James Cada, Nebraska
Charles Kierce, Auburn
Jim Sowell, Tennessee-Martin
Ted Hancett, Kansas State
I was drafted into the Army after completing my first year of law school. September 23, 1968, was certainly a very dark day for me as I climbed on a bus in Schuyler, Nebraska and rode to Omaha for my physical. I still remember the day as being one of the darkest of my life. My football knee injuries didn’t keep me out of the service and within a few days, I was in basic training in one of the rainiest spots in the country, Ft. Lewis, Washington.
On April 23, 1969, I found myself in Cameron Bay, Vietnam. The scene reminds me of the movie "Platoon." While I was in basic training, I learned that my wife, Judy, was pregnant and my first daughter, Sarah, was born one month after I arrived in Vietnam.
I was assigned to the 39th Engineer Battalion, Americal Division, headquartered in Chu Lai. We built bunkers and bridges, and we did mine sweeps and patrols. On July 9, 1969, I was wounded while on an early morning mine sweep patrol. We were ambushed. We would sit on the tailgate of a pickup and hop off to check for mines along bridges and culverts. This time, I happened to be fortunate enough to end up in the middle of the tailgate as my friends on either side of me were killed during that ambush.
As most would testify, our only concern was to get home safely. We counted each day that we had left. Tony Martinez, sitting on my right that day, had only eight days left when he was killed.
Upon my return to Nebraska, I was able to see my 11-month old daughter and my wife. I
completed law school and have practiced law since that time. I still drop by the House on
occasion to give advice and offer suggestions to the brothers on how to avoid having
difficulties with the law.n
In Spring 1963, I was preparing to graduate from Auburn and in need of a job for my life’s vocation. Reality soon struck when an interviewer asked me to return when my military obligation was behind me.
After returning to Auburn, one of my Fraternity brothers and I caught a bus to Montgomery to take the Army Officer Candidate School test. I passed, but my friend did not. Infantry O.C.S. at Fort Benning, Georgia, was a treacherous, gut-wrenching, soul-searching experience, especially for us with no previous military background, but I graduated and was made second lieutenant.
In May 1965, I found myself a medical platoon leader along the demilitarized zone in Korea. After a year in Korea, I was sent back to the States for medical supply school.
In May 1967, I left for Saigon, Vietnam, as the Medical Supply Officer of the 9th Medical Laboratory.
The TET Offensive began on January 31, 1968, the largest enemy offensive of the war. On the third day, one of my AGR roommates was lost — Dwight Dawson Burnham. He is listed as missing in action and his name is inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
I became a civilian again in January 1969 with my military obligation behind me. A month later, I was in South Texas working as a wildlife biologist, and I had married my wife three weeks after my return.
You asked if AGRs were made better men by the trials and tribulations of this war. My
experience has made me appreciate life, but I lost many classmates from high school,
college and my O.C.S. class. What did we accomplish by the loss of 58,000 lives of
America’s best? Vietnam was undefined and unclear in purpose and accomplishment. We,
as a nation, must never again be drawn into a war by our government, where so many lives
will be lost for naught.n
By: Jim Sowell, Tennessee-Martin
I graduated from Tennessee-Martin, in the spring of 1969. In October 1969, I was drafted into the Army.
I arrived in Vietnam in June of 1970 and was assigned to the First Calvary Division. My military occupational specialty was to be a part of a howitzer crew on a fire support base in a clearing in the jungle. While in Cambodia, two men in the battalion fire direction center were wounded. The personnel section saw that I had a college degree and asked if I wanted to be assigned to the battalion fire direction center.
That was a fortunate turn of events for me, as my life was much easier being in the battalion FDC. We were in a rear secure area with showers, hot food and a bed to sleep in every night. However, I did spend about two months on fire support bases when the firing batteries were short of personnel.
In September 1971, I began working at Springfield Production Credit Association. In 1981, I enrolled in the Nashville School of Law. I graduated in 1985 and since then have practiced law in Dickson, Tennessee.
As I become more mature, my military service becomes more meaningful. It is something
that I would not want to repeat, but it has been a very significant part of my life.n
By: Ted Hanchett, Kansas State
I graduated from Kansas State in January 1966 in agricultural education. This particular field of study was draft exempt, but I did not want to pursue a teaching career, so I consulted an Air Force recruiter. By December I was in San Antonio, Texas, attending Officer Training with Pilot Training to follow.
I drew an assignment to fly C7-A’s (Caribou) in March 1967. My job in Vietnam was to airlift anything including frozen steaks, Army soldiers, crated water buffalo (fresh meat) and Phillipino bands.
After the wind-down of the conflict in 1973, I was assigned to FB-111’s in New Hampshire. This was a Cadillac of an aircraft to fly. It was very fast and could do some amazing things.
I left active duty after 11 years and returned to normal life near my hometown, Norton, Kansas. In 1988, I joined the AF Reserve and earned the necessary time for Reserve retirement.
I remember the Vietnam conflict as a situation entered into for moral and idealistic reasons. However, many of the younger Americans who were drafted and placed into the fray had little knowledge of why the war was being fought.
As a farm boy, I experienced a life of value and worth in America worthy of protection. I learned that patriotism is related to being selfless in all that one does. I also learned the most common type of patriotism is choosing to do the moral thing even if it’s detrimental to your military career. This type of patriot is the true, unknown hero, the one with real character.
I entered the military service with excitement and a desire to see the world and how it worked. I wanted to fly and fulfill the ideal of patriotism.
I learned that America is a great place to live for reasons few think about or appreciate. I have been a Chief Probation Officer in Kansas for 17 years, and often I experience sympathy for clients who do not know how fortunate they are to live in a war-free zone. Life has meaning to these people in another beer or drag of weed, not how to survive a bullet or a bomb.
I offer my prayers to my fallen comrades who lived and died or were disabled for our country, and to those who did not enjoy the adventure that I experienced. Also, my appreciation to Cathy, my first and only wife of 30 years, who possessed the self-reliance to put up with the separations and frustrations of Air Force life.n
[ AGR News | SICKLE & SHEAF | AGR's Home Page
| @g online ]