Vietnam War veterans thanked again, talk about experiences over dinner
A tasty meal on a plate, seated in a comfortable chair in an air-conditioned room was not the usual daily experience for someone in the military in Vietnam.
The setting Thursday, however, provided an opportunity for a dozen or so veterans to swap stories and to be thanked again, in person, for serving in a war that divided a nation.
The "We Honor Veterans" dinner was held at the West Texas Rehabilitation Center, a project of Hospice of the Big Country.
Veterans and family members were invited to eat, be recognized and to take a group photo.
Attending were John Beckett (Air Force), Michael Browning (Navy), Roy Butler (Army), David Cason (Army), Willie Paul Davis (Navy), Don Denny (Air Force), John Gutenberg (Army), Jerry McDonald (Air Force), Duane Phillips (Air Force), Wayne Powell (Air Force), Phillip Scott (Navy), Joel Wheeler (Air Force) and Jerry Young (Army).
The men endured a lot back in the day but after more than a few photos were taken, one joked that they couldn't keep smiling forever.
Beckett has volunteered with Hospice for more than 10 years.
He was living in West Virginia when he entered the Air Force in May 1969 at 23. He was crew chief mechanic, working primarily on C-123K cargo planes in Vietnam.
He spent 366 days in country, eventually being assigned duty at Dyess Air Force Base in West Texas.
In March 1973, when the bombing of North Vietnam escalated, he was sent to Guam, where he spent six months. Bombers 10 at time would fly out, he said, making a one-way flight that today is 8½ hours.
After leaving the Air Force, he worked for Union Carbide, first in its chemical/plastics area and then in industrial gasses. Part of his job was construction of plants that focused on air separation, he said.
Beckett retired in 2005 and he and his wife, Janet, began RVing full time, he said. She had assembled machine parts so small they required optical enhancement to see.
On their way to New Mexico, they came through Abilene, where he had not been in more than 30 years.
As a 24-year-old sent to Texas, he had vowed never to return "to this God-forsaken place," he said, laughing. The heat. The rattlesnakes.
But as life would have it, they did. There still is the heat, and probably a few rattlesnakes.
The Becketts now live on 36 acres near State Highway 36, about 12 south of Abilene.
Remembering Vietnam, Beckett admitted that, for him, it was a good experience.
"I don't think it was a great experience for everyone," he said. "But it taught me a lot. I didn't see a lot of death."
He worked mostly on a flightline - long, hot days, for sure.
And he did miss being home.
On Thursday, the men gathered at WTRC were reminded that, 50 years later, they got home.
Several remarked they never dreamed back in 'Nam they'd live this long.
Retired Army lieutenant colonel Loretta Starkey, who called the name of each man present, took the opportunity to thank the guests for their "sacrifices for our freedom."
Decades later, that still means a lot to veterans.
Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Vietnam War veterans thanked again, talk about experiences over dinner
