Age: 55

Address: 1614 Bowen St. Oshkosh, WI. 54901

Born: March 12, 1947 Waukegan, Il.

Entered Military Service: Drafted Oct. 21,1969. Induction Center, Chicago, Il.

Basic Training: Ft. Campbell, KY

AIT: Ft. Sill, Okla. Field Artillery School Jan-Feb, 1970

Attended Artillery Combat Leaders Course, Mar. to Sept., 1970 and was promoted to E5 upon graduation from this training.

Assigned to serve in Vietnam in Oct of 1970 and left by commercial charter from Ft. Lewis Washington.

Arrived in Vietnam at Cam Rahn Bay Oct. 6, 1970. Later assigned to 23^rd Inf. Div and flown to Chu Lai Reception Center Assigned to A Btry. 1/82 FA then located at LZ Fat City. Assigned as Artillery Section Chief of Gun #5 located at LZ Dottie. In Jan. 1971, the Battalion was OpCom’d to the 1^st Brigade, 5^th Mech. Inf. Div. as part of Operation Dewey Canyon II/Lam Son 719 and A Btry was sent to LZ Vandegrift in Quang Tri Prov.

The first months of duty at LZ Dottie were pretty low key and time was spent tearing down unused hootches and gun pits in preparation for a visit by Gen. C. Abrams. Most of our fire missions occurred at night at were in the form of Harassment and Interdiction (H & I) missions. Life at Dottie was pretty comfortable with hot meals at the D Btry, 1/82 mess hall and hot showers and dry bunks. When the generators were working we had lights in the hooch and even had a TV set for a time. We had a cooler and iced sodas and beer for off duty hours. Monsoon season was uncomfortable because you were always wet having to fire missions at night in the rain and the road (Hwy. 1) from Chu Lai was flooded at times so mail was spotty. Still it was a lot better than being in the bush with the grunts. We were never hit while at Dottie so the most severe injuries by anyone in my gun crew were a sprained ankle and I dropped a HE round on my toe and lost the nail.

During Operation Lam Son 719 all this changed as we were sent to LZ Vandegrift astride Hwy 9 between the Rockpile and Khe Sanh both of Tet –68 fame. During this operation we were rocketed on numerous occasions and we were even hit with arty from the DMZ. The firebase also was subjected to sapper attacks on several occasions. During the operation A Btry had one KIA (the first US KIA in the operation) and about a dozen wounded. 1/82 (- D Btry) had 5 KIA’s and about 20 WIA’s and two non-combat deaths during this period. A and B Btry were assigned as Direct Support (unusual for 155mm units) for as many as 5 other Infantry Battalions from the 5^th Mech., 101^st and Americal Div.’s and was recognized by the 1^st Brigade commander as having provided superior supporting fires for the duration of the operation.

After this operation ended the Battalion returned to Chu Lai in the first few days of April, 1970 and my gun returned to Dottie for a few weeks before we were sent to Fat City to join the rest of the Battery. The two gun crews from Dottie were broken up and combine with the four at Fat City and I then served as Gunner. I remained at Fat City until leaving Vietnam through Cam Ranh Bay on the 5^th of Oct.

I also had the chance to take R&R in Hawaii where I met my wife and later had 15 days leave and went back home via Danang. Once there, I spent the first five days sick in bed with the flu and missed the charter flight back and had to buy a commercial flight back, This flight took me from Chicago to San Francisco, Honolulu, Manila, Guam to Saigon and back to Chu Lai.

I was discharged from the Army as soon as I returned to the states through Ft. Lewis. After returning home I got a job with a local company in Waukegan, Il. And after a few months I became involved in Occupational Safety and Health management, a career that continued for 25 or so years. I presently am working as a machine operator’s helper with a manufacturer in Oshkosh, WI, where AI had attended college before being drafted.

 I also served for 7 years in the Army National Guard in Maryland and Wisconsin from 1985 to 1992. In Maryland I served as an Infantry Fire Team Leader and later was promoted to SSG and became a Squad Leader. In Wis. I served in a 155mm SP Arty unit as Crew Chief.

Along the way my wife and I have raised three fine young men, and are about to celebrate our 33^rd anniversary together. Kenneth, our oldest lives with us as he is handicapped. Our second son, Kevin lives in town near us and will soon be a father for the first time. My youngest son Ron just graduated with honors in Computer Science from the Univ. of Wisconsin- Milwaukee and will be living and working in Milwaukee. My mother, a WWII Marine Corps vet, also lives with us.

I am a member of AMVETS and the VVA and have tried to be active in both. I am also web master (with the help of my youngest son) of a web site for the veterans of the 1/82nd FA. We are soon to attend a family event with the present day Battalion at Ft. Hood TX. I have done considerable research into the history of my old Battalion and have written a short history of the unit for the web site. We are hoping to organize a Battalion reunion in 2003.

I am proud of my service to my country, including my tour of duty in Nam. I did not volunteer for the Army but did volunteer for Nam. I am proud to have been assigned to serve with the 1^st of the 82^nd and to have had the wonderful experience of having stood shoulder to shoulder to some of the best people I will ever know.