“I was around 19, taking college classes, when I got mononucleosis. So I dropped out while recovering. And I immediately received a draft notice. I flunked my physical because of the mono, and because one leg was a little shorter than the other. I also had a growth on my throat that they thought might be cancerous. To be honest, I felt relieved. I had no real ambition to go to Vietnam.

“Then, about six weeks later, I got another notice. It was the result of what they called (Defense Secretary Robert) McNamara’s 100,000. They were desperate for more troops, so I got upgraded from 4-F.

“I was stationed in Pleiku, near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, when there was a mortar and rocket attack. We lost some vehicles, so we had to drive down to Cam Ranh Bay to pick up new ones. Along the way, our convoy was ambushed. I was driving, and the guy next to me was shot in the head and killed. It was awful. Something I’ll never forget.

“When we’d go out on patrol, I always told the other guys that if I ever stepped on a land mine and got my leg blown off, make sure you shoot me. Because I didn’t want to live like that.

“I was thankful to God when I finally made it back home. But we lost a lot of good men over there.

“PTSD is real. When I first came back, my wife and I had an apartment about a block away from the fire station in this little town in Ohio. Every night at 10 o’clock, they’d sound this siren that was like a curfew for the kids. I’d roll out of that bed and get underneath. It was like my mind was reacting to a mortar or rocket attack.

“I still have nightmares at times. And if I’m stopped at a railroad track, waiting on the train to pass, I can’t stay in my car. I have to open up the door. It’s like a flashback to that guy getting shot.

“There’s a group of area Vietnam veterans who meet once a week. We get together and talk about anything and everything. It’s just good to know that there are people who went through the same thing you did. Some of them had it a lot worse than me.

Agent Orange strikes

“Physically, I was always into stuff. I played football and ran track in school. I later ran marathons and 10Ks. I also was a soccer referee for years. I was in pretty good shape. But about seven years ago, I began losing feeling in my feet and hands. I’d be driving, and I couldn’t tell if my foot was on the gas or brake. I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy.

“When my wife was battling lymphoma [Judy passed away in 2023], other than walking around the hospital I didn’t get much exercise. Then I started noticing my right foot would catch at the ball of my foot, and I’d fall. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. It was drop foot. It’s when your nerve and leg don’t communicate to your ankle to come up, and your foot kind of drags.

“While serving in Vietnam, they sprayed a lot of Agent Orange. When the plane dropped it, it carved a path right through the jungle. We just saw it for what it was. It worked great for the purpose. Years later, as veterans started having all kinds of symptoms, that’s when it really hit home. I had diabetes, neuropathy, some vision loss. Finally, the VA agreed it fell under the criteria for Agent Orange.

“About three months ago, I finally made it to 100% disabled. It took me 14 years to work through the system to get there. I now have total access to anything from the VA. They pay for my prescriptions. They cover medical issues. I get a nice check every month. And there are various other benefits.

“When I get up in the morning, my back aches, my legs ache, and I can’t feel my feet. My fingers don’t work the way they used to. Of course, I’m 78, so that plays into it. But I keep going. I walk at Lee College and I go to Fitness Connection mainly for elliptical and bike. I want to get in better shape so I can travel and see more of the country. I love the outdoors. I’d like to enjoy what time I have left.”

— Gary Gill

Gary was a project engineer for Mobay, Miles and Bayer before retiring in 2008. Mobay in New Martinsville, West Virginia, enabled him to complete his degree in industrial engineering by working and then driving 101 miles each day to classes at Ohio University.

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“In 2014, at the last red light before going over the Fred Hartman Bridge, an 18-wheeler got me. I mean, he T-boned me.

“They Life Flighted me to Hermann Hospital. I was in a coma for three days and in ICU for three weeks. Because of it, I have a 2 1/2-inch titanium plate screwed into my neck.

“Before that, I had cancer in my bottom lip. I never smoked a day in my life. It was carcinoma. They cut right down the center of my lip, all the way across, and took out the cancer. I needed 93 stitches.

“Then about five or six years ago, they removed my whole upper lip with another carcinoma. They took some skin from behind my ears to fill in, then just stretched the cheek and sewed me up. It’s so tight, I couldn’t get my partial in.

“I’ve also had a bunch of other skin cancers removed. And then, a few years ago, they found colon cancer. I had 13 inches of my colon removed. Last year, I had a brand new knee put in. I spent 19 weeks in therapy with that knee. I also had a new shoulder put in. There’s four different pieces in there. I had rotator cuff surgery, too.

“Some of that was pretty rough to deal with, but I never really did get discouraged. I’m 81, and I’m still active. I keep looking forward. I guess I’m just a walking miracle. The good lord has been taking such good care of me.”

— Larry Stratmann

Larry has served others all his adult life. He was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, then enjoyed long careers in police and security work. His favorite volunteer gig has been helping with the food pantry at Missouri Street Church of Christ in Baytown. He also was part of the volunteer fire department and volunteer ambulance service in Beach City, where he lives with his wife.

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“I saw a guy coming out the back door carrying a television. I said, ‘How are you today, sir?’ He said, ‘Just fine. I’m taking my TV to get fixed.’ I wasn’t wearing a uniform, but I did have my badge. I walked the guy to the back door, and I saw it was kicked in. That’s when he broke and ran.

“I chased after him. I had my cowboy boots on, and it was kind of muddy. But I managed to catch up to him. I grabbed him by the shoulders. He jerked around and knocked me over. Then he jumped on top of me. He was trying to grab my weapon. One of the neighbors saw what was happening. He came running, and he hit the guy in the head with an iron pipe.

“The guy rolled off me and took off again. As he reached the van, a lady came out of the house and jumped in the front seat. It was his wife. I had already called for backup, and he was coming down the road. When the burglar pulled out, they hit right on. The guy I was chasing had a hurt leg, so he couldn’t get away. He was locked up for burglary and assaulting a police officer.

“Well, about 25 years later, after I left the department and was working security for Baytown schools, I got a call from the same dispatcher on duty the day of that burglary. She said, ‘You’ll never guess who came to see you today.’ She gave me his name, and I said, ‘You’re kidding me?’

“It was the same guy. He had just gotten out of jail, and he asked if I was around. She told him I had gone to Massachusetts, and that I was working for the highway patrol up there. It was quick thinking on her part. He was a big old boy. So for a long time after that, I kept looking over my shoulder.”

— Larry Stratmann

After serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War, Larry had a long career in police and security work. In 2010, he retired as assistant security chief for Goose Creek CISD.

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“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.

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“It was 1966, and I was in Vietnam with the 5th Mechanized Infantry Division. I got medically discharged after about three months as a combat medic. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A piece of shrapnel went through my right eye, and it was gone immediately. In a way, I kind of think it was a blessing that God took me out of that mess so early. If I would have stayed over there the full tour, 13 months, I probably wouldn’t have made it. I don’t know. But God knew, so he took me out of there.

“I was medically retired, but it took quite a while for my compensation to catch up with the disability. Part of it probably has to do with age and unemployability. While I’ve been without this eye for years, the other one is going out to an extent. I’ve got glaucoma working in it. I also lost the hearing in my left ear. So maybe they added all of that to the unemployability and bumped it up to 100 percent. Last November, while I was gone to visit my son in North Dakota, they finally granted it. I didn’t know until I came back home and discovered that I had a lot of money in the bank. I called the bank and said, ‘Y’all made a mistake.’ They said, ‘No, we didn’t.’ And I said, ‘Well, I guess I’ve hit the lotto.’”

— K.C. Compton, 73

(Editor’s note: K.C. passed away on Nov. 29, 2018.)

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“Around midnight, we suddenly came under heavy mortar and artillery fire. Generally, the Viet Cong would rain down on you before they’d try to overrun and take your position. So we were well aware that this was just the beginning of a long night for us.

“During the attack, a grenade was thrown in the midst of my men. It was a chicom, which is a Chinese-made grenade. One of its characteristics is that the explosive mechanism spurts out sparks that you can see at night. As a result of my training, I knew that it would not explode until 13 seconds after the person that throws it releases the safety lock.

“For some reason I assumed that I had at least three or four seconds to jump on the grenade and protect my men. It was just spontaneous, split-second thinking, and I jumped on it. Fortunately, I was able to jump back up immediately, pick up the grenade and throw it back. It was out of my hands for only one or two seconds when it blew up in the air about 18 to 20 feet away.

“The next thing that occurred was the mass assault. We had enemy fire coming from all directions. In the dark, it was just madness. We were popping flares so that we could see, but we were more or less shooting at shadows. I was able to rally my men, and at that point I could tell that two (Viet Cong) went down as a result of me firing my weapon. In that particular battle, we killed 21 Viet Cong.

“But the very surprising and rewarding thing about it was that my platoon suffered no wounded other than shrapnel fragmentations here and there. We used to laugh that those were like mosquito bites, and we would just pick them out and throw them away.”

— Freddy Rios, sergeant, U.S. Army

(Freddy Rios passed away on Oct. 15, 2019.)

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“When I got out, I had an opportunity to work for the immigration service. Then I met my wife and we started a family.

“In the ‘90s I went to college at night, but then 9/11 happened so I had to put my education on hold because I had a duty to not only the people in this country but also to close friends who didn’t make it.

“When I retired in ’05, I was getting on my boys and grandchildren about the importance of college. When my middle son said, ‘Dad, you never did finish your degree,’ I decided that, OK, I’m going back to school. The way I’m pacing myself, by this time next year I’ll have my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. It will make me feel like I’ve accomplished a personal mission.

“I’m also trying to set an example for my children and grandchildren, and to show others that just because you’re old it doesn’t mean you stop learning. Some people think that after a certain age you should kick back and not do anything. I disagree with that. I think if you just sit on your butt all day and don’t get involved in something, you’re going to die. You’re going to die of boredom or die thinking people don’t care.”

— Joe Montemayor, 61

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“When I was 15 or 16, I was drafted into the South Vietnamese Army. I fought in the Vietnam War.

“Today, if you are a Vietnam veteran from America, I’ll give you a big hug. I finally realized that I never said thank you to the American soldiers. They fought and died for me and my family. If it wasn’t for them, I probably never would have known what a great country the U.S.A. is.

“Lately, I’ve been reading these books written by American soldiers who tell about their experiences during the war. It has opened my eyes to all the sacrifices they made for me. They were in the bush. They went hungry. They died.

“It’s taken me 40 years to appreciate what they did. But it’s not too late to say thank you. The roof over my family’s head, the food on our table, it’s because of this country. What I have here is because of Americans. I owe you something. I have to pay you back. That’s how I feel.”

— Cuong Truong

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“I was very young when I was in the Vietnam War. I didn’t think about it a lot at the time because I just did what I was told to do. But the trauma, actually, I still carry with me today.

“About five years ago when I was having dinner, suddenly I broke out in tears. My wife asked me why I did that, and I told her a story.

“I remember we had killed an enemy. When we found him, he had written half a letter to his mother. Usually when we kill an enemy, we go over to see what information our unit needs to know, what intel we can pass along. Because I have children now I suddenly said, no, this is not right. My wife said, no, that was during the war. If you don’t shoot him, he will shoot you. He was Viet Cong. I told her I wasn’t the one who shot him. I don’t know who did. But I found the letter. I remember when he died. I remember how he died. Something like that, you never forget.”

— Cuong Truong

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