I would do it again

Having the Vietnam War explained by veterans is similar to having the game of football explained by different players. If one knows nothing about football and had the game explained by a wide receiver and then by a defensive lineman, one would doubt both players are describing the same game.

Veteran experiences in Vietnam were just as varied. The experience an infantryman in the 4th Division had was extremely different from the airman loading bombers in Cam Ranh Bay or the “clerks and jerks” in Saigon.

We all were affected by our experiences in one way or another. Most of us had good friends who didn’t make it home or made it home and were badly injured physically and/or mentally.

I arrived in Vietnam in February 1968, which was to be the bloodiest year of the war. I spent most of my time in a Special Forces A Camp on the Cambodian border.

I’m proud of my service and the men I fought with, and given the option I would do it again. I still remember the three from my camp who didn’t make it home and the brave, indigenous soldiers Congress forced us to leave behind.

This story was originally published August 5, 2015 at 8:23 AM with the headline "I would do it again."