Vietnam Service – United States Army
“I was drafted in February of 1968 and arrived in Vietnam in April. I was a mechanic and we worked on just about anything, especially planes. We were shelled occasionally, but I wasn’t shot at on a regular basis.
“But living in the barracks was different. All of the drugs. Whatever anybody wanted was available. And the music. It is always blaring. I fell asleep every night to Janis Joplin. She wanted to give me another little piece of her heart.
“I’m not a doctor and I don’t understand how exposure to Agent Orange 30 years ago could cause my Parkinson’s now, but that’s what the doctors tell me. I never really handled Agent Orange, but you couldn’t get away from it. It was like haze in the air. It was always around.”
The former Garner Mayor died on Sept. 12, 2020 from symptoms caused by Parkinson’s Disease.