My father Walter Cordle, Sr. served in Europe during WWII with the US Army and received a Purple Heart.

I served with the 101st Airborne and was in Phi Bai/Hue Vietnam during 1971. My MOS was on the flight line and the stock control and parts for the cobra assault helicopters. I still love the whop, whop noise of the chopper blades and still hear them at night sometimes…

The most challenging part of my job was the perimeter guard duty and patrol. The worst part was watching guys being medivaced from hot LZ areas while they were bleeding and hanging on to repel lines, used to get off the chopper as it hovers above the ground. There was one time where two soldiers were working on the electrical system of a parked Cobra. The panel is in the body just forward of the rocket pod. They were standing side by side and one of them touched the wrong wire launching a rocket. It duded out in the revetment but not before passing through each of their bodies. The first soldier was killed immediately and there was nothing that could be done for the other soldier. He died seconds later. My injuries were limited to what I refer to as “Friendly Fire,” Agent Orange, which has affected so many of us.

When I returned home after service and landed, I got a steak dinner. Then it was not so good. There was no appreciation to the sacrifice and peace marches, so I became a hippy pacifist. I initially went to college for a while and managed bars and nightclubs in Miami for 18 years. I also worked in administrative office of the court system for 27 yeas and retired in April 2016.
This picture is of my daughters, Chelsea on the left, myself and Chloe on the right. Chelsea is now 32 and is married to a Brit and living in London for the past six years. Chloe is a talented musical arts senior at Breneau University.

Serving was a wake up call. It changes boys to men. Freedom is not free. I feel that everyone needs to serve in some capacity. It makes you grateful and a grateful heart is a happy heart.
~ Walter Cordie, Vietnam Veteran

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