Vietnam Service – United States Army
“I left school in the seventh grade because I had a speech impediment, but that was no impediment in getting in the Army. I finished high school while I was in the service.
“I got to Vietnam in February 1967. I was assigned to Armored Personnel Carrier whose base camp was 30 miles south of Saigon. In March, we ran into an ambush and hit a mine. I was sitting outside when we hit, but I got blown inside. No one in our APC was killed, but some of the personnel in the column were hit by ground fire.
“My most vivid memory of Vietnam was one night when I was standing on the track going to the bathroom when we got hit by rockets. Immediately, every door to the vehicle was slammed shut except for the driver’s hatch. I dove in headfirst.
“I was awarded a Silver Star while in Vietnam.”