Drabic — who goes by his middle name ("my dad was Peter, so I became Ed") — has a remarkably positive outlook on life.
"Eddie is not bitter," said Debbie Drabic, his wife of 34 years. "He just views this as part of his past, just like people go to college for four years."
Her husband has "a great appreciation for life. The most mundane things are very precious to him," she said.
"That happens," he said, "when you don't see the moon and the stars for four and a half years."
He paused. There was something he had to get off his chest.
"This story is not about me," he said. "I've already broken my own rule and said more than I should have about myself."
He politely declined a request for a photo. "Not for any newspaper," he said laughing. "I don't like attention."
He firmly insisted that this story "is about Susan and the men and women serving our country now."
Ironically, today's soldiers are the reason Wilson caught up with Drabic. She was helped by a man who knows the anguish of not knowing whether a loved one at war is alive or dead.
Wilson volunteered in July to go with some P&Gers to the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in Clermont County and assemble care packages for soldiers overseas.
At the center, she saw a box of bracelets. They were returned to the family of Sgt. Matt Maupin when his remains were found four years after he was captured in Iraq.
"That reminded me of my bracelet," she said. She told her story to Keith Maupin, the center's administrator and Matt's dad.
He told Wilson to search for Drabic's name on a website dedicated to fallen heroes. She did. No luck.
"I felt relieved," she said. "That gave me hope he made it back home."
After her stint at the center, Wilson kept searching. She finally found him in late July after Googling his name on her home computer.
Google and home computers, she noted, "are two things we didn't have when I started wearing the bracelet."
That was in the summer of 1971. She was 13, going into ninth grade at Anderson Middle School.
She talked about the war with her mom, Zella Goin. She ordered the bracelet for her daughter. It cost $3.
The money went to Voices In Vital America, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping those GIs' names before the public. The organization's initials faintly appear on the inner surface of Wilson's bracelet.
"You did not get to pick a name," Wilson said. "The idea was you wore the bracelet to remember this person. I prayed every night for God to keep him safe."
In the summer in 1971, Drabic was in his third year of captivity. Wilson stopped wearing the bracelet in 1973. That's when Operation Homecoming brought 591 American POWs home.
"I never saw his name on any list," she said. "But I never forgot him."
Drabic came home "to a wonderful homecoming parade in my town in Maryland, Everyone turned out."
He noted that many returning Vietnam veterans had "lots of issues. But, I didn't."
He found a job with the phone company, got married and had a son.
He paused again. He prefers to talk about today.
"This stuff is all in the past," he said. "I've lived my dream life. I've met the woman of my dreams and married her. I've had a very nice job.
"Since I missed almost five years of my life being locked up, I thought it would be nice if I could retire a bit early. I was able to do that. So, I've been blessed."
Getting a bracelet in the mail from a woman he never met is another one of life's blessings.
"Things like that," he said, "make me a lucky man."
CINCINNATI — Every time she lifted the lid of her jewelry box, Susan Wilson saw a bracelet that reminded her of a man she never met.
She would wonder if he ever made it home. All she knew about the man was on the bracelet.
His name: Peter Drabic. His rank: Sergeant. And the date the soldier disappeared while on patrol in the jungles of Vietnam: 9-24-68.
"I always wanted to send him that bracelet. That's what you were supposed to do — if he came home," said Wilson, an Anderson Township mother of two, grandmother of three and executive secretary at Procter & Gamble's downtown Cincinnati headquarters.
"But I never knew anything more about him."
She does now.
Forty years after she started wearing the shiny nickel-plated brass bracelet to honor troops taken prisoner or missing in action in Vietnam, Wilson finally found Sgt. Drabic. She located him recently at his home in rural Maryland.
The 64-year-old retired telephone worker can look out his window onto a peaceful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, far removed in time and place from the war-torn foothills of Vietnam.
Wilson mailed the bracelet to Drabic.
"I am always very humbled when I receive one of these," he said hours after opening Wilson's package. Over the years, he has received dozens of these presents.
Drabic marveled that people still think of him.
"That," he said, "was a long time ago."
He spent a long time as a prisoner of war: 1,635 days. When he was captured, he had been in Vietnam for 13 days. He was two months away from his 21st birthday.
Drabic spent the next 400 days in the jungles of Vietnam.
"I went from 162 pounds to 112. All they gave us to eat were two handfuls of rice a day and some water."
He served his final three months as a POW in the infamous prison and torture chamber known as the Hanoi Hilton. While behind bars, he devised a secret communications system that boosted the prisoners' morale and later earned him one of his two Bronze Stars. During his entire time as a POW, no one in the States knew, until his release in 1973, if he was alive or dead.
For a man who lost 4½ years of his life to a brutal enemy, Drabic — who goes by his middle name ("my dad was Peter, so I became Ed") — has a remarkably positive outlook on life.
"Eddie is not bitter," said Debbie Drabic, his wife of 34 years. "He just views this as part of his past, just like people go to college for four years."
Her husband has "a great appreciation for life. The most mundane things are very precious to him," she said.
"That happens," he said, "when you don't see the moon and the stars for four and a half years."
He paused. There was something he had to get off his chest.
"This story is not about me," he said. "I've already broken my own rule and said more than I should have about myself."
He politely declined a request for a photo. "Not for any newspaper," he said laughing. "I don't like attention."
He firmly insisted that this story "is about Susan and the men and women serving our country now."
Ironically, today's soldiers are the reason Wilson caught up with Drabic. She was helped by a man who knows the anguish of not knowing whether a loved one at war is alive or dead.
Wilson volunteered in July to go with some P&Gers to the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in Clermont County and assemble care packages for soldiers overseas.
At the center, she saw a box of bracelets. They were returned to the family of Sgt. Matt Maupin when his remains were found four years after he was captured in Iraq.
"That reminded me of my bracelet," she said. She told her story to Keith Maupin, the center's administrator and Matt's dad.
He told Wilson to search for Drabic's name on a website dedicated to fallen heroes. She did. No luck.
"I felt relieved," she said. "That gave me hope he made it back home."
After her stint at the center, Wilson kept searching. She finally found him in late July after Googling his name on her home computer.
Google and home computers, she noted, "are two things we didn't have when I started wearing the bracelet."
That was in the summer of 1971. She was 13, going into ninth grade at Anderson Middle School.
She talked about the war with her mom, Zella Goin. She ordered the bracelet for her daughter. It cost $3.
The money went to Voices In Vital America, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping those GIs' names before the public. The organization's initials faintly appear on the inner surface of Wilson's bracelet.
"You did not get to pick a name," Wilson said. "The idea was you wore the bracelet to remember this person. I prayed every night for God to keep him safe."
In the summer in 1971, Drabic was in his third year of captivity. Wilson stopped wearing the bracelet in 1973. That's when Operation Homecoming brought 591 American POWs home.
"I never saw his name on any list," she said. "But I never forgot him."
Drabic came home "to a wonderful homecoming parade in my town in Maryland, Everyone turned out."
He noted that many returning Vietnam veterans had "lots of issues. But, I didn't."
He found a job with the phone company, got married and had a son.
He paused again. He prefers to talk about today.
"This stuff is all in the past," he said. "I've lived my dream life. I've met the woman of my dreams and married her. I've had a very nice job.
"Since I missed almost five years of my life being locked up, I thought it would be nice if I could retire a bit early. I was able to do that. So, I've been blessed."
Getting a bracelet in the mail from a woman he never met is another one of life's blessings.
"Things like that," he said, "make me a lucky man."
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Boy's love of Huey helicopters praised by Vietnam veterans
From BBC News: Boy's love of Huey helicopters praised by Vietnam veterans
A schoolboy's love for an American military helicopter has seen him become a hit amongst Vietnam War veterans.
Nine-year-old Kevin Dutton, from Davyhulme, Trafford, has started a website about the Bell UH-1, known as a Huey.
It has quickly become a success, receiving 500 hits a day and earning praise from veterans in America.
Kevin's father, Ken, said that since his son saw the aircraft at an air show, he had been "driving me up the wall with it".
Mr Dutton has helped his son put the website - the Huey Fan Club UK - which also features information about helicopters such as the Hughes OH-6 'Loach' and Bell AH-1 'Cobra'.
He said: "I'm more than amazed; it's just tremendous.
"We've had people who were pilots in Vietnam and troops who flew in them writing to him, saying that they can't believe that this nine-year-old boy in England has got an interest [in the Huey].
"They're sending him stories, photographs, he's even had a couple of invites to go to the States to have a go in one."
'Best day ever'
'Hueys' are an enduring image of the Vietnam war and have featured in films about the conflict Amongst those to offer words of encouragement and thanks on Kevin's site are a three-time recipient of the Purple Heart - a medal given to American military personnel who are wounded or killed in action - a former Colonel in the US Army and a former Australian pilot who used the helicopters in Cambodia.
Shortly after beginning the website, Mr Dutton was called by the owners of the only flying Huey in the UK, which is based in Blackpool, offering Kevin a place on the ground crew for the day.
On arrival Kevin was taken on board to be flown around the skies of Lancashire.
He described the experience as "the best day in my life".
Helicopter ambition
Mr Dutton said his son's interest in helicopters began when he was five after an unexpected visitor came to his school.
"He's always liked them, but in 2007, one landed at his school. They were allowed to have a look inside it and he loved it.
Kevin is interested in other helicopters too, including the 'Loach' and the 'Cobra' "About a year ago, he saw the Huey and got chatting to the crew around it.
"He was wearing his flight suit and they were really impressed by his interest.
"Since then, he's been driving me up the wall with it."
Unsurprisingly, Kevin now plans to become a helicopter pilot when he grows up.
When his father told him he would have to work hard to achieve his ambition, Kevin came up with another idea.
"When he met the owner of the Huey, he was told that to become a pilot, he'd have to do well at school.
"Kevin answered that he'd just become a millionaire like him and buy one.
"That said, I think he got it into him that if he gets his head down, there's a chance," said Mr Dutton.
A schoolboy's love for an American military helicopter has seen him become a hit amongst Vietnam War veterans.
Nine-year-old Kevin Dutton, from Davyhulme, Trafford, has started a website about the Bell UH-1, known as a Huey.
It has quickly become a success, receiving 500 hits a day and earning praise from veterans in America.
Kevin's father, Ken, said that since his son saw the aircraft at an air show, he had been "driving me up the wall with it".
Mr Dutton has helped his son put the website - the Huey Fan Club UK - which also features information about helicopters such as the Hughes OH-6 'Loach' and Bell AH-1 'Cobra'.
He said: "I'm more than amazed; it's just tremendous.
"We've had people who were pilots in Vietnam and troops who flew in them writing to him, saying that they can't believe that this nine-year-old boy in England has got an interest [in the Huey].
"They're sending him stories, photographs, he's even had a couple of invites to go to the States to have a go in one."
'Best day ever'
'Hueys' are an enduring image of the Vietnam war and have featured in films about the conflict Amongst those to offer words of encouragement and thanks on Kevin's site are a three-time recipient of the Purple Heart - a medal given to American military personnel who are wounded or killed in action - a former Colonel in the US Army and a former Australian pilot who used the helicopters in Cambodia.
Shortly after beginning the website, Mr Dutton was called by the owners of the only flying Huey in the UK, which is based in Blackpool, offering Kevin a place on the ground crew for the day.
On arrival Kevin was taken on board to be flown around the skies of Lancashire.
He described the experience as "the best day in my life".
Helicopter ambition
Mr Dutton said his son's interest in helicopters began when he was five after an unexpected visitor came to his school.
"He's always liked them, but in 2007, one landed at his school. They were allowed to have a look inside it and he loved it.
Kevin is interested in other helicopters too, including the 'Loach' and the 'Cobra' "About a year ago, he saw the Huey and got chatting to the crew around it.
"He was wearing his flight suit and they were really impressed by his interest.
"Since then, he's been driving me up the wall with it."
Unsurprisingly, Kevin now plans to become a helicopter pilot when he grows up.
When his father told him he would have to work hard to achieve his ambition, Kevin came up with another idea.
"When he met the owner of the Huey, he was told that to become a pilot, he'd have to do well at school.
"Kevin answered that he'd just become a millionaire like him and buy one.
"That said, I think he got it into him that if he gets his head down, there's a chance," said Mr Dutton.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Vietnam vet presented medal
From Hattiesburgamerican: Vietnam vet presented medal
Steve L. Bounds was drafted into the U.S. Army on March 20, 1968. And it wasn't long after completing basic training at Fort Polk, La., that he found himself in the middle of the Vietnam War.
While deployed in Vietnam, Spc. 4 Bounds served as a wireman and was awarded the Silver Star Award for gallantry in action to restore communications between companies and the battalion operations center while under enemy fire.
But before Bounds was able to receive his award, he was released on a hardship discharge - it was a paperwork discrepancy that prevented him from properly receiving the award.
That all changed on Thursday when Bounds of Sumrall was presented the Silver Star Award by Maj. Gen. William L. Freeman, adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard, at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby.
"It is a good feeling and it's well deserved," Bounds said. "I am more nervous receiving the award today than I was when I earned it in the war."
Bounds' nephew, Staff Sgt. Lathan Newby, first found out about his uncle's military achievements when he was experiencing some ill health.
Bounds had his original orders that were sent to his house and a copy of his military personnel record.
The award orders were dated one day after Bounds' discharge from the Army.
It was Bounds' wish to get it corrected. He thought his children might appreciate the Silver Star medal that he earned and wanted to have it to hand down to his family in the future.
Newby began the process of correcting the award with his company commander of the 3656th Component Repair Company, 1st Lt. Chris Paul. The process went through their higher headquarters, Joint Force Headquarters Mississippi National Guard, National Guard Bureau, and then to Human Resources Command for the Army. After requesting the correction through the proper channels, the concern about Bounds' health was a means for urgency.
Newby requested permission from his chain of command to seek additional assistance through Congressman Steven Palazzo's office, which lent a hand in the process of getting Bounds his decades-overdue honor.
Palazzo was on hand for Thursday's presentation.
When Bounds was asked about being a war hero he said, "I don't think so much that I am a war hero. I don't consider myself a war hero. I was just out there doing my job."
Newby said he was proud to see his uncle receive the award he deserved.
Bounds is married to Ann Martin Bounds and they have four children - Junior Bounds of Sumrall, Sharon Jean Bryant of Lumberton, Shelton Bounds of Lumberton and Jake Bounds of Purvis.
Steve L. Bounds was drafted into the U.S. Army on March 20, 1968. And it wasn't long after completing basic training at Fort Polk, La., that he found himself in the middle of the Vietnam War.
While deployed in Vietnam, Spc. 4 Bounds served as a wireman and was awarded the Silver Star Award for gallantry in action to restore communications between companies and the battalion operations center while under enemy fire.
But before Bounds was able to receive his award, he was released on a hardship discharge - it was a paperwork discrepancy that prevented him from properly receiving the award.
That all changed on Thursday when Bounds of Sumrall was presented the Silver Star Award by Maj. Gen. William L. Freeman, adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard, at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby.
"It is a good feeling and it's well deserved," Bounds said. "I am more nervous receiving the award today than I was when I earned it in the war."
Bounds' nephew, Staff Sgt. Lathan Newby, first found out about his uncle's military achievements when he was experiencing some ill health.
Bounds had his original orders that were sent to his house and a copy of his military personnel record.
The award orders were dated one day after Bounds' discharge from the Army.
It was Bounds' wish to get it corrected. He thought his children might appreciate the Silver Star medal that he earned and wanted to have it to hand down to his family in the future.
Newby began the process of correcting the award with his company commander of the 3656th Component Repair Company, 1st Lt. Chris Paul. The process went through their higher headquarters, Joint Force Headquarters Mississippi National Guard, National Guard Bureau, and then to Human Resources Command for the Army. After requesting the correction through the proper channels, the concern about Bounds' health was a means for urgency.
Newby requested permission from his chain of command to seek additional assistance through Congressman Steven Palazzo's office, which lent a hand in the process of getting Bounds his decades-overdue honor.
Palazzo was on hand for Thursday's presentation.
When Bounds was asked about being a war hero he said, "I don't think so much that I am a war hero. I don't consider myself a war hero. I was just out there doing my job."
Newby said he was proud to see his uncle receive the award he deserved.
Bounds is married to Ann Martin Bounds and they have four children - Junior Bounds of Sumrall, Sharon Jean Bryant of Lumberton, Shelton Bounds of Lumberton and Jake Bounds of Purvis.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Remains of Vietnamese soldiers unearthed in Ca Mau
From Thanh nien.com: Remains of Vietnamese soldiers unearthed in Ca Mau
A resident in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau has discovered the remains of five Vietnamese soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.
Du Hong Phuc of U Minh District was building a shrimp pond in his garden when he inadvertently dug up the remains wrapped in pieces of parachute fabric on Monday.
He also found some handmade detonators, often used by Vietnamese commandos in the war, next to the remains.
Local authorities have relocated the remains for re-burial at a local memorial for war martyrs.
Local residents said the five sets of remains belonged to Vietnamese commandos from Unit D10, who were killed after attacking an American military post in U Minh.
A resident in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau has discovered the remains of five Vietnamese soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.
Du Hong Phuc of U Minh District was building a shrimp pond in his garden when he inadvertently dug up the remains wrapped in pieces of parachute fabric on Monday.
He also found some handmade detonators, often used by Vietnamese commandos in the war, next to the remains.
Local authorities have relocated the remains for re-burial at a local memorial for war martyrs.
Local residents said the five sets of remains belonged to Vietnamese commandos from Unit D10, who were killed after attacking an American military post in U Minh.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Long Tan service to honour Aussies, Kiwis
From smh.com.au: Long Tan service to honour Aussies, Kiwis
War veterans will be among a 300-strong crowd attending a commemorative service at the site of Australia's biggest battle in the Vietnam War this week.
The joint Australian and New Zealand service, being held on Thursday, will honour those who fought in the 1966 battle of Long Tan in southern Vietnam.
Eighteen Australians were killed in the battle, which took place in a rubber plantation, when Australians and New Zealanders defied what experts say were huge odds to defeat the North Vietnamese.
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More than 300 people are expected to the ceremony on Thursday afternoon, including the Australian consulate-general and a representative from the New Zealand consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Australian military attache, the only person allowed by the Vietnamese government to attend in military uniform, will also travel from the capital Hanoi.
Many Australian veterans are also expected to attend.
Carl Robinson, an American who worked for the Associated Press during the war and later settled in Brisbane with his Vietnamese wife, has brought groups of vets back to Vietnam for the past nine years.
This year, he will be accompanying a group of retired New Zealand journalists and diplomats who worked in wartime Vietnam.
"For veterans, coming back to Vietnam is about the best thing they can do to move beyond the experience of the war," Mr Robinson told AAP.
"In less than 24 hours all those years of anger and resentment disappear. It's an amazing process to watch.
"They also see how much Vietnam has changed - but is also still very much the same. The people are as friendly as ever and make them feel welcome."
Seaside Vung Tau - formerly known as Phuoc Tuy - has become a pilgrimage point for veterans, and some Australian vets have moved back to live there in recent years.
It is also the only site where the Vietnamese authorities have allowed a memorial cross for the allied side to be erected.
The memorial is the site of the Long Tan Day ceremony, known as Vietnam Veterans Day in Australia, as well as a ceremony to mark Anzac Day in April.
War veterans will be among a 300-strong crowd attending a commemorative service at the site of Australia's biggest battle in the Vietnam War this week.
The joint Australian and New Zealand service, being held on Thursday, will honour those who fought in the 1966 battle of Long Tan in southern Vietnam.
Eighteen Australians were killed in the battle, which took place in a rubber plantation, when Australians and New Zealanders defied what experts say were huge odds to defeat the North Vietnamese.
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More than 300 people are expected to the ceremony on Thursday afternoon, including the Australian consulate-general and a representative from the New Zealand consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Australian military attache, the only person allowed by the Vietnamese government to attend in military uniform, will also travel from the capital Hanoi.
Many Australian veterans are also expected to attend.
Carl Robinson, an American who worked for the Associated Press during the war and later settled in Brisbane with his Vietnamese wife, has brought groups of vets back to Vietnam for the past nine years.
This year, he will be accompanying a group of retired New Zealand journalists and diplomats who worked in wartime Vietnam.
"For veterans, coming back to Vietnam is about the best thing they can do to move beyond the experience of the war," Mr Robinson told AAP.
"In less than 24 hours all those years of anger and resentment disappear. It's an amazing process to watch.
"They also see how much Vietnam has changed - but is also still very much the same. The people are as friendly as ever and make them feel welcome."
Seaside Vung Tau - formerly known as Phuoc Tuy - has become a pilgrimage point for veterans, and some Australian vets have moved back to live there in recent years.
It is also the only site where the Vietnamese authorities have allowed a memorial cross for the allied side to be erected.
The memorial is the site of the Long Tan Day ceremony, known as Vietnam Veterans Day in Australia, as well as a ceremony to mark Anzac Day in April.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Vietnam War hero from Hamburg will be honored at State Capitol
From BCTV.org: Vietnam War hero from Hamburg will be honored at State Capitol
A Hamburg native killed during a secret mission during the Vietnam War — and recognized only last year with the nation's highest military honor for valor — will be forever remembered at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, said state Rep. Jerry Knowles and state Sen. David Argall, Republicans who represent part of Berks County.
Master Sgt. Richard Loy Etchberger began his service in the U.S. Air Force and was transferred into a civilian position as a government contractor when North Vietnamese soldiers attacked his team on March 11, 1968.
He deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire to place his three surviving wounded comrades in the rescuer slings, permitting them to be airlifted to safety.
"Soldiers' and Sailors' Grove honors Pennsylvania's bravest — our Medal of Honor recipients — and it's only fitting that we now acknowledge the sacrifice and bravery of Master Sergeant Etchberger with the presence of a marker dedicated here at the Capitol," Knowles, who will serve as master of ceremonies for the event, said in a news release.
"Even though it's been more than 40 years since his death, it's important to his family, to his community and to the Commonwealth, that we keep alive his memory and his selfless dedication to freedom."
"The incredible amount of support the family and the community of Hamburg has given will ensure that CMSgt. Etchberger's legacy and selfless acts which saved his crew in Laos will long be remembered. I'm honored to play a role in celebrating CMSgt. Etchberger's life and service to our nation," Argall said in the release.
"Senate Bill 199, which designates a 12-mile portion of Interstate 78 in the Hamburg area as the CMSgt. Richard L. Etchberger Memorial Highway, honors a true local American hero and Medal of Honor recipient."
A tribute ceremony at Soldiers and Sailors Grove on Aug. 22 will include the unveiling of a memorial marker recognizing Etchberger.
Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to participate in the ceremony, along with Etchberger's family, Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the leaderships of many state veterans' organizations.
Schooled in radio and radar maintenance, Etchberger was one of some 40 airmen tasked to operate covert radar installations in Laos and become civilian employees.
His family was told his death was due to a plane crash even though his wife, Catherine, knew of the secrecy of his assignment. After the information became declassified in 1982, efforts began to nominate him for the Medal of Honor.
However, because of his civilian status and the attack was in a neutral country, his nomination was not granted until more than 30 years later.
In 2010, Congress and the White House signed off on the nomination, clearing the way for Etchberger to receive the nation's highest military honor.
His sons accepted the medal from President Barack Obama last fall.
A Hamburg native killed during a secret mission during the Vietnam War — and recognized only last year with the nation's highest military honor for valor — will be forever remembered at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, said state Rep. Jerry Knowles and state Sen. David Argall, Republicans who represent part of Berks County.
Master Sgt. Richard Loy Etchberger began his service in the U.S. Air Force and was transferred into a civilian position as a government contractor when North Vietnamese soldiers attacked his team on March 11, 1968.
He deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire to place his three surviving wounded comrades in the rescuer slings, permitting them to be airlifted to safety.
"Soldiers' and Sailors' Grove honors Pennsylvania's bravest — our Medal of Honor recipients — and it's only fitting that we now acknowledge the sacrifice and bravery of Master Sergeant Etchberger with the presence of a marker dedicated here at the Capitol," Knowles, who will serve as master of ceremonies for the event, said in a news release.
"Even though it's been more than 40 years since his death, it's important to his family, to his community and to the Commonwealth, that we keep alive his memory and his selfless dedication to freedom."
"The incredible amount of support the family and the community of Hamburg has given will ensure that CMSgt. Etchberger's legacy and selfless acts which saved his crew in Laos will long be remembered. I'm honored to play a role in celebrating CMSgt. Etchberger's life and service to our nation," Argall said in the release.
"Senate Bill 199, which designates a 12-mile portion of Interstate 78 in the Hamburg area as the CMSgt. Richard L. Etchberger Memorial Highway, honors a true local American hero and Medal of Honor recipient."
A tribute ceremony at Soldiers and Sailors Grove on Aug. 22 will include the unveiling of a memorial marker recognizing Etchberger.
Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to participate in the ceremony, along with Etchberger's family, Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the leaderships of many state veterans' organizations.
Schooled in radio and radar maintenance, Etchberger was one of some 40 airmen tasked to operate covert radar installations in Laos and become civilian employees.
His family was told his death was due to a plane crash even though his wife, Catherine, knew of the secrecy of his assignment. After the information became declassified in 1982, efforts began to nominate him for the Medal of Honor.
However, because of his civilian status and the attack was in a neutral country, his nomination was not granted until more than 30 years later.
In 2010, Congress and the White House signed off on the nomination, clearing the way for Etchberger to receive the nation's highest military honor.
His sons accepted the medal from President Barack Obama last fall.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Roanoke, VA: Vietnam War radio legend Adrian Cronauer shares his memories
From WDBJ7: Vietnam War radio legend Adrian Cronauer shares his memories
"Gooooooood morning, Vietnam!" Those words are forever immortalized in the 1987 film starring Robin Williams. The comic actor portrayed a character based on real-life Vietnam War disc jokey, Adrian Cronauer. Now retired, and living in Botetourt County, Cronauer recalls his days as a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Services in Saigon between 1965 and 1966. Cronauer helped boost the spirits of troops, and brought a bit of American culture to the war-torn country.
Adrian Cronauer will appear at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 17th at Friendship Retirement Community in Roanoke. The talk is free and open to the public.
"Gooooooood morning, Vietnam!" Those words are forever immortalized in the 1987 film starring Robin Williams. The comic actor portrayed a character based on real-life Vietnam War disc jokey, Adrian Cronauer. Now retired, and living in Botetourt County, Cronauer recalls his days as a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Services in Saigon between 1965 and 1966. Cronauer helped boost the spirits of troops, and brought a bit of American culture to the war-torn country.
Adrian Cronauer will appear at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 17th at Friendship Retirement Community in Roanoke. The talk is free and open to the public.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Joseph E. Minnichbach, 63, Vietnam War veteran
From Philly.com: Joseph E. Minnichbach, 63, Vietnam War veteran
Joseph E. Minnichbach, 63, of Trevose, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and retired customer-liaison specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense, died of complications of lung cancer Saturday, Aug. 13, at Abington Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Minnichbach enlisted in the Army after graduating from Bishop Egan (now Conwell-Egan) High School in Feasterville.
He trained at military bases in North Carolina and Missouri before being deployed to Vietnam in 1967. His unit was attacked by the Viet Cong in February 1968 during the Tet Offensive. Under enemy fire, he and a medic pulled the wounded to safety. He was hit by shrapnel on his right side, and awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Valor.
After his discharge from active duty, Mr. Minnichbach served in the Army Reserve, retiring as a sergeant in 1994.
In civilian life, he was with the Defense Supply Center in Northeast Philadelphia for 30 years, retiring in 2009.
Mr. Minnichbach coached youth baseball and football for the Lower Southampton Athletic Association in the 1980s and 1990s. His players called him "Sarge," because he often came to practice from the Reserve in his Army fatigues, his wife, Maryanne Mullen Minnichbach, said.
He and his wife met through his grandparents, who were her neighbors. They began corresponding when he enlisted in the Army and married in 1969.
He loved his family and friends, and fishing and hunting in Bradford County, she said. A talented woodworker, he did most of the construction on his Bradford County cabin and furnished it with Native American artifacts, including a clay pipe from Montana and carvings and a rug, made by Eskimos, that he purchased on vacation in Alaska.
Besides his wife, Mr. Minnichbach is survived by his mother, Margaret Scott Minnichbach; sons Jeffrey, Joseph, and Edward; a daughter, Maryellen Corbett; a brother; a sister; and two grandchildren.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Fluehr Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Rd., Richboro, and from 10:15 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:05 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church, 1900 Meadowbrook Rd., Feasterville. Burial will be in Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Newtown.
Donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, 1120 G St., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005.
Joseph E. Minnichbach, 63, of Trevose, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and retired customer-liaison specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense, died of complications of lung cancer Saturday, Aug. 13, at Abington Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Minnichbach enlisted in the Army after graduating from Bishop Egan (now Conwell-Egan) High School in Feasterville.
He trained at military bases in North Carolina and Missouri before being deployed to Vietnam in 1967. His unit was attacked by the Viet Cong in February 1968 during the Tet Offensive. Under enemy fire, he and a medic pulled the wounded to safety. He was hit by shrapnel on his right side, and awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Valor.
After his discharge from active duty, Mr. Minnichbach served in the Army Reserve, retiring as a sergeant in 1994.
In civilian life, he was with the Defense Supply Center in Northeast Philadelphia for 30 years, retiring in 2009.
Mr. Minnichbach coached youth baseball and football for the Lower Southampton Athletic Association in the 1980s and 1990s. His players called him "Sarge," because he often came to practice from the Reserve in his Army fatigues, his wife, Maryanne Mullen Minnichbach, said.
He and his wife met through his grandparents, who were her neighbors. They began corresponding when he enlisted in the Army and married in 1969.
He loved his family and friends, and fishing and hunting in Bradford County, she said. A talented woodworker, he did most of the construction on his Bradford County cabin and furnished it with Native American artifacts, including a clay pipe from Montana and carvings and a rug, made by Eskimos, that he purchased on vacation in Alaska.
Besides his wife, Mr. Minnichbach is survived by his mother, Margaret Scott Minnichbach; sons Jeffrey, Joseph, and Edward; a daughter, Maryellen Corbett; a brother; a sister; and two grandchildren.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Fluehr Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Rd., Richboro, and from 10:15 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:05 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church, 1900 Meadowbrook Rd., Feasterville. Burial will be in Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Newtown.
Donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, 1120 G St., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005.
Friday, August 12, 2011
American talk about AO pains
From Vietnamnet: American talk about AO pains
It is because children who suffer from AO sequel have no connection to political situation in the early 1960s but they are victims of decisions made 50 years ago, when the US administration decided to launch the chemical war.
Heather Bowser, 38, is luckier than her parents because she have two children who are not harmed by AO, though Bowser suffers from inborn disability because her father is a veteran who joined the Vietnam War in 1968-1969.
“Every morning, when I’m assembly my artificial leg, I think about the people who decided to spray 20 million liters of weed killer in Southeast Asia. Their decision in the past has affected my life,” Bowser says.
When she was a little girl, Bowser had to stand mock and teasing from other kids for her disability. “It is a meaningless tragedy,” she says.
“Vietnamese children have to face similar meaningless tragedies in their lives. They face an uncertain future as the aftermath of inborn disability, diseases and poverty. They are innocent victims and they are deserved to a better life,” she adds.
Bowser says that it is necessary to speed up research of DNA of the second, third generations of AO victims to better cope with the future.
US veteran Ralph Steele was a gunner on aircraft when he was only 19 and one who involved in spraying fatal chemicals in Vietnam. That past has tortured Steele in his remaining years.
“I still remember the comment of a veteran at a meeting of veterans in the US, after I told them the story about this mission (spraying chemicals), he said: ‘If I knew in advance what you are doing, I would have shot you down’,” Steele says.
Since 2006, this veteran has come to Vietnam several times to visit AO victims, where he realizes the painful facts: chemicals used by the US army during the Vietnam War have caused genetic mutations that cause fatal diseases to millions of Vietnamese. Today, part of Vietnam is still infected by AO residues.
“Many years later, when we understand fully about the destruction of this chemical, it is unable to understand why we, human beings, could allow such act,” he adds.
Vice chair and Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Dioxin/AO Victims, Tran Xuan Thu, says that the association will pursue the lawsuit against American chemical companies. The US court refused to handle the lawsuit proceeded by Vietnamese AO victims for three times.
Thu says this time, plaintiffs may be others, perhaps second-generation victims and the defendants may not be all 37 US chemical companies. The documentations may be sent to another court, not the federal court in New York.
During the Vietnam War (1964-1975), Washington and its alliance poured 83 million liters of highly toxic weed killer on hundreds of thousands of hectares in Southeast Asia, mainly in Vietnam. US airplanes destroyed 25 percent of forest coverage in vy by AO. Three million Vietnamese people now suffer disability, caused by AO/dioxin.
Under the pressure of international and US public opinions, the US government has made some moves to clean hot-spots of dioxin in Vietnam and spend a small amount of money to help AO victims in Vietnam. In 2007, 2009 and 2010 fiscal years, the US Congress ratified $9 million for dioxin treatment programs in Vietnam.
Since 2008, the US has distributed more than $3 million for healthcare programs for the disabled in Da Nang, a hot spot of dioxin, and granted $6 million to detoxify the Da Nang Airport.
However, Jeane Mirer, President of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, coordinator of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign, says that there are 28 hot spots in Vietnam that need detoxification.
She says much more funding needed for this task and to assist AO victims. There are many families in which three generations are AO victims. “We believe that the US must bear the responsibility to heal the war wounds by giving more remarkable assistance to victims in Vietnam”.
She says that the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign is calling for a national campaign to urge the US Congress to fund a comprehensive healthcare and rehabilitation program for Vietnamese AO victims, and to detoxify all hot spots in Vietnam.
The Vietnam-US Dialogue Group on AO/Dioxin estimates that around $300 million is needed to remarkably solve AO/dioxin sequels in the next ten years. It says that the US government should cover most of the funding. The remaining will be mobilized from other public and private donors and investment from the Vietnamese government and people.
John Trinh, a Vietnamese origin American director has sent his film entitled “AO: 30 years later” to US President Barrack Obama, US senators and other famous people in the US. Though he has not received any feedback, Trinh believes: “They have heard my voice.”
This film has been sent to 20 international film festivals and won many prizes in the US and other countries.
Vietnam vet recounts time in Navy, Marines
The Beacon News (Chicago): Vietnam vet recounts time in Navy, Marines
The night of March 30, 1971, was just like any other. Stationed in Da Nang, Vietnam, Steve Barrett hunkered down his barracks for dinner and then went to sleep. He had no idea that the next day would be one of the worst of his life.
Morning broke with news that the Viet Cong had bombed a train in the mountainous and low visibility area of Hải Vân Pass, resulting in 22 casualties. Barrett was a Navy hospital corpsman, trained to administer medical attention to those in need. Since the Marine Corps did not have medical personnel, Barrett was serving with a Marine unit in Vietnam. Upon hearing the news of the train bombing, he headed to a medevac helicopter with his crew.
“We went into the air and over to the train crash, but as we were coming in to pick up the victims, the enemy hit us with an RPG (rocket launcher) and our helicopter went down,” said Barrett, now a 63-year-old resident of Oswego.
The crash was catastrophic; shrapnel killed four Marines. Barrett was lucky to be alive and suffered serious cuts and a broken back. Thankfully, help was on the way.
“Our Marine unit was there to cover us, and they were able to secure the area in about 30 minutes,” Barrett remembered. “It took us three trips, but we got all of the victims out of there.”
Coming home
Barrett was sent back to the U.S. later that year, at the end of a 13-month tour of Vietnam. He met his wife, Lynne, in his native New Jersey and then traveled cross-country to San Diego to serve Navy sea duty onboard a ship docked on the coast.
In early 1972, just two weeks before he was to be discharged from the Navy, Barrett received bone-chilling orders.
“They told me I was to go to Vietnam again,” he said. “They wanted me to re-enlist. I got on the ship and got as far as Pearl Harbor. I wasn’t going to re-enlist, and they realized that then, so they sent me back to San Diego.”
Barrett was discharged in April 1972. He and Lynne loaded up their car for the long trip back to New Jersey, but decided to stop in Illinois on the way to visit family. They never left.
“My plan was to go to pharmacy school back in New Jersey, but Lynne’s sister lived in Woodridge, and we stopped there for her wedding,” Barrett said. “I was going to go to Rutgers, but the school was confused with my in-state application because I had a San Diego address, so I started school at North Central (College in Naperville) instead and switched to manufacturing engineering and then metallurgy.”
Barrett became interested in computer science and soon landed a job with AT&T. He joined the military reserves just three months after being discharged, and the couple had two children. In 1999, Barrett retired from the military after 20 years of service.
Present day
Today, Barrett is the assistant superintendent for the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kendall County, in Yorkville.
“I really enjoy working with veterans and helping them,” he said. “A lot of these guys have no idea what type of medical compensation they are entitled to on the local, state and federal level.”
Looking back, Barrett said he enjoyed his time in the military.
“I go to my ship reunion every two years,” he said. “It is great; there is a lot of camaraderie.”
The night of March 30, 1971, was just like any other. Stationed in Da Nang, Vietnam, Steve Barrett hunkered down his barracks for dinner and then went to sleep. He had no idea that the next day would be one of the worst of his life.
Morning broke with news that the Viet Cong had bombed a train in the mountainous and low visibility area of Hải Vân Pass, resulting in 22 casualties. Barrett was a Navy hospital corpsman, trained to administer medical attention to those in need. Since the Marine Corps did not have medical personnel, Barrett was serving with a Marine unit in Vietnam. Upon hearing the news of the train bombing, he headed to a medevac helicopter with his crew.
“We went into the air and over to the train crash, but as we were coming in to pick up the victims, the enemy hit us with an RPG (rocket launcher) and our helicopter went down,” said Barrett, now a 63-year-old resident of Oswego.
The crash was catastrophic; shrapnel killed four Marines. Barrett was lucky to be alive and suffered serious cuts and a broken back. Thankfully, help was on the way.
“Our Marine unit was there to cover us, and they were able to secure the area in about 30 minutes,” Barrett remembered. “It took us three trips, but we got all of the victims out of there.”
Coming home
Barrett was sent back to the U.S. later that year, at the end of a 13-month tour of Vietnam. He met his wife, Lynne, in his native New Jersey and then traveled cross-country to San Diego to serve Navy sea duty onboard a ship docked on the coast.
In early 1972, just two weeks before he was to be discharged from the Navy, Barrett received bone-chilling orders.
“They told me I was to go to Vietnam again,” he said. “They wanted me to re-enlist. I got on the ship and got as far as Pearl Harbor. I wasn’t going to re-enlist, and they realized that then, so they sent me back to San Diego.”
Barrett was discharged in April 1972. He and Lynne loaded up their car for the long trip back to New Jersey, but decided to stop in Illinois on the way to visit family. They never left.
“My plan was to go to pharmacy school back in New Jersey, but Lynne’s sister lived in Woodridge, and we stopped there for her wedding,” Barrett said. “I was going to go to Rutgers, but the school was confused with my in-state application because I had a San Diego address, so I started school at North Central (College in Naperville) instead and switched to manufacturing engineering and then metallurgy.”
Barrett became interested in computer science and soon landed a job with AT&T. He joined the military reserves just three months after being discharged, and the couple had two children. In 1999, Barrett retired from the military after 20 years of service.
Present day
Today, Barrett is the assistant superintendent for the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kendall County, in Yorkville.
“I really enjoy working with veterans and helping them,” he said. “A lot of these guys have no idea what type of medical compensation they are entitled to on the local, state and federal level.”
Looking back, Barrett said he enjoyed his time in the military.
“I go to my ship reunion every two years,” he said. “It is great; there is a lot of camaraderie.”
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Vietnam in comic book form
From Galesburg.com: Vietnam in comic book form
GALESBURG — Don Lomax transforms a blank page with a black ink drawing pen.
The self-described “inkpot practitioner” is the creator of the comic, Vietnam Journal.
Lomax, 66, of Galesburg offers an honest depiction of the Vietnam War.
The story follows Scott Neithammer, a freelance reporter the troops have nicknamed “Journal.” It chronicles the lives and events of soldiers on the front line during Vietnam.
Lomax was drafted in 1965 and spent 11 months in Vietnam with the 98th Light Equipment Company. The stories he heard, the notes he made and the sketches he drew resulted in the creation of Vietnam Journal.
“The stories go around camp,” said Lomax, who retired from Burlington Northern Railroad in 1984 after 20 years.
But the railroad was a way to pay the bills, said Lomax, the veteran comic artist. He broke into the business after the war with stories in Cavalier and Hustler Humor. His first job was with First Comics where he worked on American Flagg, Starslayer and The Black Flame.
“I’ve always loved comics,” Lomax said. “As a kid, it was all about the scary stuff ... and stuff you knew you shouldn’t be reading as a kid. It was before the Comics Code.”
And then came the underground and non-code magazines, and that’s where Lomax found a home. He sold his first professional work to the undergrounds and non-code magazines.
“It was when magazines were in their heyday,” he said.
Admittedly, Lomax’s style — his images are often violent and the characters’ language rough — didn’t fit the style of the big companies, such as Marvel and DC. Although, Lomax admits working for Marvel for a few years in the early 1990s on what he calls the “assembly line.” He also wrote the later books of Marvel’s series, “The ’Nam,” issues 70 through 84.
But it was his own creation, Vietnam Journal, that would soon consume his creative life.
Lomax was working for Warp Graphics doing a comic entitled, Captain Obese, when the company was bought and the name changed to Apple Press. The owner of the company, Mike Catron, got the idea to do a regular comic about the war. It coincided with the time that movies about the Vietnam War such as “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket” were big at the box office.
Lomax was intrigued by the challenge.
So Vietnam Journal was introduced in 1987 by Apple Comics. The series became quickly acclaimed and was nominated for a Harvey Award. It ran for 16 issues before being shelved.
“One reason why it didn’t do well was Apple was a small company and it couldn’t get space,” Lomax said.
The original had several spinoffs, including “Tet ’68,” “Bloodbath at Khe Sanh,” “Valley of Death” and “High Shining Brass.”
Apple did produce two collections in a graphic-novel form, “Indian Country” and “The Iron Triangle” before the company closed when the comic market collapsed in 1994.
That’s when Lomax went back to freelancing cartoons for slick magazines.
Then in 2001, Byron Preiss initiated the start-up of a new publishing house, I-Books, and approached Lomax to reissue Vietnam Journal and “Desert Storm Journal” in graphic-novel form. The company went under shortly after when Preiss was killed in an accident.
“Vietnam Journal,” however, would not die.
Lomax took a beginning webpage design course and launched his own website to tell the rest of his stories.
Then in 2007, Transfuzion Publishing officially launched, and owner Gary Reed contacted Lomax about re-issuing the series to completion.
“They have the print rights, the property is mine,” Lomax said.
Like his series, Lomax also doesn’t see himself ending any time soon.
“I tried to retire once when I as 65. It lasted four hours,” he said.
And he enjoys being able to work from his tidy home that he shares with his wife, Zeny.
“I like the fact that my desk is 20 feet from my bed and 30 feet from my refrigerator,” he said. “I’ve just always had a passion for drawing. I don’t think I could go through the day without doing it.”
On the web:
For more on Don Lomax and “Vietnam Journal,” visit http:/war-stories.com/LomaxComics/index.html
GALESBURG — Don Lomax transforms a blank page with a black ink drawing pen.
The self-described “inkpot practitioner” is the creator of the comic, Vietnam Journal.
Lomax, 66, of Galesburg offers an honest depiction of the Vietnam War.
The story follows Scott Neithammer, a freelance reporter the troops have nicknamed “Journal.” It chronicles the lives and events of soldiers on the front line during Vietnam.
Lomax was drafted in 1965 and spent 11 months in Vietnam with the 98th Light Equipment Company. The stories he heard, the notes he made and the sketches he drew resulted in the creation of Vietnam Journal.
“The stories go around camp,” said Lomax, who retired from Burlington Northern Railroad in 1984 after 20 years.
But the railroad was a way to pay the bills, said Lomax, the veteran comic artist. He broke into the business after the war with stories in Cavalier and Hustler Humor. His first job was with First Comics where he worked on American Flagg, Starslayer and The Black Flame.
“I’ve always loved comics,” Lomax said. “As a kid, it was all about the scary stuff ... and stuff you knew you shouldn’t be reading as a kid. It was before the Comics Code.”
And then came the underground and non-code magazines, and that’s where Lomax found a home. He sold his first professional work to the undergrounds and non-code magazines.
“It was when magazines were in their heyday,” he said.
Admittedly, Lomax’s style — his images are often violent and the characters’ language rough — didn’t fit the style of the big companies, such as Marvel and DC. Although, Lomax admits working for Marvel for a few years in the early 1990s on what he calls the “assembly line.” He also wrote the later books of Marvel’s series, “The ’Nam,” issues 70 through 84.
But it was his own creation, Vietnam Journal, that would soon consume his creative life.
Lomax was working for Warp Graphics doing a comic entitled, Captain Obese, when the company was bought and the name changed to Apple Press. The owner of the company, Mike Catron, got the idea to do a regular comic about the war. It coincided with the time that movies about the Vietnam War such as “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket” were big at the box office.
Lomax was intrigued by the challenge.
So Vietnam Journal was introduced in 1987 by Apple Comics. The series became quickly acclaimed and was nominated for a Harvey Award. It ran for 16 issues before being shelved.
“One reason why it didn’t do well was Apple was a small company and it couldn’t get space,” Lomax said.
The original had several spinoffs, including “Tet ’68,” “Bloodbath at Khe Sanh,” “Valley of Death” and “High Shining Brass.”
Apple did produce two collections in a graphic-novel form, “Indian Country” and “The Iron Triangle” before the company closed when the comic market collapsed in 1994.
That’s when Lomax went back to freelancing cartoons for slick magazines.
Then in 2001, Byron Preiss initiated the start-up of a new publishing house, I-Books, and approached Lomax to reissue Vietnam Journal and “Desert Storm Journal” in graphic-novel form. The company went under shortly after when Preiss was killed in an accident.
“Vietnam Journal,” however, would not die.
Lomax took a beginning webpage design course and launched his own website to tell the rest of his stories.
Then in 2007, Transfuzion Publishing officially launched, and owner Gary Reed contacted Lomax about re-issuing the series to completion.
“They have the print rights, the property is mine,” Lomax said.
Like his series, Lomax also doesn’t see himself ending any time soon.
“I tried to retire once when I as 65. It lasted four hours,” he said.
And he enjoys being able to work from his tidy home that he shares with his wife, Zeny.
“I like the fact that my desk is 20 feet from my bed and 30 feet from my refrigerator,” he said. “I’ve just always had a passion for drawing. I don’t think I could go through the day without doing it.”
On the web:
For more on Don Lomax and “Vietnam Journal,” visit http:/war-stories.com/LomaxComics/index.html
Emily Good's father among the 'Camden 28' in Vietnam War era
From Democrat and Chronicle.com: Emily
In the early morning hours of Aug. 22, 1971, under the cover of darkness, several activists broke into a federal building in Camden, N.J.
The group — a collection of clergy, blue-collar and white-collar workers, and students, all of whom opposed the Vietnam War — was part of a national movement known as the "Catholic Left," and once inside, they began destroying draft documents.
But an informant was in their midst, and FBI agents stormed the building. Twenty-eight people were arrested, including a 22-year-old named Bob Good.
Forty years later, Good, a Rochester resident and father of activist Emily Good, still has vivid memories of the raid.
"There were eight of us that went inside," he said. "Others were on the outside with walkie-talkies. I was inside."
But it was the legal proceeding that followed, which became known as the "Camden 28" trial, that captured national media attention and was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War.
A family torn apart
For Good, joining with the activists was an easy decision. Several years earlier, his brother had lost his life in Vietnam. "He wasn't anti-war, and he wasn't pro-war," said Good, 62. "He was an average kid that worked his way through high school and graduated and wanted to get a car and wanted to get a girlfriend."
The draft notice arrived in 1966, and Paul Good shipped off to war. At that early point in the conflict, there were seemingly no options for those who didn't want to fight. No one thought to flee to Canada, and conscientious objection had yet to enter the mainstream, said Good.
"He was drafted, he was trained, he was sent overseas, and six weeks later he was killed," said Good. "Came back just like that."
The death tore the family apart, said Good. Some, including his mother Elizabeth, felt that Paul had died as a patriot, protecting the country from a communist evil.
Good didn't feel the same way. So when the opportunity arose to join the Catholic Left, he jumped at the chance.
"They weren't going to be out there throwing rocks and bombs, but they weren't just going to stand around with the protest signs," said Good. "They were finding a way to do something that would actually be effective on some level."
Hoping to disrupt the draft process in Camden, the group planned a draft office raid for several months in 1971. But one member of the group was feeling uneasy about breaking the law and contacted the FBI.
The trial
The 1973 trial, chronicled in the 2007 documentary The Camden 28, saw most of the activists defend themselves. Though they were potentially facing more than 40 years in jail, the group collectively rejected a last-minute plea offer from the prosecution that would have greatly reduced their sentence.
The defendants testified one after another, saying that most of the equipment for the raid came from the FBI through the informant, suggesting they may not have been able to accomplish the raid without federal resources.
But the most pivotal point of the trial was the testimony of historian Howard Zinn, said Marty Stolar, a defense lawyer for the Camden 28.
Zinn gave a history of civil disobedience and its importance in the American way of life, and then launched into an analysis of the Pentagon Papers, portions of which had been leaked two years earlier.
As he detailed what he saw as the government's true motives behind the Vietnam War — which repeatedly came back to the acquisition of tin, rubber and oil — a cry began emanating from the courtroom audience.
Elizabeth Good was breaking down.
"It was quite dramatic," said Stolar, 68, who now practices in New York City. "She was shrieking. Now, she understood that her son was lost for nothing — for somebody's greed, not for upholding the American way of life."
Elizabeth Good was the next to take the stand.
"I think if our country is attacked, I don't think there is a boy in the country that wouldn't fight for the defense of it ... All of my boys surely would," she said, according to transcripts of her testimony. "But I don't believe in sending them to these places for tin, rubber and oil."
The jury ultimately dismissed the charges against all 28 activists, citing "outrageous government conduct." The trial became a famous example of jury nullification, and according to the documentary, it was the only time in the country's history that a jury dismissed charges on these grounds. The late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan called it one of the great trials of the 20th century.
"It became a forum about the war, and the jury recognized that," said Bob Good. "In the shorthand version, it was: If you feel that all this was right, and the war was right, and all these lives being lost in vain was right, then convict us.
"But even though we were caught red-handed at 4 in the morning — inside the draft board with files all around us — in the end, the jury came back and found us not guilty on all charges."
Good's father among the 'Camden 28' in Vietnam War era
In the early morning hours of Aug. 22, 1971, under the cover of darkness, several activists broke into a federal building in Camden, N.J.
The group — a collection of clergy, blue-collar and white-collar workers, and students, all of whom opposed the Vietnam War — was part of a national movement known as the "Catholic Left," and once inside, they began destroying draft documents.
But an informant was in their midst, and FBI agents stormed the building. Twenty-eight people were arrested, including a 22-year-old named Bob Good.
Forty years later, Good, a Rochester resident and father of activist Emily Good, still has vivid memories of the raid.
"There were eight of us that went inside," he said. "Others were on the outside with walkie-talkies. I was inside."
But it was the legal proceeding that followed, which became known as the "Camden 28" trial, that captured national media attention and was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War.
A family torn apart
For Good, joining with the activists was an easy decision. Several years earlier, his brother had lost his life in Vietnam. "He wasn't anti-war, and he wasn't pro-war," said Good, 62. "He was an average kid that worked his way through high school and graduated and wanted to get a car and wanted to get a girlfriend."
The draft notice arrived in 1966, and Paul Good shipped off to war. At that early point in the conflict, there were seemingly no options for those who didn't want to fight. No one thought to flee to Canada, and conscientious objection had yet to enter the mainstream, said Good.
"He was drafted, he was trained, he was sent overseas, and six weeks later he was killed," said Good. "Came back just like that."
The death tore the family apart, said Good. Some, including his mother Elizabeth, felt that Paul had died as a patriot, protecting the country from a communist evil.
Good didn't feel the same way. So when the opportunity arose to join the Catholic Left, he jumped at the chance.
"They weren't going to be out there throwing rocks and bombs, but they weren't just going to stand around with the protest signs," said Good. "They were finding a way to do something that would actually be effective on some level."
Hoping to disrupt the draft process in Camden, the group planned a draft office raid for several months in 1971. But one member of the group was feeling uneasy about breaking the law and contacted the FBI.
The trial
The 1973 trial, chronicled in the 2007 documentary The Camden 28, saw most of the activists defend themselves. Though they were potentially facing more than 40 years in jail, the group collectively rejected a last-minute plea offer from the prosecution that would have greatly reduced their sentence.
The defendants testified one after another, saying that most of the equipment for the raid came from the FBI through the informant, suggesting they may not have been able to accomplish the raid without federal resources.
But the most pivotal point of the trial was the testimony of historian Howard Zinn, said Marty Stolar, a defense lawyer for the Camden 28.
Zinn gave a history of civil disobedience and its importance in the American way of life, and then launched into an analysis of the Pentagon Papers, portions of which had been leaked two years earlier.
As he detailed what he saw as the government's true motives behind the Vietnam War — which repeatedly came back to the acquisition of tin, rubber and oil — a cry began emanating from the courtroom audience.
Elizabeth Good was breaking down.
"It was quite dramatic," said Stolar, 68, who now practices in New York City. "She was shrieking. Now, she understood that her son was lost for nothing — for somebody's greed, not for upholding the American way of life."
Elizabeth Good was the next to take the stand.
"I think if our country is attacked, I don't think there is a boy in the country that wouldn't fight for the defense of it ... All of my boys surely would," she said, according to transcripts of her testimony. "But I don't believe in sending them to these places for tin, rubber and oil."
The jury ultimately dismissed the charges against all 28 activists, citing "outrageous government conduct." The trial became a famous example of jury nullification, and according to the documentary, it was the only time in the country's history that a jury dismissed charges on these grounds. The late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan called it one of the great trials of the 20th century.
"It became a forum about the war, and the jury recognized that," said Bob Good. "In the shorthand version, it was: If you feel that all this was right, and the war was right, and all these lives being lost in vain was right, then convict us.
"But even though we were caught red-handed at 4 in the morning — inside the draft board with files all around us — in the end, the jury came back and found us not guilty on all charges."
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Vietnam-era bracelet links York woman to lost soldier's family
Seacoastonline.com: Vietnam-era bracelet links York woman to lost soldier's family
By Susan Morse
smorse@seacoastonline.com
August 03, 2011 2:00 AM
YORK — Thirty-six years after the end of the Vietnam War, York resident Ina Helkowsky has finally spoken with the family of the Navy captain whose MIA-POW bracelet she wore for years.
During the early 1970s, students in Los Angeles, Calif., originated the MIA/POW Bracelet Campaign, distributing over five million bracelets of Vietnam military personnel either missing in action or taken prisoner of war, according to miafacts.org. The idea was to honor the veterans, and to wear the bracelet until they, or their remains, came home.
Ina Helkowsky wore a silver bracelet with the name of Cmdr. Roy H. Bowling inscribed in black. Her husband, Bob Helkowsky, stationed at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, got the bracelet for her, Helkowsky said.
Helkowsky wore the bracelet for years, not knowing who the man was, or what had become of him. In 1975, when the Vietnam War ended, the soldiers, sailors and other veterans started coming home.
"It was televised," said Helkowsky. "As each guy was getting off the aircraft their names were being announced. Mine never did. I continued wearing the bracelet until several years later. Then I stored it. I never knew what happened to this man."
She found out in the mid 1980s, when her children went to Washington, D.C., and visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Bowling's name was listed on the wall. He was killed in action Nov. 17, 1965.
"I did get an etching from the wall," Helkowsky said. "I saved that with the bracelet."
With the advent of personal computers, Helkowsky started doing research online. But it wasn't until this May, while visiting her daughter in Wasilla, Alaska, that their search through Ancestry.com revealed information on Roy's family in San Bernardino, Calif.
"I wrote a short e-mail, (told them) I had the bracelet, and went to bed," she said. "The next morning I checked my mail, lo and behold there was an e-mail from his daughter. She's 51 years old. She sent me a picture of her dad holding her at 2 years old. She never really got to know him. We have been communicating since."
Helkowsky learned Bowling, who went by the name "Hap" for "Happy," was killed Nov. 17, 1965, at the age of 35, when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. His remains were not sent home until March 1977.
Bowling's widow, now 81, never remarried.
"I'm excited and yet sad at the same time," she said. "I look at pictures and feel so badly for them."
She understands the anguish of having a loved one serving overseas.
When her husband was sent to Thailand for a year during the Vietnam era, "I was a nervous wreck," she said.
Roy's daughter, Merrilee Anker, also had a bracelet with her father's name inscribed on it.
"She wore it so long it kind of fell apart," said Helkowsky.
Helkowsky has decided to send her the bracelet she wore for years.
"I asked her and she was thrilled," she said. "At this point I kind of feel like I know these people. I'm hoping I can keep in touch with them, even if we never get to meet."
By Susan Morse
smorse@seacoastonline.com
August 03, 2011 2:00 AM
YORK — Thirty-six years after the end of the Vietnam War, York resident Ina Helkowsky has finally spoken with the family of the Navy captain whose MIA-POW bracelet she wore for years.
During the early 1970s, students in Los Angeles, Calif., originated the MIA/POW Bracelet Campaign, distributing over five million bracelets of Vietnam military personnel either missing in action or taken prisoner of war, according to miafacts.org. The idea was to honor the veterans, and to wear the bracelet until they, or their remains, came home.
Ina Helkowsky wore a silver bracelet with the name of Cmdr. Roy H. Bowling inscribed in black. Her husband, Bob Helkowsky, stationed at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, got the bracelet for her, Helkowsky said.
Helkowsky wore the bracelet for years, not knowing who the man was, or what had become of him. In 1975, when the Vietnam War ended, the soldiers, sailors and other veterans started coming home.
"It was televised," said Helkowsky. "As each guy was getting off the aircraft their names were being announced. Mine never did. I continued wearing the bracelet until several years later. Then I stored it. I never knew what happened to this man."
She found out in the mid 1980s, when her children went to Washington, D.C., and visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Bowling's name was listed on the wall. He was killed in action Nov. 17, 1965.
"I did get an etching from the wall," Helkowsky said. "I saved that with the bracelet."
With the advent of personal computers, Helkowsky started doing research online. But it wasn't until this May, while visiting her daughter in Wasilla, Alaska, that their search through Ancestry.com revealed information on Roy's family in San Bernardino, Calif.
"I wrote a short e-mail, (told them) I had the bracelet, and went to bed," she said. "The next morning I checked my mail, lo and behold there was an e-mail from his daughter. She's 51 years old. She sent me a picture of her dad holding her at 2 years old. She never really got to know him. We have been communicating since."
Helkowsky learned Bowling, who went by the name "Hap" for "Happy," was killed Nov. 17, 1965, at the age of 35, when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. His remains were not sent home until March 1977.
Bowling's widow, now 81, never remarried.
"I'm excited and yet sad at the same time," she said. "I look at pictures and feel so badly for them."
She understands the anguish of having a loved one serving overseas.
When her husband was sent to Thailand for a year during the Vietnam era, "I was a nervous wreck," she said.
Roy's daughter, Merrilee Anker, also had a bracelet with her father's name inscribed on it.
"She wore it so long it kind of fell apart," said Helkowsky.
Helkowsky has decided to send her the bracelet she wore for years.
"I asked her and she was thrilled," she said. "At this point I kind of feel like I know these people. I'm hoping I can keep in touch with them, even if we never get to meet."
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Danbury's Vietnam War Memorial Chosen for National Monuments Book
Danbury Patch: Danbury's Vietnam War Memorial Chosen for National Monuments Book
Author Col. Albert Nahas, a former U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, wrote "Warriors Remembered," by visiting all 50 states, picking his favorite Vietnam War memorials, and writing a story about each. Danbury's was honored at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
The Danbury memorial was created after two years of conversations in the early 1980s between Richard Cacace a Vietnam veteran, and John Hill, a Vietnam veteran.
That led to five years of fundraising and work from 1982 to 1988, the year it was dedicated on Memorial Day.
"The inclusion of this memorial in "Warriors Remembered," says that this goal was not only achieved locally in the greater Danbury area, but is now being recognized nationally," Cacace said, as he and the Danbury Veterans Council donated a copy of "Warriors Remembered," to the City of Danbury at the City Council meeting.
Cacace thanked Hill, who attended the ceremony, Jim Purcell, a World War II veteran and treasurer for the group, Pat Waldron, the Veterans Services Officer and a Korean War Veteran in Danbury, and Jack Barrows, a Korean War era veteran and artist who drew the memorial, which created the image that was used to raise money for the monument.
The Danbury Veterans Council Color Guard led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and City Council President Joe Cavo thanked them for the book and their service.
"I'd like to thank the veteran's council of Danbury for their hard work through the years. Welcome home. Welcome home," Boughton said.
Author Col. Albert Nahas, a former U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, wrote "Warriors Remembered," by visiting all 50 states, picking his favorite Vietnam War memorials, and writing a story about each. Danbury's was honored at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
The Danbury memorial was created after two years of conversations in the early 1980s between Richard Cacace a Vietnam veteran, and John Hill, a Vietnam veteran.
That led to five years of fundraising and work from 1982 to 1988, the year it was dedicated on Memorial Day.
"The inclusion of this memorial in "Warriors Remembered," says that this goal was not only achieved locally in the greater Danbury area, but is now being recognized nationally," Cacace said, as he and the Danbury Veterans Council donated a copy of "Warriors Remembered," to the City of Danbury at the City Council meeting.
Cacace thanked Hill, who attended the ceremony, Jim Purcell, a World War II veteran and treasurer for the group, Pat Waldron, the Veterans Services Officer and a Korean War Veteran in Danbury, and Jack Barrows, a Korean War era veteran and artist who drew the memorial, which created the image that was used to raise money for the monument.
The Danbury Veterans Council Color Guard led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and City Council President Joe Cavo thanked them for the book and their service.
"I'd like to thank the veteran's council of Danbury for their hard work through the years. Welcome home. Welcome home," Boughton said.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Restoration project brings war relic, memories back to life for veterans
From Minnesota Public Radio News: Restoration project brings war relic, memories back to life for veterans
St. Paul, Minn. — A 46-year-old war relic is being brought painstakingly back to life by a group of Minnesota military veterans. The veterans have volunteered hundreds of hours of their time for almost a year to restore an UH-1H helicopter flown in Vietnam.
Nicknamed the "Huey" -- an iconic symbol of the Vietnam War -- the helicopter will be featured in the "1968 Exhibit" opening this fall at the Minnesota History Center.
With its rounded nose, long body and lifted tail, the Huey looks like some oversized toy insect at a warehouse on the east side of St. Paul, where volunteers have been working on it like surgeons on a patient. Most of the men here are war veterans.
Jay Erickson, an exhibit development technician at the History Center, is leading the Huey project. He said the museum obtained the Huey from an out-of-state salvage yard and brought it to Minnesota in pieces.
The veterans put it back together, then took it apart again and are now rebuilding a scaled-down version.
"This exhibit, '1968,' has to travel around the country and we don't know what we are going to run into at museums," Erickson said. "We are trying to think of the worst-case scenario -- what is the smallest door we'll have to go through."
To plan for travel, each section of this enormous medevac aircraft, which was made to transport troops, must fit easily through a 4 ft.-by-8 ft. door.
Curators chose the Huey because it flew in Vietnam in 1968. They plan to project a film inside the helicopter with sights and sounds from the front lines.
To rebuild the Huey so it looks authentic, Erickson relies on the combined expertise of the volunteers. They served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II.
"Some of these veterans were pilots in Vietnam of Huey helicopters, some of them were mechanics," he said. "They were crew chiefs, they have all kinds of experience."
One of the Huey experts is Darryl LeMire of White Bear Lake, who was a helicopter mechanic with the 101st Airborne. Drafted in 1968, LeMire served in Vietnam until 1970. While he was over there he worked on the same model of Huey that's going into the History Center.
"I really knew them pretty well. There are a few things I have forgotten but I'm surprised by how much I do remember," LeMire said. "Obviously, this isn't going to be an airworthy aircraft, which makes it easier because we can do whatever we want, so that reduces some of the burden."
At lunchtime, the 20 or so volunteers gather around a long cafeteria table and share war stories. The veterans say they keep coming back every week to work on the Huey because of the camaraderie.
In the center of the table are some vintage artifacts that will go on display with the aircraft: Life Magazines, uniforms and other personal mementos from 1968.
Former aircraft mechanic and crew chief Richard Bakke brought in his Vietnam rations, starting with a C-Ration fruitcake, an often-mocked sweet treat, that Erickson requested.
"He wanted this specifically because he felt a lot of guys could relate to it," Bakke said. "Nobody eats it. Poor fruitcake -- it gets a bad rap!"
While fruitcake was rare, Bakke had his fill of the other rations in Vietnam.
"You saw more with pound cake than any other ones," he said. "Pound cake, they had a cinnamon nut roll. This is my most favorite one here, beans with frankfurters."
Bakke's donated rations and other equipment soldiers would have used in Vietnam will be featured in the Huey.
Erickson hopes such personal touches will make the Huey more real -- and inspire veterans who view the exhibit to share their own experiences.
"I think that is the success of this artifact and the exhibit -- that somebody comes up and touches it, and they'll start telling their story and it'll evoke some memories," he said.
In mid-August a crew will move the Huey to the History Center and install it in the gallery. The veterans will then finish detailing the helicopter before the show opens in October.
St. Paul, Minn. — A 46-year-old war relic is being brought painstakingly back to life by a group of Minnesota military veterans. The veterans have volunteered hundreds of hours of their time for almost a year to restore an UH-1H helicopter flown in Vietnam.
Nicknamed the "Huey" -- an iconic symbol of the Vietnam War -- the helicopter will be featured in the "1968 Exhibit" opening this fall at the Minnesota History Center.
With its rounded nose, long body and lifted tail, the Huey looks like some oversized toy insect at a warehouse on the east side of St. Paul, where volunteers have been working on it like surgeons on a patient. Most of the men here are war veterans.
Jay Erickson, an exhibit development technician at the History Center, is leading the Huey project. He said the museum obtained the Huey from an out-of-state salvage yard and brought it to Minnesota in pieces.
The veterans put it back together, then took it apart again and are now rebuilding a scaled-down version.
"This exhibit, '1968,' has to travel around the country and we don't know what we are going to run into at museums," Erickson said. "We are trying to think of the worst-case scenario -- what is the smallest door we'll have to go through."
To plan for travel, each section of this enormous medevac aircraft, which was made to transport troops, must fit easily through a 4 ft.-by-8 ft. door.
Curators chose the Huey because it flew in Vietnam in 1968. They plan to project a film inside the helicopter with sights and sounds from the front lines.
To rebuild the Huey so it looks authentic, Erickson relies on the combined expertise of the volunteers. They served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II.
"Some of these veterans were pilots in Vietnam of Huey helicopters, some of them were mechanics," he said. "They were crew chiefs, they have all kinds of experience."
One of the Huey experts is Darryl LeMire of White Bear Lake, who was a helicopter mechanic with the 101st Airborne. Drafted in 1968, LeMire served in Vietnam until 1970. While he was over there he worked on the same model of Huey that's going into the History Center.
"I really knew them pretty well. There are a few things I have forgotten but I'm surprised by how much I do remember," LeMire said. "Obviously, this isn't going to be an airworthy aircraft, which makes it easier because we can do whatever we want, so that reduces some of the burden."
At lunchtime, the 20 or so volunteers gather around a long cafeteria table and share war stories. The veterans say they keep coming back every week to work on the Huey because of the camaraderie.
In the center of the table are some vintage artifacts that will go on display with the aircraft: Life Magazines, uniforms and other personal mementos from 1968.
Former aircraft mechanic and crew chief Richard Bakke brought in his Vietnam rations, starting with a C-Ration fruitcake, an often-mocked sweet treat, that Erickson requested.
"He wanted this specifically because he felt a lot of guys could relate to it," Bakke said. "Nobody eats it. Poor fruitcake -- it gets a bad rap!"
While fruitcake was rare, Bakke had his fill of the other rations in Vietnam.
"You saw more with pound cake than any other ones," he said. "Pound cake, they had a cinnamon nut roll. This is my most favorite one here, beans with frankfurters."
Bakke's donated rations and other equipment soldiers would have used in Vietnam will be featured in the Huey.
Erickson hopes such personal touches will make the Huey more real -- and inspire veterans who view the exhibit to share their own experiences.
"I think that is the success of this artifact and the exhibit -- that somebody comes up and touches it, and they'll start telling their story and it'll evoke some memories," he said.
In mid-August a crew will move the Huey to the History Center and install it in the gallery. The veterans will then finish detailing the helicopter before the show opens in October.
Vietnam War-era shell explodes, killing 3 farmers
From the Sacramento Bee: Vietnam War-era shell explodes, killing 3 farmers
HANOI, Vietnam -- A Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded, killing three farmers who were cutting it up for scrap metal in central Vietnam.
Police say two of the men died at the scene and another died on the way to a hospital following the incident Saturday.
Tieu Viet Thanh, police chief in Binh Chau village in Quang Ngai province, said Monday that the men, who were aged 52 to 55, had collected the 105-millimeter shell near a beach in the village. The village, a former stronghold of North Vietnamese communist forces, suffered bombardment and artillery fire from American and South Vietnamese forces during the war.
Vietnamese government figures show unexploded ordnance has killed more than 42,000 people and wounded some 62,000 since the war ended in 1975.
HANOI, Vietnam -- A Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded, killing three farmers who were cutting it up for scrap metal in central Vietnam.
Police say two of the men died at the scene and another died on the way to a hospital following the incident Saturday.
Tieu Viet Thanh, police chief in Binh Chau village in Quang Ngai province, said Monday that the men, who were aged 52 to 55, had collected the 105-millimeter shell near a beach in the village. The village, a former stronghold of North Vietnamese communist forces, suffered bombardment and artillery fire from American and South Vietnamese forces during the war.
Vietnamese government figures show unexploded ordnance has killed more than 42,000 people and wounded some 62,000 since the war ended in 1975.
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