By Todd DePastino On January 12, 1962, the United States quietly crossed a threshold in the Vietnam War. What came to be known as Operation Chopper was, on paper, a limited advisory effort that featured American helicopters flying South Vietnamese troops into combat against Viet Cong (VC) or National Liberation Front (NLF) guerrillas near
VBC veteran Jerry Augustine published harrowing accounts, with photos, of his service in 1966-1967 with B Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam. Jerry's first book is Vietnam Beyond, which was followed by Combat, Suffering and Renewed Passion in Life: A Veteran-to-Veteran Oral History. Below is part one of
By Todd DePastino VBC member Sue Watson has let us know that Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) has named its latest service dog after our own Julia Parsons! Sue is WCC Area Program Manager & Service Dog Training Instructor in Pittsburgh, and she was instrumental in honoring World War II Navy WAVE Lieutenant Julia Parsons
By Donn Nemchick The United Service Organizations (USO) established a tradition of sending comedian Bob Hope and a troupe of entertainers to Vietnam and other Southeast Asia bases during the holiday season to entertain American troops. Hope became widely known as “a one-man morale machine,” bringing variety shows — complete with comedy routines, songs,
By Todd DePastino We want to share this wonderful Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame video about VBC veteran and retired Army Major Terri Swank. Terri was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Terri! Terri Swank grew up on the Hilltop in Columbus with her mother and three sisters. A student at West
By Todd DePastino Today, reading the Military Times, I learned that the fast-food chain Taco Bell is named after the founder, Glen Bell. I also learned that Glen Bell started cooking for large groups in the Marine Corps in World War II. Glen Bell spent most of the war in a kitchen. He cooked
