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 Preshow |
Thanks/Goodbye |
| Vietnam Part 1 |
Web Promo |
| Vietnam Part 2 |
Key: War / National Security/ Veterans |
| Vietnam part 3 |
Key: American History / Biography |
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| Preshow |
Thanks/Goodbye |
| Vietnam Part 1 |
Web Promo |
| Vietnam Part 2 |
Key: War / National Security/ Veterans |
| Vietnam part 3 |
Key: American History / Biography |
| Preshow Return to index of stories... |
Soundup: Howitzer Track: It became America's longest war - and the most despised. And at its height, the citizen soldiers of NH's National Guard joined the battle.. For a year, Bill Toland, John Barvinek of Hampton, and Jim Leach were just a few among the many who lived, fought, and faced death in the jungle of Vietnam, only to endure a long journey home. |
| Vietnam Part 1 Return to index of stories... |
soundup: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 18:09:35 ***"It was Deplow. And it was C Battery. " "He's an officer. He ain't gonna get it right." Track: For the men of the 3rd Battalion, 197th artillery - and it was all men - rank and memory remain fixed in time. Soundup: Dissolve to Howitzer crew firing Track: What happened decades ago - during their year in Vietnam - can eclipse their lives since. With the 40th anniversary of their return approaching, they gathered to share their oral histories - starting with the end of being a weekend warrior. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 19:10:20 All of a sudden my wife came into the armory and she says you've been activated and I said what? And she said I was just downtown in one of the stores and I heard the news broadcast, you have been activated. Soundup: Nat. Guard DVD 1:19:20 "1968 was a significant year for the national guard. Track: The war in Vietnam was escalating and the Pentagon wanted more troops. Soundup: Nat. Guard DVD 1:31:20 . They are an important and essential part of the defense of the United States and this is exemplified in the conflict that is now going on in Vietnam. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 19:12:01 ***** It was a little bit different for me I was a few years younger, not much at home and I had just gotten married sitting on top of the world when it all came tumbling down, it was kind of hard. Video: National Guard DVD Disk 12:58 * Simmons Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, NC Track: And so, after a few desertions, the 3rd Battalion 197th went to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for 10 weeks of training. The days were long and the discipline tough, not even allowing family leave when Bill Toland's son was born. Bite: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:06:36 and I went down to see my Captain that morning and he said no you can't go home. So I went AWOL. I took off I flew out of Raleigh, Durham and came home and surprised my wife- I didn't tell her and nobody even knew I was gone. 14:06:54 Formations were done early in the morning and it was almost dark and the guy that would stand next to me on each side of formation when they hollered the name Toland, one of them said "here sir" Track: Toland saw his new son and got back. Bite: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:07:49 Nobody snitched on me. And the big thing was did you see your baby? And I said YES! I saw him. *** Track: During their training at Fort Bragg, the Guardsmen prepared for service with regular army units and were joined by other soldiers like Jim Leach from Ohio. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 16:13:03 YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE REGULAR ARMY, AND YOU ENDED UP IN THE NATIONAL GUARD UNIT, WERE YOU UPSET ABOUT THAT AT ALL? 16:13:10 No I wasn't upset about it you know, you're in the army and you got used to doing what they told you to do. 16:13:18 WELL YOU KNOW SOME OF THE GUYS HAVE TOLD ME THAT IN THOSE DAYS, THE NATIONAL GUARD, NG ALSO SOMETIMES STOOD FOR "NO GOOD." I'M SURE YOU MUST HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THAT. 16:13:35 Well when I found out I was in the National Guard unit, I did start going, what are they doing? After a couple weeks I got to know the guys, they didn't speak English I couldn't understand them but they were guys in the service too. Track: That's because many NH Guardsmen were Franco-American - raised in French speaking homes in Manchester. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 16:13:55 The interesting thing is that none of them or many of them didn't believe that they were going to Vietnam. When I got my orders to go from Fort Knox to Fort Bragg, I was down there complete training in September going to Vietnam, my order said that, and these guys were down there in training thinking they were going to send us home, and I'm going, no I don't think so, I don't think that's going to work out for you. I believe we're all going over. Soundup: Nat. Guard DVD 1:28:10 ** Good natural sound - Cobra helicopters TRACK: JUST BEFORE DEPARTURE, THE GUARDSMEN WERE SHOWN AN OFFICIAL FILM TITLED "WHY VIETNAM?". Bite: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:15:35 …and when I came out of that movie it wasn't just me I asked a lot of my friends, I said do you know what they just told us in there? 14:15:46 And everybody and another good guy a friend of mine we talked about it and he said No I have no Idea of why we are going to Vietnam. 14:15:55 WELL HERE WE ARE 40 YEARS LATER DO YOU HAVE ANY CLEAR ANSWER NOW? **14:15:59 No. TRACK: AND SO BILL TOLAND BEGAN KEEPING A DIARY. EVERY DAY HE WAS IN VIETNAM, HE RECORDED HIS THOUGHTS ON SMALL SCRAPS OF PAPER HE KEPT IN A BOX. DIARY Bite: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:26:39 27 Sept. 68 Phu Loi Contact again on the wire- I'm not scared anymore, Service battery wrecker tipped over in the mud, no injuries. 14:26:48 NOT SCARED ANYMORE, JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS THERE. OR YOU JUST USED TO IT AT THE TIME? 14:26:57 Yeah I got used to it, I get used to not the heat we sweat everyday but it just changed me. I could see a change in myself and some of the other guys I think felt the same way. FADE TO BLACK AND UP Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 3 14:40:55 Arrived in Vietnam, and expected to come off the plane, the door to the plane came down, they had us carrying our weapons and almost ready to lock and load that we were going to start fighting and all the sudden the door opens up and a band's playing. A band is playing there on the tarmac welcoming us to Vietnam. The minute the door came down all of a sudden the blasts hit us all, of the heat and the stench there was just a smell in the air 14:41:20 that you cannot describe what it was like, but it never left, and that was my first impression of Vietnam. All of us thought wow does this place stink and is it hot. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 19:35:44 The one thing that sticks in my memory as we flew in looking out the window was holy shit. You looked down there and there was smoke coming up everywhere it was going to be rockets and mortars landing every square mile in this place. The ramp to the airplane opens up and you can feel the heat, the smell they start handing you ammunition, you say this is real. We get on a bus and we start heading back to where we are going to be positioned at and we realize all that smoke and all those rocket motors we thought were coming in 19:36:15 that was the barrels burning from the latrines but it looked pretty scary for the first five minutes. |
| Vietnam Part 2 Return to index of stories... |
Track: It didn't take long to discover the essential truth about the war in Vietnam. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 19:43:20 we didn't know who the friends were and who the enemy was they all looked alike. 19:43:25 Some of the villages where we had fire support bases we could tell a family would have many boys in the family and a son would be fighting for the North and a son would be fighting for the south. DIARY BITE: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:29:55 Ok Oct. 5th 68 Phu Loi Dave and I trying to find a 1 year old baby dying- we just made it- kid is in U.S. hospital. Lots of gun fire on the wire tonight. I almost shot some gooks today-held my fire- they found out they are V.C. What a Bitch! We will never win this way. Soundup: Nat. Guard DVD 1:32:11 **** The big guns of New Hampshire's 3rd battalion, 197th artillery are based at Phu Loi. Track: The NH Guard quickly established its role providing heavy artillery support deep into the jungle. They served mostly in a series of fire bases or Batteries along To this day, these Guardsmen remember their routine. Bite: MiniDV Sept 19 tape 1 00:26:08 ** We used to keep ammunition ready. We would keep it fused so that whatever they called, it was ready. We had to set the fuse if it was timed but we'd have 10 or a dozen rounds of the different types. Not sure that was kosher. That was Vietnam. Track: The Batteries were spread along Highway13 - Thunder Road - which started where the pavement ended. Generally, the road belonged to Americans by day and the Viet Cong by night - though there were exceptions such as this attack. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 19:39:15 I was sitting in the passenger's side of the truck and the windshield cracked and it just disintegrated and I had glass all over me and everybody and then I saw the guys in the bunker running to the bunker and I looked at the driver and I said somebody's shooting at us! And apparently it was a sniper, it was only one person that we knew about and it was pretty scary to think that. If that had been a regular job I would have quit then and there. Track: Toland was a medic, which meant he moved from Battery to battery as needed, never sure where the next attack - and casualties - would be. DIARY BITE: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:31:42 31 Oct. 68 ….Had one incoming mortar fire last night- but morale here is high. Confusion over a proposed bombing halt. We don't want to be sitting ducks, but if it means peace let's give it a chance. On the other hand if GI's are killed during the "peace" or halt, we should bomb Hanoi. Called in another "dust off" for an arm injury- very bad, he died from loss of blood as the chopper took off. Track: Though conditions were tough for soldiers, they were worse for the civilian population. Most lived in poverty, and many families only survived by turning daughters into prostitutes. Here they await their next customer. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 3 14:41:40 ….you saw little kids with bare feet walking because beside the road in a block where there should be a house or something there's a pile of rubbish and it's garbage, and kids are walking through it trying to pick out food and stuff. We were just dumbstruck by how backward and how different this was, and that was the first impression that I had, I almost had a feeling of feeling sorry for the people because of the poverty. FADE TO BLACK AND UP DIARY BITE: Bill Toland Disc 1 **14:33:46 Dec. 24th 68 Phi Loi We have a Christmas Eve truce and all guns are silent tonight. Very hard to sleep with no noise. An emotional night. **14:33:58 SO YOU COULDN'T SLEEP BECAUSE THERE WAS NO GUN FIRE? **14:34:01 It was quiet and I was not used to that. And I think that happened to a lot of other guys too. Especially when they were used to firing a lot. CAMERA PANS IN SLOWLY GOOD REACTION SHOT. DIARY BITE: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:34:24 Jan. 12th Phu Loi The college demonstrations back home are very demoralizing- we need support here bad. Why doesn't someone demonstrate against Hanoi? God this country needs to get on track- we will wind up shooting each other someday. 2 of our guys shot in a gun fire on Thunder Rd- what a bitch this is- we are getting it from both sides. Track: For Toland, the worst memory was not of soldiers he knew. Instead, it was a mortuary full of those he never met. Bite: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:57:20: I couldn't believe it, it was just a huge building filled with dead bodies. And I was watching bodies coming in while I was there, and I was told there were 16 bodies coming in from Ku Chi , and when the body count was finished it was 60 bodies from Ku Chi. So numbers weren't always right and then I realized how many people are dying every day over here American soldiers. So after that I still remember looking, he would pull a draw out looking for this guy and the bodies looked like young kids to me, like 19 year old kids 14:58:03, most of them were not clothed, and they had a small white towel over their private areas, and the ones that could were just laid out straight, and then another section were burned bodies, and I've never seen so many dead bodies in my life. I still remember the noise it made when they put the draw and one of the guys was walking around eating a sandwich, I'm thinking I wouldn't be very hungry right now if I was working here. Track: 24 Americans died and another 200 were wounded every day during Toland's stay in Vietnam. And yet, there were some lighter moments. One concerned an improvised portapotty - featuring the only toilet seat in the jungle. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 3 15:23:38. … the second day we had it up George Greenwood was inside that thing. We had an incoming mortar round attack, and everybody hollered incoming and jumped behind bunkers and so on and so forth, because you could hear the mortars so close that you could hear the thump thump of the tube they were being fired from, and we knew they were coming so everybody's diving for cover. This toilet was right out beside - probably from here to that wall, and all I can remember to this day is Georgie Greenwood coming out of that toilet, that door swung open and he's diving out with his pants down around his ankles, and his white ass sticking in the air. And a mortar round came right down, whether or it came right from the top of it or right beside it, it took that outhouse and just blew it to smithereens. And 15:24:38 Georgie is laying on the ground with his hands over his head and he's just covered with you know what, and we just could not stop laughing, and we were so pissed, we weren't thinking about Georgie, he was fine, but our toilet seat was gone. We laughed about that last night forever. I mean it's just one of those stories, one of the funny things that happened. There were a few other instances like that as well. It's the good times you try to remember, you try not to dwell on the sad times. Track: In fact, the unit was exceptionally lucky, with the first NH Guard fatality not coming until April, 1969. Capt. Roland Labonte of Nashua was caught in a mortar attack on Battery D. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 19:48:40 we never had been hit hard like that when they saw it coming in they 19:48:54 walked right down the main road of the battery they crisscrossed and said you can't come out and then what they do is they try to charge you, catch you while your still in your bunkers and stuff, it was quite the night and we took a lot of hits that night. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 1 19;50:20 We were country bumpkins - and going through all that - it was devastating. DIARY BITE: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:43:45 July 8th 1969 Thunder 3 Fire mission on an enemy bunker. It seems like a dream when this will all be over with. I'll be in America free as a bird 59 days left and a bag drag. He looks up and then looks back down. DIARY BITE: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:44:29 so I cried for the first time looking at a picture of Terry and the kids. New Hampshire plates changing from "scenic' to "Live Free or Die". 14:44:43 THAT IS WHEN OUR LICENSE PLATES CHANGED. 14:44:45 That's right. I wonder how many people wrote that home. Track: The Guardsmen stayed in touch with letters and tape recorded messages. Most say they wouldn't want today's technology. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 14:46:45 For me it would be too hard to see, to be able to go onto Skype or whatever, I would not want to do that. I personally would not want to do that. 14:47:00 IT'S ALMOST LIKE HAVING FAMILY AT YOUR FINGER TIPS, BUT NOT THERE, NOT WITHIN REACH. 14:47:06 You could say as much as you want as you wanted to say on a cassette or in a letter. I wouldn't want the visual typing because I use to tell my mother and father everything is fine, I'm fine and this and that and so on and so forth. I wasn't truthful and come forward with a lot of stuff that they didn't need to worry about. Why worry them. There was nothing that they could do about it Track: With just over a week to go, Bill Toland got his short timer stick - signifying little time left in the country. Trucks began collecting the Guardsmen from the most distant batteries to take them home. To America. It was August 26th, 1969. DIARY BITE: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:49:46 Long Binh, Worst day in Vietnam for the 197th. 5 good men, all good friends of mine were blown up and killed on Thunder Road, just south of Thunder 1. Dick Genest used to show pictures of his new son, born the same time as my little Billy. This f****** war stinks. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 14:51:57 WHAT'S YOUR MEMORY OF THAT DAY? 14:52:15 Memory just of shock, disbelief, I knew every one of them actually. Gayton Beaudoin was my AG, he was on my crew. It's just total shock, that's all it was, and today even to this day I'm still in disbelief that they are gone. I guess that just sadness 14:52:45, any so called happiness or joy of coming home, there was still a joy but it was tainted an awful lot. Not by individuals but as a unit to come home it was just tainted because of that, because of what happened. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 16:23:00 To see those flag crosses with the helmets on them and boots, so that was very emotional, sad and kind of put a perspective on everything, how fragile our lives really are, and how quick it can be taken. |
| Vietnam part 3 Return to index of stories... |
Track: The Manchester Union Leader called it the saddest day in the city's history. Newly arriving troops renamed the site NH Field. On Sept. 3rd, 1969, it was time to leave Vietnam. Bite: Bill Toland Disc 1 14:48:38 HOW MUCH DID YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT? 14:48:40 Quite a bit because we saw that there were problems with guys coming home from Vietnam being accepted, in fact it bothered me when I came home Terry had seen my dress uniform and the declarations and she said that you should wear that to Church Sunday. And I didn't want anybody to see me in a uniform ******14:49:05 because I didn't know how they were going to feel and my mail man. The day when I finally ran into him he said Yay! The baby killer's back home. And that was kind of the reception that I got. And so it was a lot different than today. 14:49:24 THE MAIL MAN? ******14:49:25 My mail man yup. The mail man I had for years. I lived on the other side of town and I never forgot that. That was my reception. Track: The problems facing homecoming Vietnam vets were widely reported in the years following the war. Many vets felt the lack of welcome and approval meant one thing. Video: LPA 99 48:10 Jim Eaton / 1991 "When your country doesn't approve, then it's murder." Bite: National Guard Disk 3 16:24:55 I wasn't welcomed at all, you know I had the uniform on, it was the baby killer and that type of comments that you got. 16:25:07 YOU GOT THOSE COMMENTS, WERE YOU WEARING A UNIFORM? 16:25:11 Yes, it's the only clothes I had, when I out processed out of the service, they gave you a brand new uniform, and that's what you went home in. 16:25:21 SO THAT WAS IT FOR YOU? YOU LEFT THE ARMY? 16:25:24 Yeah that was the end of it. Track: Home had become unfamiliar. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 2 20:51:50 I went home with my duffel bag…. opened it up in the living room floor and along came this big white thing running across the room that I'd never seen before, I assumed it was a rat. I gave a touchdown kick and kicked my mother's cat all the way across the room. She not impressed with me at that point. Soundup: LPA 357 7;01:50 ** audio - aircraft spraying Agent Orange Track: When Agent Orange became a suspected cause of cancer, the VA took a decade to recognize it. Too late to help John Barvenik's friend Mike Patenaude who died just 3 years after returning. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 15:20:49 YOU MUST FEEL YOU ALL PAID A PRICE TOGETHER OVER THERE. 15:20:52 Yea, yea we did. I left a big portion of my life there; I left a big portion of my life there. What happened in Vietnam affected me probably more than anything else that I have ever done in my life. Some of the effects were good and some of the effects were bad. Some of the good effects were the comradeship that you found with people. The best friends that I ever had and have in life are in this 15:21:23 room or in this battalion. As far as affecting me at first, I mean I've seen the, what do I want to call it, what man can do to man? The worst, you know I've seen that. Bite: MiniDV Sept. 20 00:11:10 I thought when you got home, you just walked away. You didn't have anything to do with anyone anymore, and you did your tour and that's the end of it. Track: These soldiers spent 1 year in Vietnam and 40 years coming to terms with it. Bite: MiniDV Sept. 20 00:11:25 You get home and - as soon as a helicopter goes overhead - you stop - and you're there. You think about Vietnam every day of your life. I don't know why we do but we do. Your heart goes out every time you see a fellow soldier. Something happens. The strangest marriage - it's like a marriage but it's not a marriage. Unless you served in combat with your brothers, you will never figure out how we feel, and you know, you shouldn't even try. Because it's not a place you can actually walk unless you put the boots on and live there. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 2 20:58:15 Probably the only reason I'm standing here right now is because of the 197. Track: 40 years ago, New Hampshire native Dave Copson and his troops were being overrun by a North Vietnamese force in the dead of night. He radioed for help and heard a familiar accent. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 2 21:00:20 …and he said I'm from Somersworth I said well I'm from concord I said well I'm in real tough shape right now I need some 21:00:38 artillery and he says I called for 197 and I gave him the coordinates, Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 2 21:00:45 I still got the coordinates on this map from when I called in that night. A few minutes later, he said the first round was on it's way. Sure enough the first round was dead on, no corrections. Bite: Army Guard Vietnam Disc 2 I really appreciate you guys. You were really good. Track: Many who served felt bitter toward their government. Jim Leach built a successful business career while rejecting any government help - even from the VA. But he says one federal effort has made a difference - the Vietnam Memorial Wall. 5:55:55 the Wall Bite: National Guard Disk 16:34:06 I've seen it and looked up these seven guys on it, and I've been there and that also provided some closure to it and the fact that maybe somebody does care. There are a lot of names on that wall, took the time to respect those who did get sacrificed the entire amount of their life. As far as anything now, I'm not sure a parade or a band could do anything to put any closure to it, except for little reunions like this. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 16:31:00 SO WHAT IS IT LIKE TO COME TO A GATHERING LIKE THIS AND SEE ALL THESE GUYS? 16:31:07 It puts a closure to it, puts healing on it, everybody understands what's going on, they understand the hardships they understand the relationship that we've had with each other. Bite: TOLLAND DISK 2 15:09:59 It was hard to get used to sleeping in a bed rather than a sleeping bag, and no mosquito nets and no bugs and no snakes. It was different. Track: When he returned, Bill Toland stayed in the Guard part time while resuming firefighting. He became Exeter fire chief, and later, the state fire marshall. John Barvenik stayed in the guard full-time for 27 years. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 15:17:55 DO YOU FEEL YOU'VE ALL MANAGED NOW IN 2009 TO HAVE FINALLY COME HOME? 15:18:08 I don't think that yet, no. I think that as a unit. 15:18:10 WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE? 15:18:13 I don't know, I know one thing it's going to take for me personally is a trip back to Vietnam to what it is like now, I've talked to other few people who feel the same way. I don't know what it is or why it is, but I need to go back there. I want to go back up on highway 13 and see where thunder 3 was. I want to see that Hampshire field. I want to see if I can find that plaque. It's got to be there someplace. Bite: National Guard Disk 3 HOW HEALING DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE? 15:19:12 To me, I think that would just about do it. I really do, I think that would just about do it for me. Track: Until that day, John Barvenik - and the rest of the 3rd Battalion 197th Artillery will find solace in each other and the memory of fallen brothers. And when another soldier dies, there is a last measure of respect offered for that final journey. |
| Thanks/Goodbye Return to index of stories... |
Bite: Hussey Disk My name is Kevin Hussey Sr. I am a bugler and I play Taps at soldiers' funerals in honor of my best friend who died in Vietnam. For Whom the Bugle Sounds By Kevin Hussey Sr. In Vietnam in that far off land When God took into the palm of his Hand, The guns, the smoke, the sound of Screams, You fought till death in the heat and Steam. I come today with my bugle in hand, With tears and sorrow I take my Stand. I press my bugle to trembling lips, To honor those on land, air and Ships. Sleep my friend and be at Rest, Those gathered above send you their Best. Moist tears now shed on this sacred Ground, I know "For Whom the Bugle Sounds." To Honor and Thank 3rd Battalion, 197th Artillery New Hampshire National Guard. |
| Web Promo Return to index of stories... |
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| Key: War / National Security/ Veterans Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 11/13/2009 HOST: Richard Ager Length: 26:48 It became America's longest war - and the most despised. And at its height, the citizen soldiers of NH's National Guard joined the battle. For a year, Bill Toland, John Barvinek of Hampton, and Jim Leach were just a few among the many who lived, fought, and faced death in the jungle of Vietnam, only to endure a long journey home. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Richard Ager NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Lt. Col. John Sullivan\Deputy Commander, 3rd Bat. 197th Art., Admiral John S. McCain\Commander in Chief Pacific Forces/Father of Sen. John McCain, Richard Lavoie \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Sgt. Frank DeRocchi \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Staff Sgt. Bob Reeves\Chief of Section C, Spec. 4 Norm Fortier\Battery recorder A, Sgt. Bill Toland\Medic, 3rd Bat. 197th Art., Sgt. John Barvenik \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Jim Eaton , Sgt. Jim Leach\3rd Bat. 197th Art.,John Newman \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Dave Copson\Saved by 3rd Bat. 197th Art., Kevin Hussey Sr.\Bugles Across America |
| Key: American History / Biography Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 11/13/2009 HOST: Richard Ager Length: 26:48 It became America's longest war - and the most despised. And at its height, the citizen soldiers of NH's National Guard joined the battle. For a year, Bill Toland, John Barvinek of Hampton, and Jim Leach were just a few among the many who lived, fought, and faced death in the jungle of Vietnam, only to endure a long journey home. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Richard Ager NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Lt. Col. John Sullivan\Deputy Commander, 3rd Bat. 197th Art., Admiral John S. McCain\Commander in Chief Pacific Forces/Father of Sen. John McCain, Richard Lavoie \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Sgt. Frank DeRocchi \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Staff Sgt. Bob Reeves\Chief of Section C, Spec. 4 Norm Fortier\Battery recorder A, Sgt. Bill Toland\Medic, 3rd Bat. 197th Art., Sgt. John Barvenik \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Jim Eaton , Sgt. Jim Leach\3rd Bat. 197th Art.,John Newman \3rd Bat. 197th Art., Dave Copson\Saved by 3rd Bat. 197th Art., Kevin Hussey Sr.\Bugles Across America |