. . People tend to think of the Vietnam War as a ground and air war—jungle skirmishes, napalm, villages aflame, rice patty strafing. But the navy’s surface fleet played a significant role in the war effort as well. Some sailors served in the demure but omnipresent “brown water navy,” patrolling the
. . Michael Flournoy “I did a lot of crazy, dumb, and stupid things while in Vietnam; but none of those things were wrong,” says Pittsburgh’s Michael Flournoy of his duty in Vietnam. War is chaos. It goes against nature. “You are trained to do things that are not what
. . Rick Erisman Rick Erisman of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania joined the navy, serving as a radioman from 1969 to 1973. As to why he enlisted in the service after graduating college in North Carolina he admits, “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I did want to
. . Virginia Eberharter Long before World War II caught the attention of the United States, Virginia M. Eberharter of Connellsville, PA wanted to be a nurse; she wanted to be of service to people in need. It was such a determined decision for a young high school freshman, but
. . Ted Debiak Ted Debiak was drafted into the US Army after graduating from Penn State. He served as a combat medic from 1966 to 1968. When Ted arrived in Vietnam at Cam Ranh Bay he was attached to the 4th Infantry Division. “It was hot,” he recalls. “So
. . Jack Damaska Jack Damaska is originally from Beaver Falls, PA. As a professional baseball player, Jack credits the Cardinals with getting him into military service. He was asked if he wanted to go in the reserves. He went with the combat engineers and was stationed for six months
