Kenneth ‘Burgy’ Burmeister: ‘I was lucky as can be’
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T11:14:22-05:00Ken "Burgy" Burmeister was 19-years-old when he moved up his draft number in August 1969 to choose service in the Army, following in his father's footsteps.
Bob Baron: A very spicy life
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T11:12:42-05:00If variety is the spice of life, then Bob Baron can tell you, his life has been very spicy. Bob describes himself as a “war baby”, born in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, the second of four boys.
Frank Gillie Jr.: Memories of War
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T11:11:08-05:00The small black-and-white photograph has faded with time, but now it means even more to Frank Gillie Jr. He picks it up carefully and holds it reverently in his cupped hands, as he shows it to me.
Jamie Rivera: South Korea’s importance to the Vietnam War
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T11:08:19-05:00Like so many young men, Jaime was drafted into the army in 1967. The United States was concerned about the spread of communism throughout Southeast Asia.
Richard Raish: Touring Europe
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T11:06:53-05:00A Navy veteran, Ricardo would admit that he could host tours of several European capitals based on his vast experience during “Med cruises” on the carrier USS Intrepid (CVA-11).
Michael Collins: A legacy of service
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T11:03:35-05:00Mike Collins learned a few things about helping others while growing up as the eldest of nine children — lessons that helped him in the Air Force, in law enforcement, and through community service.
Ronald Matonovich: I finally applied myself when I joined the Navy
marc.zarefsky2024-10-28T18:56:58-05:00Ronald Matonovich grew up in the Hessville neighborhood in Hammond, Indiana. Ron was the oldest of five children all living in a two bedroom, one bathroom house.
Robert Smith: Everyone in the Army is a soldier
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T10:56:52-05:00According to Robert Smith, no matter what job you had in the Army, you were a soldier. When they needed you to pick up a rifle, that’s what you did.
Bob Falkman: Driving a ‘kiddie cruise’
marc.zarefsky2024-10-21T10:53:34-05:00Both of Bob Falkman’s parents served in the US Army during World War II, his father as a lieutenant in the Supply Corps and his mother as a nurse. They met in Algiers and married shortly after returning home from overseas.