Spring Branch & Memorial High Schools

Class of '63

Vietnam Veterans

I know for myself, I cannot begin to understand the many faces of this war.  There are no right answers or incorrect opinions.  This war and era were filled with contradictions.  But it was the war of our generation.  We had fellow students that served there and risk their lives.  I have only found one classmate that was killed while on active duty in Vietnam, and unfortunately for me, I really don't remember him. I would like to know and thank the rest of you.

Please let us know if you served in Vietnam so you are included here.  

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Wayne Nelson Williams

Branch: Navy

Rank: Yeoman 3rd Class

Wayne served two tours in Viet Nam, the first from 1964 to 1966 on the USS Kearsarge.  North Vietnamese patrol boats were trying to sink the Kearsarge on August 5, 1964 when they hit the USS Mattox.  As a result, on August 7th the U.S. Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution granting President Johnson authority to send US troops to South Vietnam.  His second tour came from 1966 to 1967 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.  Both of these were classified as Flag Ships carrying Admirals.

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Martin Allen

Branch: Marine

Rank: Sergeant

Martin was in the 9th Marine Amphibian Brigade from January 1967 until August 1968.   He was involved in most of the campaigns of 1967 and 1968 including the Tet offensive, considered by historians to be the turning point in the war.  Martin was an airborne radio operator and was awarded 19 air medals as well as the bronze star.

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Joe Ray English

Branch: USMC

Rank: 1st Lt. (retired as Lt Col)

Location: Danang RVN and Nam Phong, Thailand (The Rose Garden)

Dates: June 1972 - May 1973

Flew A-6 Intruder, night all weather attack aircraft.  Had 98 missions over the North and flew close air support in the South at Khe San, Quang Tri, Hue and the Ashaw Valley.  Lost 3 of 12 squadron aircraft and 6 very close friends.  Involved in the Christmas raids of 1972. 

Memories: Rent the movie Flight of the Intruder.  AAA is pretty realistic, Sam's are hokey.  Spent a lot of time waiting for the next chance to get killed.  Scotch was cheap.  3 months after coming home, ejected from an F-8 that blew up while taking off from Dallas and came closer to buying the farm that before or since.  Semper Fi.

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Walter Emil Farr

Branch: Army

Rank: Captain

Location: Ahn Que

Dates: September 1970 - April 1971

I was drafted July 1967,  attending Infantry basic and advanced training and qualifying for Infantry, Officers Candidate school.  I graduated In June 1968 with a new wife and our first daughter.  After OCS, I was sent to flight school as more pilots were being shot than Infantry 2nd Lieutenants.  After 9 months of flight school and 6 months awaiting orders, I left on the day before my 25th birthday, crossing the dateline and totally missing Sept. 18 landing on the 19th.  I was cheated out of all the presents I was due for that year.

I landed in Saigon immediately got on a helicopter and flew further and further into the jungle.  On Oct 7, 1969, I reported to the 7th Battalion, 17th CAV Division, as a new Captain, with Cobra gunship qualifications, but not a lot of flight time.  From Plakeau, in central highlands of II Corp area, I was ferried to C Troop 7/17 and Ahn Que, the northwestern most, major city.  There I encountered several college dorm mates from Texas A&M, and an old friend from days as a Boy Scout. 

As the newest Captain in a helicopter unit, I was assigned the motor pool as an extra duty assignment.  The mechanics there were all the helicopter mechanics that had been caught or suspected of smoking pot.  No one wanted someone high to be working on their helicopter, but trucks were OK.  I spent the next two months preparing the Motor Pool for a major inspection.  The most clever accounting occurs in a combat unit in preparation for those inspections.  A requisition form counts the same as having the item on hand.  All sorts of thing get written off to combat damage and loss.  We passed only because our unit was headed for a worse place  and the inspectors filled our requisitions.

In Feb 1970, while awaiting transfer orders, I was flying a Cobra that lost it's tail rotor.  The resulting crash sent my friend from the Boy Scouts home and me to the hospital.  I was not seriously hurt and left the hospital a few days later.  The unit was being reassigned to the I Corp area, for a major invasion into Laos, to cut the Ho Chi Mien Trail.  Our Unit commander "waved the flag", talked of "striking a blow for freedom", and how this was going to "end the war", so we were ready to go.  After getting our unit settled in I Corp, he left for a 2 week R&R. 

On the first day of contact with the enemy, our No. 2 and 3 officers in charge got wounded in a fire fight with NVA ground troops.  This left the unit commanded by 3 Captains with less than 1 year in grade, all added together, in charge.  We ruled by committee, but we got the job done.  The NCO in charge managed the administrative duties, and we handled the flying assignments and signed the papers put in front of us.  After about 2 weeks of 12 hour days hunting and shooting NVA supply lines, tanks and vehicles, I got my purple heart and a ticket home. 

All is well that ends well, I came home to a wife, two wonderful daughters and a loving family.  All my parts worked, and I later joined the National Guard to continue flying,  In 1992, I retired from flying in the Army Reserve program, with 22 years of service and about 3000 flight hours.  I was in Viet Nam from September 19, 1970 to April 1971.  While it was not all that long on the calendar, every minute is etched in my memory, even the boring parts.  

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Ronald Ballenger

Branch: Army

Rank: Sergeant E-5, Infantry Squad Leader 

Division: 1st Calvary Division, 1/8 Btn "Jumping Mustangs" A Co.

Dates: February 1969 - February 1970

Decorations: Yeah I got them, some for bein' a "hero"

War Stories: Yeah, got them too, about as many as Oliver Stone, just no motivation to write them down.

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Bill Trevillion

Branch: USMC

Rank: 

Dates: July 1970 - July 1971

I was a PLC (Platoon Leader Class) while in college and was on active duty from Jan '67 until Dec '73.  I was at PLC summer camp in Quantico, VA. in August '64 when the North Vietnamese attacked our ships in the Tomkin Gulf, so my career spanned the entire Vietnam War.  I spent several months in California and a year in Quantico, VA, while I waited for a broken wrist to heal.. After finally completing OCS, Basic School and Flight school, I was a bombardier/navigator in A-6 Intruders.  I flew off of the USS Coral Sea from July '70 until July '71.  We flew in Vietnam from Dec '70 until July '71.  Flew 125 missions consisting of daylight and night bombings in North & South Vietnam and anti-SAM missions against sites in North Vietnam.  My squadron lost 4 aircraft and 4 aircrews killed plus one POW.  

Trivia related to Vietnam experience ~~

1.  Our squadron was the first complete USMC squadron to be assigned to carrier duty since the Korean War. 

2.  I flew over the SAM site that shot down Bat-21, an Air Force EB-66, about 15 minutes before Bat-21.  We saw the SAMs explode.  We were flying an A-6B (an A-6 for anti-SAM missions, but we were not tracked by the radar and no SAMs were shot at us.  We did engage several SAM sites in duels and know that we destroyed at least one site near Vinh. 

3.  While in Guantanamo, I met the Navy Seabee who built the runways at Nam Phuong, Thailand.  He didn't know that it was being used until I told him that the Marines had a squadron assigned there. 

After returning from Vietnam, I received a regular commission.  I attended Forward Air Controller School and was the Air Liaison Officer in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from Dec '71 until May '72.  I returned to Houston, where my wife lived while I was in Cuba, the night before our son was born.  We lived at Camp Lejeune, NC until Dec '72 when I resigned. 

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Jack Peebles

Branch: Army

Rank: Spec 4 

Division: !st Division

Dates: November 1967 - November 1968

I shipped out to Vietnam in November of 1967 and was sent to the 90th replacement in long Bien.  From there I was assigned to the First Division located in Di-An.  Rotated out in November of 1968 and returned home to Houston.

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Jimmy Yoder

Branch: 

Rank: 

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Chan Stewart

Branch: US Army

Division: Casualty 

Rank: SGT

Dates: 1968

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Don Alsobrooks

Branch: US Air Force

Location: Tan Son Nhut 

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John Cason

Branch: Army

Rank:

Dates: 1965-1966

I served as a medic attached to the 71st Evac. Hospital.  It was a semi mobile army (tent) hospital.  When we arrived in Vietnam we were not allowed to set up tents.  We ended up having to build our own hospital.  I drove 2 1/2 ton supply trucks in convoy from Pleiku to Quy Nhan through the Mang Yang Pass and An Ke, pulled guard duty and filled sand bags among other mundane stuff for 13 months  ( extended for on month trying to keep my brother from being sent over, but it didn't work).   I got to work as a medic occasionally.  Three wonderful years in the U.S. Army (tongue in cheek).  

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John Garay

Branch: Army

Location: E Troop 17 Cav

                 173rd Airborne Brigade

Dates: June 1968 to June 1969 

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Jim Laycock

Branch: US Army

Location:  

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Ronald Jones

Branch: USMC

Rank: Staff Sargeant

Dates: 1965-1969

I served for four years in the USMC between 1965 and 1969.  After 3 years in California, I spent the last year and H&H, III marine Amphibious Forces in DaNang.  I was discharged at Treasure Island, California as a Staff Sargeant  

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Brian Koehl

Branch: 

Rank: 

Dates: 1966-1967

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Jim King

Branch: USMC

Rank: Sargent

Dates: Oct 1967 - Dec 1968

Spent most of my time in the I-Corps, between Con Thien, Hue City and Khe Sahn, with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine division.  My job was a Forward Air Controller.  Most of my tour I spent within 2000 meters of the DMZ.  I was wounded twice, the first time on Jan 31, '68, the second time on July 7, '68.  The only thing I have to say is the guys that didn't go really didn't miss much and for the rest of the men that served over there I want to thank every one that supported us.    

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Jim Kutner

Branch: US Navy

Rank: 

Dates: 1968 - 1970

Graduated USN Officer Candidate School, Newport, RI in August, 1968.  Sea Duty aboard destroyer USS Southerland, DD-743 from 1968 to 1970, served offshore Vietnam & Korea. Sea duty with staff of Destroyer Division 32 and Squadron 3 (Asiatic Destroyer Squadron) from 1970 to 1971 - served offshore Vietnam & Cambodia; remained in active naval Reserve, Houston, Texas from 1971 to 1972.      

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Skip Wallace

Branch: US Navy

Rank: 

Dates:

Yes, I was in 'Nam on two deployments.  Luckly, I suffered none of the psychological or physical injuries which many of my peers experienced.  On the first cruise, I was an officer aboard LST-1077, (USS Park Country); we resupplied the boats and bases up and down the rivers of Vietnam.  On the second cruise, I was aboard LST-1185 (USS Schenectady); we mostly cut grooves in the ocean off the coast and the Marines on-board had a hard time with the lack of activity!  I'm happy to report that on both cruises we had some close calls but experienced no injuries from enemy fire!!!

My prayers are for those who gave their lives and/or limbs in that conflict.

Hopefully, it contributed, in some way, to a future, more perfect world. 

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