MY FATHER, MY HERO by Jennifer Lane

My father is Michael Dale Lane. He served in the Army between 1966 to 1968.

Dad is a Vietnam Veteran and my hero. It’s hard for him to talk about his war experience. He can only talk to me so much about it at once. I appreciate this more than you will ever know, Jenny! My dad is my world, and when other people, even other veterans thank him for his service, I choke up just as he does, because I am so proud of him. You inspire me! Here is Dad’s story that was recorded and transcribed by you for Comes A Soldier’s Whisper:

“When I left San Francisco and flew to Vietnam, the flight that took 22 hours, and because of the time change, we arrived the same day. I am from Oregon where the temperature is pretty moderate all year round. We arrived at the airport in Cameron Bay, because Saigon Airport was either under attack or had recently been attacked and had all these giant holes in the runway which is why they diverted us. When we got off the plane, the humidity was 100%. All the troops would either have an instant nose bleed or bleeding from our ears because of the humidity pressure. They put us in formation and told us we were nothing more than replacements.

We dispersed and got ready for chow. As we dished our food out at the mess hall, everything had sand in it. Cameron Bay is built on a sand hill and there was sand in everything. I realized that if was going to be here for awhile, I had to get used to the sand. They diverted us and placed onto a C-31, the kind where the back end folds down for us to load all of our heavy equipment. They flew us replacements to our base camps. Mine was to be Ben Hoa, Vietnam. They assigned us to our tents, called a Hooch to live in. It’s like a building with a tent covering it. We had sand bags in front of our tents. There were 15 or 20 men to each unit and tent. There was an infantry unit to one side of us and a battalion on the other side.

Over time, when the monsoon rains would hit, water would run right through our tent. We had to pick up our boots and hang them from the netting to keep them dry. After I got used to being in country, we had a group of recruits who had volunteered from their post in Germany. That first night, I sat up with them, because a few of the guys were crying and saying, “What did I do?” But we were in a war and had a job to do. The war was just outside the perimeter of our base camp.
The TET Offensive is another story. It’s interesting how a soldier comes from America right into a war zone, because the first general order is that we are fighting men. So as you come under attack, all of a sudden you are not a kid, a cook, a clerk, or a typist, you are a fighting man. It was then that I knew I was in the Vietnam War in a war zone.”
~ Michael Dale Lane, US Army, Vietnam Veteran

We are deeply grateful to Jennifer and her father, for sharing their personal story. We invite you to share your family photos &/or stories of those who served, so we may feature and honor them on Comes A Soldier’s Whisper.

Comes A Soldier’s Whisper remembering our history and soldiers one day at a time.
God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.
Jenny La Sala

Facebook Stories: www.facebook.com/ComesASoldierswhisper
Vietnam Letters: www.VietnamAndBeyond.com
Follow us on Twitter @Jennylas @Rodney6768

‪#‎FamiliesServeToo‬ ‪#‎SupportOurTroops‬