Ron Worstell was drafted into the Army after dropping out of college in March 1968.  He was shipped to Vietnam in September 1968.  After several patrols, he asked for the job of radio operator, which required him to haul a 26-pound radio pack on missions with the First Infantry Division west of Saigon.

Ron left Vietnam for medical reasons in June 1969.  He has returned to Vietnam twice, once for humanitarian work.  Ron serves as volunteer at The Wall Washington D.C., typically spending several days there during each of about six trips per year.  Overall, he has contributed over 2,000 hours of his time to the Memorial and related activities.

In April 2013, Ron Worstell joined us for our first veterans oral history educational project at Winchester-Thurston School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He was part of our effort to work with teachers and students to provide an interesting workshop covering the oral history process, appropriate interview questions, special considerations when interviewing veterans, active listening skills, and oral history ethics.