After four years of fighting in Vietnam, my dad, a ’63 West Point grad, was shot in the leg leaving him disabled (one leg is over an inch shorter than the other). As a 29 year old disabled soldier, he went to med school and became a career army doctor.
Growing up, I knew my dad had a giant and I mean, GIANT scar on his leg. His upper thigh was severely disfigured and he told us as kids that an alligator attacked him. 😉 He’s always worn special shoes (grey New Balance tennis shoes with a special lift built on them) and has had back trouble and knee trouble to follow. I would guess, not a day goes by that he’s not impacted by that moment he was shot in the jungles of Vietnam. But unlike many of his peers, he was lucky enough to come home.
Just a few months after being shot, while laying in the hospital, he watched the news as Walter Cronkite announced the entire unit he commanded had been ambushed and most of his comrades had been killed. He would spend over a year recovering in the hospital.
He never talked about it and never went to reunions because he said, “He wouldn’t know anyone there.”
Today, he sent me a link he found. It’s stock footage taken moments…seriously just minutes…before and after he was shot. Mind you, he spent close to four years in Vietnam and the only video of his unit is the day he was shot. A story he never talks about – recorded and being sold as stock footage. Bizarre. We were tearful and laughing as we watched it over the phone on our computers together today. Tearful at the harsh realities of war and laughing at the sight of a 26 year old, 127 pound, smoking version of my Pop.
Here are the links:
Before the attack:
He’s the shirtless, left-handed guy with the big nose looking at the map. I’m not kidding when I say, as I looked through probably 20 of these films, I found myself looking for that nose… a nose that I share with him and have not always loved, became a real source of pride. Being able to spot him in this context and knowing what he went through. I found myself thinking… I love my that guy. I love my nose. 😉
During/After the attack:
My dad said the planes overhead are our guys providing air attack (or whatever army folk call it. 😉 ). He called them in and then later when you see him on the stretcher (1:30), you’ll see that he’s still calling in coordinates on the radio. Total stud. His leg is shot and he’s still taking care of business. 😉
There are a couple more clips that he’s in for just a few seconds, but these are the real winners. I don’t have the links to the other ones, you just have to search “Operation Junction City” or maybe it was “173rd”
Happy be-lated Father’s Day, Daddy.
I love you.
