Vietnam Service – United States Army
“I almost got to meet John Wayne when he came to Vietnam before filming “The Green Berets.” He was scheduled to come to our Green Beret camp … but they, whoever they were, decided it was too dangerous for him to visit.
“I met him later and worked with him during the filming of the movie. I was Special Forces at Fort Bragg, but was flown down to Fort Benning, Ga., where much of the movie was filmed. I was one of the consultants that advised on accuracy. I later was flown to Atlanta to attend the premiere of the movie.
“John Wayne was a great guy. Down to earth. Nothing fancy. He liked to wear khakis and old cowboy boots. And if you’ll notice his right wrist, he wore a bracelet given to him by our South Vietnamese allies. He never took it off. He was buried with it.”