Navy veteran reflects on Vietnam War service
“I graduated high school the night of the 28th of May. The night of the 29th, I was sleeping in my barracks.
“A friend of mine was in the Navy, and I had always wanted to join. The Vietnam War had just started. I went through boot camp and then to Class A radioman school. I was one of the very first communications advisors to the commander of Service Squadron 3. I worked in crypto. That’s where all the top-secret messages were received and shipped out. I really enjoyed it, because I knew the importance of it.
“I served four years. When I came back to the states, I flew from the Philippines to San Francisco. When I got off the plane, there was nothing but these hippies running around. They spit at us and yelled at us. It was terrible. But once I got back to Texas, it was OK.
“I’ve been with VFW Post 912 in Baytown for about 15 years. One of the things I do is give away Buddy Poppies. It’s a piece of wire with a little red poppy on it. We pass them out and take donations. All the money we receive helps our military veterans and their families — those that are in need.
“It’s unbelievable how generous people are. A few weeks ago, I was set up outside Kroger. I use a plastic bottle for donations. And I collected about $700 in three hours. In fact, I had two people drop $100 bills into it. I’ve been doing it for several years, and it really, really helps.”
— Larry Stratmann
During the Vietnam War, one of Larry’s brothers was a Marine and another was in the Air Force. The Marine died in a car wreck, only two weeks after returning from Vietnam. The night he was buried, their father died of a heart attack.
Related:
