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Vietnam Vets: Still Coming Home

"Vietnam Vets: Still Coming Home" tells the stories of 31 Vietnam Veterans who served "in country" between 1961 and 1974.

"Vietnam Vets: Still Coming Home" tells the stories of 31 Vietnam Veterans who served "in country" between 1961 and 1974.

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Copyright<br />

Book Design and Layout: Chad Cable<br />

Recent Photography: Steven H. Feimer<br />

Historical Photographs: Supplied by Veterans and Archival Agencies<br />

Cover Photography: Steven H. Feimer<br />

Copyright© 2017 by Steven H. Feimer and Kristine-Elin Cable<br />

All Rights Reserved<br />

First Edition<br />

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data<br />

Feimer, Steven H. and Cable, Kristine-Elin<br />

<strong>Vietnam</strong> <strong>Vets</strong>: <strong>Still</strong> <strong>Coming</strong> <strong>Home</strong> - Their Stories in Their Words<br />

p.cm.<br />

ISBN 978-0-9963678-0-6<br />

Includes<br />

1. <strong>Vietnam</strong> War,--Pictorial works. 2. Photography. 3. Personal narratives, American.<br />

4. Soldiers- American--Interviews. I. Title<br />

Library of Congress Number<br />

2016907764<br />

The written material and photographs in this volume are intended for the personal use of the reader. No part of this publication<br />

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,<br />

photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the permission of the authors.<br />

Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information in this book is accurate. However, due to factors including the<br />

length of time between the interviewees’ service in <strong>Vietnam</strong> and the writing of the book, as well as changes in the name and/or<br />

spelling of villages in <strong>Vietnam</strong>, some accounts may lack precision. The stories contained herein are based upon informed consent<br />

interviews conducted by the authors.<br />

Each interviewee was provided with a written transcript of the interview for the purpose of correcting any errors or omissions.<br />

All information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. Photo credits are provided whenever possible to<br />

identify the photo source(s). The authors and publisher cannot be responsible for any injuries, losses, and other damages that<br />

may result from the use of the information in this book.


Contents<br />

Dedication 2<br />

Foreword 4<br />

Introduction 6<br />

The Veterans<br />

Kerwin “Pee Wee” Douthit 11<br />

Tim Ross 21<br />

Eldon Nygaard 31<br />

George E. “Bud” Day 47<br />

Doris Day 63<br />

James Meger 71<br />

David Cauley 87<br />

Gary Knecht 101<br />

Neil Kohl 113<br />

Basil Heth/Tony Garcia 127<br />

Mary Swenson 143<br />

Don Dahlin 157<br />

Dennis Daum 171<br />

David Volk 187<br />

Dennis Buseman 203<br />

Duane Kummer 215<br />

JR Raysor 225<br />

Ralph Swain 239<br />

Richard Fox 253<br />

Tom Gilbert 265<br />

Stewart Hines 275<br />

Gene Murphy 289<br />

Lyle Bowes 305<br />

Mark DeSciscio 321<br />

Charles Freeman 333<br />

John Boos 347<br />

Larry Tentinger 359<br />

Doug Van Hull 371<br />

Mike Welsh 387<br />

Fred Winkler 403<br />

Roger Kugler 419<br />

Afterword 430<br />

Acknowledgements/<br />

Photograph Credits 432<br />

About the Authors 433<br />

Glossary Of Terms 434


Dedication<br />

To every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine<br />

Who shared with us their memories of <strong>Vietnam</strong>,<br />

We offer special recognition to those who are still missing,<br />

To the brave souls whose tour of duty ended there,<br />

And to the Families<br />

Who endured the absence and who still mourn their loss.<br />

To all, we dedicate this book.<br />

There has been too much forgetting.<br />

We are honored to be a part of the remembering.<br />

2


FOREWORD<br />

On April 30, 1975, at 8:35 a.m., the last U.S. Marines left the American Embassy in<br />

Saigon, <strong>Vietnam</strong>, marking the end of America’s longest and most controversial war, the<br />

<strong>Vietnam</strong> War. That is, until the Iraq War. The <strong>Vietnam</strong> War, like the wars in Iraq and<br />

Afghanistan was not a declared “Great war” like WWI or WWII. <strong>Vietnam</strong> began as a<br />

conflict that grew into a small war in much the same way the Korean Conflict became<br />

a small war. One might ask; what the difference is between a “great war” and a “small<br />

war” or “conflict?”<br />

Perhaps the distinction lies in the number of dead and wounded. Is it that in small<br />

wars and conflicts the dead and wounded are counted in tens of thousands rather than<br />

millions? But then, how does one count the dead and wounded . . . military killed or<br />

wounded, civilian deaths, enemy killed, missing and presumed dead? Any of these<br />

dark figures are at best only estimates of the number of military and civilian casualties.<br />

What truths have we learned from all of these wars? The first truth was that in 1918<br />

when Woodrow Wilson declared that World War I was “the war to end all wars” he was<br />

wrong on at least two counts. One, the U.S. subsequently engaged in a second World<br />

War and two, the U.S. has continued to engage in a number of regional military conflicts<br />

ever since. Indeed, Wilson’s remarks in retrospect are darkly ironic.<br />

In fact, the assertion that nations would no longer wage wars was not only wrong<br />

but, perhaps, naïve in that the opposite seems to have occurred. The hope that nations<br />

would find alternative, non-violent ways to resolve political conflicts has merely manifested<br />

as alternative linguistic and policy frameworks that have reenergized war as an<br />

optimal policy choice. In fact, we appear to be no closer to ending the practice of war<br />

than we were during Wilson’s time. Rather, we may have witnessed an escalation in<br />

military conflicts designed to maim and kill each other more efficiently in quieter and<br />

smaller ’police actions.’<br />

And what poignant truths did we learn specifically from the <strong>Vietnam</strong> War? Perhaps<br />

one of the more enduring truths is captured in a quote by Jose Narosky, “In war, there<br />

are no unwounded soldiers.” Norosky’s assessment regarding the effects of war neatly<br />

encapsulates an important and enduring truth about military conflict. Not surprisingly<br />

then, understanding more about the impact of war on its military participants is a significant<br />

driving force behind our face-to-face interview work with <strong>Vietnam</strong> Veterans.<br />

I came upon the idea to write this book by a chance encounter. In the summer<br />

of 2008, I was photographing an event honoring Veterans at our local Veterans<br />

Resource Center. As I was packing up my camera equipment, a gentleman sat<br />

4<br />

down next to me and asked, “Can you take 35mm slides and turn them into photographs?”<br />

“Yes,” I responded and then asked, “What kind of slides do you have?”<br />

He replied in a very soft but direct voice, “They are pictures I took when I was in<br />

<strong>Vietnam</strong>. I was a door gunner in a helicopter gunship.” And so it began.<br />

The next day Gary arrived at my office carrying two old five-pound plastic<br />

tobacco bags, the kind of bags that “roll-your-own” smokers buy. Both bags were<br />

filled with slides, campaign ribbons, medals, patches, letters, an old 1A Draft card,<br />

and a variety of memorabilia from his time in <strong>Vietnam</strong>.<br />

As I examined the slides and read his letters, I realized that this man’s life before,<br />

during, and after <strong>Vietnam</strong> bore a special significance not simply because of<br />

its individual uniqueness, but because his personal story revealed the commonality<br />

of experiences and feelings that most military personnel who go to war – any<br />

war – share. What Veteran can forget arriving at boot camp, C- rations, letters<br />

from home, the sounds of the battlefield at night, the cry, Medic!!, the boredom,<br />

the chaos, being shot at, being hit, the adrenaline highs, mud, the stench of battle,<br />

emptied bunks, and coming home?<br />

As the academic year began in the fall of 2008, I contacted two of my colleagues,<br />

professors Robert Swan and Steven Bucklin, both Veterans and asked if<br />

they would be interested in collaborating on a book centered on the lives of Veterans<br />

before, during, and after <strong>Vietnam</strong>. After receiving funding from the Chiesman<br />

Center of Democracy and technical support from Jathan Chicoine, Executive<br />

Director of the Vermillion Veterans Resource Center, we began identifying<br />

<strong>Vietnam</strong> Veterans to interview.<br />

At first, we planned to interview six or perhaps eight Veterans. As it turned<br />

out almost every soldier we interviewed gave us the name of another Veteran who<br />

needed to be contacted. All had compelling stories of their experiences. Soon we<br />

found ourselves overwhelmed with <strong>Vets</strong> who wanted to share their stories. We<br />

knew there were practical limits to the number of interviews we could do, but it<br />

was hard to say no, despite the fact there were simply too many stories that Veterans<br />

wanted to share with us. In the end, we settled for a platoon size group of<br />

<strong>Vets</strong>, knowing that there were many other stories we would miss.<br />

For the most part, the men we contacted were eager to tell their experiences<br />

and appreciated the fact that nearly forty years after the <strong>Vietnam</strong> War, people<br />

were still interested in their stories and their lives. There were times, however,<br />

when Veterans would ask us to turn off the recorder, not because of some “blood<br />

and guts” issue or because they were recalling becoming hooked on “Black


Beauties” or other drugs, but because our questions dredged up memories and<br />

emotions that were still too vivid and painful to revisit. In other cases certain<br />

Veterans declined to be interviewed and when we inquired why, they simply<br />

said “I can’t talk about <strong>Vietnam</strong>.” Their response always reminded me of the<br />

“What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” commercial. Perhaps, “What Happened<br />

in ‘Nam, [should] Stay in ‘Nam” and I suspect that it will.<br />

This book is a testimony to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines lives<br />

before, during, and after <strong>Vietnam</strong>. Many of the photographs were taken by U.S.<br />

Veterans while in <strong>Vietnam</strong> and show the muted colors of the old Kodacolor film<br />

(C-41) processing. Other photographs reflect modern digital photographic techniques<br />

and unique processing. In considering the book design we wanted to produce<br />

a book that was both rich in narrative and photography. What began as an<br />

effort to convert 35mm slides ended with the interviews of a platoon size group<br />

of <strong>Vietnam</strong> War Veterans and over 2,500 photographs. We hope our presentation<br />

of these lives stirs within the readers the same shifting perspectives and sense of<br />

humanity that moved us to create this record.<br />

Photographs remind us of where we have been, mirrors remind us of<br />

where we are.<br />

Steve Feimer, Photographer<br />

5


INTRODUCTION<br />

“<strong>Vietnam</strong> <strong>Vets</strong>: <strong>Still</strong> <strong>Coming</strong> <strong>Home</strong>” introduces thirty Veterans who served in<br />

<strong>Vietnam</strong> between 1962 and 1973. They represent the Army, Marines, Air Force,<br />

and Navy, and experienced their service with different jobs, in different parts of<br />

<strong>Vietnam</strong> and with different degrees of impact on their post-<strong>Vietnam</strong> lives. None<br />

came away unscathed; none have forgotten – nor ever will forget - those years.<br />

“<strong>Still</strong> <strong>Coming</strong> <strong>Home</strong>” is a glimpse of those thirty lives before, during, and after<br />

<strong>Vietnam</strong>.<br />

that each of these thirty Veterans have stored in their hearts makes them who they<br />

are today. With courage they have shared Their Stories, In Their Words.<br />

It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and if that is accurate, the<br />

word count in this book is infinite. The Veterans have provided personal photos<br />

from their experiences which tell these stories with a range of feelings from horror<br />

to humor, and which capture the time and the culture of a by-gone era. The<br />

creative talent of co-author Steve Feimer has contributed an artistic element to the<br />

book with the photographs of the Veterans today. The memorabilia which they<br />

saved and shared - from draft cards to weapons to uniforms to enemy artifacts -<br />

documents their time in <strong>Vietnam</strong>. Some rarely dig out these treasures because of<br />

the emotional memories they represent. Some share them regularly with family<br />

and friends and display them in their homes. All have appreciated the careful<br />

and respectful arrangements Steve has designed to poignantly tell their stories in<br />

photographs.<br />

Telling the <strong>Vets</strong>’ stories in words was a different challenge. Each interview was<br />

taped, and a transcript was made for the writer to combine and then tell each<br />

story. In order to convey the emotion, the individual’s speech patterns, the “atmosphere”<br />

of the surroundings, pauses in the interview, body language and other<br />

non-verbal elements, it was necessary to use unusual or non-standard punctuation<br />

and spacing and to insert editorial comments using italicized paragraphs. It<br />

is hoped that the stories “read” as they were spoken, and, that if read aloud, each<br />

Vet would come alive as the individual they are. No apologies are made for grammar,<br />

repetitive sayings, swearing, anger, or “voices full of tears.” Long pauses . . .<br />

hopefully convey the depth of feeling that makes each Vet’s account of his <strong>Vietnam</strong><br />

experiences truly unique. Maintaining the integrity of the interview was essential<br />

for “<strong>Still</strong> <strong>Coming</strong> <strong>Home</strong>” to achieve one of the goals of the book’s original<br />

concept.<br />

The whole story of <strong>Vietnam</strong> will never be told. It would be impossible. Each<br />

Veteran left as a young man or woman with expectations and personal history.<br />

Most Veterans came home much older and changed in many ways both physically<br />

and mentally. Some have had greater success than others in “moving on”<br />

and building a future without the shadows of <strong>Vietnam</strong> darkening their lives. But<br />

throughout the forty-plus years that have gone by since <strong>Vietnam</strong>, the memories<br />

6


The Veterans and Their Stories<br />

7


Sun Tzu, The Art of War<br />

Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust. Thus we<br />

may know that there are five essentials for victory:<br />

• He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.<br />

• He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.<br />

• He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.<br />

• He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.<br />

• He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.


Kerwin “Pee Wee” Douthit


Kerwin “Pee Wee” Douthit<br />

The Army E7 was already dead; the Viet Cong had staked him to the ground<br />

with bamboo poles through his shoulders. I somehow got the VC, and then carried<br />

out the wounded Colonel. We could be next if they caught up with us. I ran<br />

with him on my back for four and a half hours. We both survived but I never saw<br />

him again, and I never want to.<br />

Memories of the sights, secrets, and scars of a twenty-two year military career<br />

began “in the middle of nowhere” in one country and took Kerwin “PeeWee”<br />

Douthit to the “middle of nowhere” around the world and back. Much of his<br />

story will never be told; here is a part of what he can share.<br />

There are lots of places in South Dakota that people would describe as the<br />

“middle of nowhere,” and I grew up in one of them. My folks ran a cattle ranch<br />

three miles east of Vetal, South Dakota – population 7 - in Bennett County, on<br />

the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation about twenty miles east of Martin, South<br />

Dakota. It’s hard to imagine these days, but the house I was born in was made<br />

out of logs with a dirt floor and a sod roof. Amazing that it’s still there. I was<br />

raised after the Depression and we did not have a whole lot to eat; you ate what<br />

came off the ranch. I remember sugar being rationed and so was gasoline during<br />

WW II. Whenever we had to go someplace, we went with horses.<br />

There were five boys and one girl in the family – two older brothers, me, a younger<br />

sister, and a younger brother. My mother died giving birth to twins. One twin<br />

died shortly after birth and the other twin was adopted by my aunt. After Mom<br />

died, Dad sold the ranch and moved to town. I went to work on another ranch and<br />

stayed with my grandmother during the school year to attend grade school and<br />

junior high in Lincoln, Nebraska. Then I attended high school at the University of<br />

Nebraska, School of Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska. Our family was pretty well<br />

split up during the school year, but we got back together during the summers.<br />

11<br />

Not the Army Kind<br />

After I graduated from high school in 1957, I really wasn’t thinking much<br />

about being in the military. My uncles – most of them – had been in the service,<br />

but Dad wasn’t allowed to serve in WWII. The country needed the cattle they<br />

were raising on the ranch.<br />

None of us young kids then paid any attention to the war in <strong>Vietnam</strong> or<br />

Southeast Asia. Girls was mostly what we thought about. But that all changed<br />

in February of 1960. One day I was playing cribbage in a place where they<br />

served sodas, when the secretary of the local draft board came in and told me<br />

I was “number one” for the draft. I said, “No, I’m not,” and walked across the<br />

street to the Air Force recruiter and signed up. I’m not the Army kind of guy, so<br />

I joined the Air Force thinking I could stay back and make sure their girlfriends<br />

were happy.<br />

But it didn’t end up that way. I left that night for my 12 weeks of basic training<br />

in San Antonio, Texas. Twelve weeks of boot camp was actually eight for us.<br />

We was in our eighth week when the drill instructors got new people coming in,<br />

so we just had to sit around and act like we was smart! I waited four weeks, and<br />

then my transfer was to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, for training.<br />

Electronics was among a lot of other training we had. This was the beginning of<br />

what ended up as being a twenty-two year career in the U.S. Air Force.<br />

In the very early days of the U.S. involvement in <strong>Vietnam</strong>, prior to the largescale<br />

ground war initiative, enlistees were trained for jobs that were urgently<br />

needed for gaining knowledge of the area and the enemy. Sometimes small<br />

groups were trained in a number of techniques for specialized communications<br />

and intelligence gathering. Especially for those who continued with the service


as a career, many built upon these first skills and their personal field experiences<br />

to move on and train others.<br />

The Air Force has AFSCS’s which is a specialty code for assigning job classifications.<br />

I was an Air Force IG inspector, a quality control inspector, and at one<br />

time, I was an enlisted commander which in other branches of the service you<br />

don’t normally have. Later, after <strong>Vietnam</strong>, I was a survival instructor in Arctic,<br />

jungle, and dessert.<br />

After training, I didn’t go directly to <strong>Vietnam</strong>; my first overseas duty assignment<br />

and permanent change of station (PCS) was Clark Air Force Base in the<br />

Philippines. I was only in the Philippines for about three days before I was sent<br />

up into South Korea to work with the Republic of Korea Army (ROK). The communist<br />

North Korean soldiers were coming across the DMZ – Demilitarized<br />

Zone – so I spent about six weeks chasing the North Koreans. It was a miserable<br />

duty. We were out in the bush the entire time with no way to take a bath or<br />

anything. I was really dirty and skuzzy. I smelled like a dead horse. Six weeks<br />

in Korea was plenty for me, so when my time was up I was ordered to fly back to<br />

Clark AFB from Korea.<br />

“The U.S. Does Not Know You”<br />

So, here I was in the shower cleaning up when the security police came in and<br />

got me. I had no sense I was going to <strong>Vietnam</strong> until I went over to the Thirteenth<br />

Air Force Headquarters, which was really a vault within a vault. It was there that<br />

I learned that I was going to <strong>Vietnam</strong> on temporary duty orders (TDY) with a<br />

special assignment.<br />

I was stripped of everything I had on me that said United States of America.<br />

I wasn’t the only one receiving this “special treatment” – there was fifteen of us.<br />

12

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