Written by Todd DePastino Vietnam Veterans are special. They’re the only veterans who have holiday dedicated to them. March 29 is designated as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. And the reason Vietnam Veterans have been singled out for celebration is because of the special trauma they suffered, not in the war, but upon their
By Todd DePastino Marine veteran Andy Nigut and former NVA soldier embrace at the DMZ Nothing prepared me for the emotional impact of our first VBC trip to Vietnam. In 2018, the VBC decided to offer a guided tour of the country, from Hanoi to the Mekong Delta. Seventeen of us, almost
Written by Bob Rabe Vietnam veteran Bob Rabe shares a beautiful Christmas moment from 1966. It seems like yesterday, December 25, 1966. While on patrol with my fellow Military Policeman, we came upon a Vietnamese Catholic Church. Mass had already started, but we entered the church quietly anyway. While we stood in the back, the Vietnamese
Written by Jim McStay A B-52 flies over the beach at U-Tapao, ca. 1973 (Jim McStay) Navy P-3 Orion pilot Jim McStay recalls a long day in the air from Diego Garcia with special cargo in a cooler and a badly hurt SeaBee on a litter awaiting emergency surgery. Back when I
Written by Irene Harrell Irene Harrell with her grandfather, retired Air Force Col. Ron Standerfer Irene Harrell is a young writer who has attended our VBC events in-person and online to meet veterans and hear their stories. She’s interested in interviewing Vietnam veterans especially to research a novel she’s working on about
