Thomas Dilley: ‘Why take it out on us? We were kids.’
marc.zarefsky2024-10-31T18:47:31-05:00At just 18, Thomas “Tom” Dilley walked into the draft board in Harvey, Illinois, determined to accelerate his enlistment for the Vietnam War.
James ‘Big Jim’ Schlegel: Scars are tattoos with better stories
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T21:28:45-05:00Ever wonder how someone gets interested in or decides to sign up to serve? For Jim Schlegel, he recalls hearing about Dr. Tom Dooley. Dr. Dooley was on board a ship that transported North Vietnamese Christians out of the area.
Bernadette Sanner: Women of War — The Vietnam Nurses
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T21:25:45-05:00Bernadette “Bernie” Sanner always dreamed of being a nurse from the time she was a little girl growing up in East Chicago, Indiana. The nurses in Bernie’s unit all worked together very closely wherever they were needed.
Bob Shervino: The Hungry Hero
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T21:19:41-05:00It might surprise you to learn what Bob Shervino remembers first when people ask about serving as an infantryman in Vietnam. “God was I hungry,” he says. It’s 55 years later, but the pained look on his face makes it seem like yesterday.
Donald Hendrick: Guns and Choices
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T21:15:14-05:00Donald Hendrick, born in 1948, grew up in The Cabrini Green complex. He was the youngest of four children. The exposure to gangs and guns did not make for a warm fuzzy childhood.
Mike Ahasic: A gut-wrenching experience
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T21:12:18-05:00During his first two years of service, Army life was pretty good for Mike Ahasic. Everything changed during his third year, however, when he served in Vietnam. More than 50 years later, his emotions are still raw.
Don Ehrhart: An Unexpected Story
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T21:04:36-05:00Upon graduating from high school, Don Ehrhart visited his local Navy recruiter and enlisted in July, 1968, deferring his reporting day to October. Don worked with his father who had a construction business and completed his testing and the required physical examination.
Ivan Lee White: Falling in love with flying
marc.zarefsky2024-09-23T08:44:30-05:00Ivan Lee White was born in 1943 while his dad served in the Army overseas. As he and his younger brother later learned, his dad fought in Europe with General George Patton’s Third Army.
Donald Taylor: How sweet it is
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T20:57:21-05:00Don was the DJ in Qui Nhon and his sign-on slogan on the Music Machine show was, “How sweet it is! Hello out there in Qui Nhon Land!” Qui Nhon was one of the six areas in Vietnam that broadcasted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Craig and Laurel Schilling: Newlyweds enlist together
marc.zarefsky2024-09-20T20:52:05-05:00When Laurel and Craig Schilling walked down the aisle in May of 1972, they had no idea their plan to return to college safely ensconced in married student housing was never meant to be.