My grandfather was born in Alabama and my grandmother was born in Georgia. They married and moved to Florida around 1935. He bought a farm and lost it in 1962.

I was raised in a very small place called 6 Mile Creek in Florida. We lived in a small 3-room house. At one point there were 14 of us living there. My father deserted us when I was very young. My uncle was in the Korean War so my aunt with 5 children lived with us. We grew our own food and we ate a lot of fish, raised rabbits and chickens. We were poor but we didn’t know it.

I had 3 uncles and 4 cousins that served. I got a draft notice for a physical in Feb. 69. I passed the physical and joined the USMC and got to PI- Parris Island in July. My MOS was 3517 mechanized infantry. We were in support of the infantry. We resupplied them with food and water, transported them, and we fought and lived with them.

There are several memories that have always stayed with me. One was after a firefight where a tank was blown up. I was ordered to pull the driver out. There was a flash fire, and he was sitting in the drivers seat, I reached in to pull him out but the flak jacket pulled loose and the skin came off, it exposed the meat and blood. I ran and threw up.

I lost my pictures in a divorce about 35 years ago.
~ Donald Ray Mace, USMC Vietnam Vet

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God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.

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