QM3 E-4 Daniel Walter Tatar grew up on the South Side of Chicago with a brother and a sister. He worked from a very young age: first delivering papers for a news stand in grammar school, then at Sears after school in high school.
The son of a WWII Veteran and brother to 3 sisters, John Tourtelot grew up in Oak Park, IL. After his graduation from Oak Park High School, he attended Wright Jr. College where, in his own words, “he was not an overly dedicated student and had a pretty good time.”
Before being drafted into the Army, Jack spent time at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN on a baseball scholarship as a pitcher. But when the military called, he answered.
Ron went to his draft office in early 1968 to ask why he hadn’t been drafted, and a month later he received his draft notice. In that sense, Ron says he volunteered to be drafted, although he recently discovered a twist to the story.
Two months before Joe Spinazzola graduated high school, his father sat him down and presented three options for 17-year-old Joe’s future. One week later, Joe announced his chosen path.
George was born in Chicago but grew up in Mexico. Just before George turned 18, he “borrowed” the family car to go to Acapulcoand got into an argument with his step-father when he returned home. He left home the next day to hitchhike his way to the border.
Oscar was sent to Fort Knox in Kentucky for Basic Training and his Advanced Individual Training as a Medical Corpsman. The Medical Corpsman training was a three month course learning how to triage medical emergencies, treat illness/injuries and administer drugs.
Since Larry and his twin sister were the children of a Chicago police detective, Larry was already used to discipline. When right after high school he received his draft notice, he and his cousin decided to enlist instead of being drafted.
John, like so many young men in the late 60s, was facing the upcoming draft. The Army was not John’s first choice. He decided, in October, 1967, to enlist into the Marines on the buddy system.
Imagine the surprise reaction to the draft letter Tom received upon returning from his honeymoon. With little hesitation, Tom enlisted in the Navy. Not wanting to serve on land in Vietnam, along with his interest in flying and ships, choosing the Navy was an easy decision.
During his time in the Navy, Frank crisscrossed the Pacific on two ships, sailing thousands of nautical miles and crossing the international date/timeline and the equator. But there is one trip that he’s not been on and is looking forward to: his one-day, 600-mile Honor Flight Chicago plane ride to D.C.
It was 1966. His student deferment was gone, and his draft papers had arrived. For Rick Ellish it was a chance to follow in his father’s footsteps. His father was a lifer in the U.S. Army infantry. But when Rick gave his dad the news that he’d been drafted, the reaction wasn’t what he expected.
Artie Hill, Jr. grew up on the southside of Chicago. His father, Artie, Sr. was a Pullman porter and his mother Rena, was a cook. When Artie graduated grammar school, his mother, Rena, had grown tired of Chicago and went to Los Angeles to fulfill her dream of expanding her culinary skills to become a chef.
While he now lives in Texas, in 1966, Andy was living in Oak Lawn, IL with his mother and stepfather. His stepfather, Francis X. Downey was actually a member of the Illinois State House of Representatives from 1957 to 1965.
Winifred (Winnie) French was born in 1936 in Evergreen Park, IL. Her father was a Chicago Police Officer, so the family resided in Chicago. After graduating from Morgan Park High School in 1954, she enlisted in the Air Force that same year.
Walter (Walt) Dobbs was born in Detroit in 1925. His father had served in the U.S. Army in WWI in Europe as a machinist. He had taken advantage of his acquired technical skills after he returned to civilian life by becoming an accomplished mechanic.
USAF A-1C, Fusing Systems Specialist James D. Cook was born in a coal miners’ camp in West Virginia, sometime between the two world wars. James lived with his mom and dad, a coal miner, until he was 5 years old.
Describing his younger days in grammar and high school, Barry was known as a “cantankerous kid.” Looking for “structure” in his life, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army and he specifically had set his sights on being a paratrooper.
As family traditions go, service to your country is a truly noble one to have. For the Burkart family of Sycamore, IL, answering the call during World War II was more than a duty. It was a strike back at an enemy that had taken one of their own on D-Day.
By early January 1968, Chris shipped out to Vietnam joining MACS-4 (Marine Air Control Squadron) located on a peninsula northeast of Da Nang on top of “Monkey Mountain.” The base was located on the peak of Sơn Trà Mountain, overlooking Da Nang Harbor and China Beach.