David B. Grant: Phantom Pilot and Prisoner of War
On June 24, 1972, U.S. Air Force Captain David B. Grant was flying a mission from Thailand into conflict-ridden North Vietnam when his F-4 Phantom took a direct hit and exploded.
John Barker: Flying F-4 Phantoms Over Hanoi
Vietnam Veterans Series John Barker served two tours in Vietnam in 1967 and 1972, flying bombing raids in F-4 Phantoms in the Hanoi area. Below, in his own words, is Barker’s Vietnam story. I received my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in May 1965. A year...
Wendell “Ray” Alcorn: Seven Years a Prisoner of War
Vietnam Veterans Series By Michel Robertson Ray Alcorn grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. He served 30 years in the U.S. Navy including seven years as a prisoner of war. His last assignment before retirement as a Captain was as Dean of Students at the...
James Boatwright: Supporting Fellow Marines on the Ground
Vietnam Veterans Series James Boatwright: Supporting Fellow Marines on the Groundby Michel Robertson When asked about his tour in Vietnam, Purvis James Boatwright, Jr. responds with a mixture of enthusiasm and regret. During the war, Boatwright was a Captain in the...
Vietnam: Two Eras, Two Kinds of Warfare
Andrew “Gunny” Boyko joined the Marines in 1964 and was sent to Vietnam in August 1965. Reflecting on his time, Boyko notes that it was as if he went to two different wars. When he was in Vietnam from 1965-1966, the enemy was a guerrilla organization that did not...
USMC Tunnel Rat Urges PTSD Victims to Seek Help
Vietnam Veterans Series USMC Tunnel Rat Urges PTSD Victims to Seek Help By Michel Robertson USMC Tunnel Rat Urges PTSD Victims to Seek Help Building tunnels and forts with his friends in the swamps near Georgetown, S.C. offered young Earl “Flynn” Trimnal excellent...
Vietnam Veterans: Jimmy McKinney Traveled With Big Red I
Brevard native Jimmy McKinney was married and working at the Ecusta plant when he received his draft notice in May 1966."There were a lot of us from Transylvania County," McKinney recalled. "It was the biggest draft since the Korean War, taking guys that were married....
Honor Flight Offers Special Homecoming to One of Vietnam War’s First Veterans
Vietnam Veteran Series by Michel Robertson Article first appeared in The Transylvania Times on October 22, 2018 On October 6, 2018, I accompanied 92 Vietnam veterans to Washington, DC as a guardian on a Blue Ridge Honor Flight. Among the veterans was David Crandal, of...
Ervin Bridges: Walking to War
Captain Ervin Bridges spent much of his time in Vietnam struggling through jungles and rice paddies. Bridges remembered lying on the ground during a particularly bloody battle wondering to himself, “What the heck am I doing here? Why did I volunteer?” A native of...
Vietnam Veteran Describes Exploits As A Green Beret
Vietnam Veteran Series by Michel Robertson Article first appeared in The Transylvania Times on Dec. 4, 2017 Mike DiRocco’s clandestine entry into Vietnam began on a moonless night in the Viet Cong-controlled Van Canh valley, 200 miles north of Saigon. The 12-member...