My dad Ssgt. E6 Alvin I. Bickal was born on July 6, 1931 and passed away December 10, 2001.

He served from 1948 to1968 and was a 187th Rakkasan paratrooper in Korea and served Vietnam. Dad didn’t talk much about it and almost died in Korea after being shot with a machine gun, but still stayed in to serve. I wish he would have said more. He was so proud of his service.

He LOVED fishing! He was an avid hunter too and just loved being outdoors. He went into law enforcement after he retired from the military and retired when he had a heart attack on duty. He had such a wonderful heart and I can always remember soldiers for dinner around the holidays, especially when we lived in Hawaii. It was normal to be surrounded with other soldiers. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. He would help anybody who needed it and was always bringing home stray animals too.

I remember when my dad came home. He was and always will be my hero.❤️I miss him everyday.
~ Terry Bickal

Veteran Stories Collected by Jenny La Sala www.JennyLasala.com

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