My parents met in Colorado during WWII.

My mother was driving a staff car for military officers at the time. Dad served in the Army and was stationed in England. He never talked about it. I did hear the story about my uncle, one of Dad’s brothers who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He had to duck to avoid enemy fire and hid behind a jeep tire. But to his misfortune, one of those incoming bullets went through the tire and into the side of his mouth and taking out his teeth before exiting the other side. He lived to tell about it.

I grew up watching all of the war movies including Green Beret and thought I knew what war was about. If you ever saw the movie, American Graffiti, I was like that guy, the one who drove around and always looked for a good time. But after my wartime experiences, I too would return home changed and different than I was before. My family described me as serious upon my return home.
I found myself dropped off by a C-130 in what appeared to be a broken down and middle of nowhere airstrip with a plywood Hooch riddled with bullet holes. The plane didn’t even stay but lowered the rear hatch where I was prompted to jump out as they took off again. My new home was now Dong Ha and only seven miles from the DMZ. I was in the 5th Infantry Division (Mech) and served September 1968 through November 1970. I was assigned to the 298th Signal Company and my MOS was 31M20. I spent my first year going to the DMZ firebase C2 operating radio carrier equipment. I was assigned to set up communications heading to the DMZ. The DMZ was a most unpleasant and dangerous time. There was a time that a minesweeper had missed two mines and he stepped on one and was killed. My truck was waiting to go so that soldier actually saved me from hitting it. It sounds odd, but my friends and I thought if we drove really fast over those mine filled roads, we would be long gone by the time the mines would go off. I thought I was going to die over there and had my first R&R after 90 days and flew my high school sweetheart to Hawaii. We were supposed to get married, but her dad didn’t think I would make a good husband.

Artillery was going off day and night. We lived in bunkers under ground with about ten feet of dirt on top. We lost men every day. I would send my parents a tape recording and there would be artillery going off in the background. I would tell them not to pay attention and that I was far away from it… This picture was taken of me just prior to going to the DMZ. We lived in tents and were there to support the 3rd Marine Division. I volunteered and did two tours in Vietnam. I do not regret going as it meant saving lives. The other photos of me and my radio van while on the DMZ at firebase C2. We had to get there by floating across the river. The picture of me with Vietnamese girl was in the village of Cam Lo. This was the day the minesweeper missed a mine and a soldier stepped on it. We were waiting for him to clear the road.

I lost my hearing due to artillery shooting over my head and suffer today from Vertigo because of it. There was one day I saw over 150 body bags coming in from an over run firebase. We also had a friendly-artillery round hit very close to my bunker but I was lucky. There were so many things that happened. My friend who used to play cards and had kids and was going home in only eight days was killed. Another friend spent the night at my place prior to going out and was killed the next day by an incoming RPG.

I realized a person could adapt to the worst of times. I also knew that I had no options and was beyond scared at times. It’s a feeling not many people will ever experience. I saw life come and go and was hardened to it. You could be scared to death, but it takes you to another zone to somehow cope and survive it. But I was proud I served my county.

My second year and tour was as a non commissioned officer and sergeant and in charge of the army Mars station. We worked 12-hour days and seven days a week at the Mars station. We patched phone calls home for over 5,000 men in my last year. I monitored them and got to know a lot about people as a result. It was required to make sure they didn’t say the wrong things. Some of these people were later KIA. They are all my Heroes. I watched everything we had in action, B52s, Puff The Magic Dragon and the Battle ship New Jersey.

When I got home, I had grown up and didn’t pay attention to anyone back then. But when the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in 1975, I felt betrayed. We had it won and lives were lost and for what?
Today I am retired. After several years of being divorced, I reconnected with my high school sweetheart and finally married her. I enjoy being alone with my wife in the mountains of North Georgia.
I do see some of the guys in my unit now and then. Two of my men went to work in the Pentagon, of which I am very proud. I had the best men in the Army working with me.

I served with some of the bravest men.
~ David Raygor, Vietnam Veteran and recipient of two Bronze Stars

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