By the age of 18, James Cox had never flown in any type of aircraft. Despite that fact, he wanted to fly helicopters so he enlisted in the Army. He was given that opportunity twice in Vietnam.
The words came slowly, spoken with deep feeling. Major Patricia Knight (USAF retired) tried to reflect on her distinguished 21 years of service in the United States Air Force. Tears welled up in her eyes as she searched for words.
Bruce Engel used his mechanical and problem-solving skills to keep personnel and supplies moving in Vietnam. Getting to and from Southeast Asia wasn’t quite so simple.
When David was just 7 years old, his mother died from complications during child birth. There were eight children in his family and David's father was simply not equipped to take care of 8 children on his own.
Shortly after graduating high school, and having no immediate intentions of going to college, Alan was classified by the selective service as 1-A and upon reaching the age of twenty, Alan received his official “induction letter” to report for military service.
John Cosentino was born into a large, old-school Italian family in Orland Park in 1952. He describes himself as a mediocre student, but there was always a part of him that believed he could achieve bigger things if he had more self-discipline.
When Ronald “Ron” Parker was drafted into the Army he was assigned to the infantry. He said he loved being an infantryman, even when he served in Vietnam. So much so that when he became an officer with other options available, he asked to be assigned to the infantry.
Airman Bob Rein is onboard a WC-135B weather ship as it skims over the polar ice cap at 5,000 feet. Too fast and high to see polar bears. Collecting air samples from Chinese and Russian nuclear tests is today’s mission.
Larry Nazimek comes from a long line of veterans. His grandfather served in World War I. His father and uncle both served in World War II. His childhood goal was to fly. Even as a small boy in the sandbox, he had his eyes on the planes flying overhead.
Ron Miller was born and raised in East Chicago, IN. While in the third grade, tragedy struck the family when their house caught fire and burned to the ground. Ron’s mother was a single mom with three young children.
Doug Ermel was born December 31, 1948, and narrowly missed being Chicago’s first child of the New Year by a couple of hours. That timing quirk brought his family luck and set the tone years later during his experiences in Vietnam.
Like 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.
Ronald 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.
Both 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.
Bernadette “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.
It 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, 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.
During 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.
Upon 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 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.