Nam Vets Day 2026

Remember:

Many went – Many came back – None were the same This is for all who went Any one of us who served Could have been one of them And any family could be related1Echoes of Nam: Absence from war is not the same as peace of the soul by John Morris Benson

On this date, fifty-three years ago: “U.S. troops withdraw from Vietnam,” was the headline.²ref

Flip of a Coin:

I don’t remember the date or time, but it was an event in the late spring of 1958 I’ll never forget. SSG Harry Harkness took Jackie E. West and me aside, saying something like, “I need one of you to lead a team to install new equipment and update some existing equipment at the embassy in Saigon. The job will also require some activity in other places in the area. Both of you are due for separation in less than 90 days so you’ll have to extend for a year. Are you willing?”

We were both willing to be extended, so who went to Vietnam was decided by the flip of a quarter.

I fully believe it was God’s plan for the coin to land as it did. With the one-year extension, I would never have gone to Edison Tech in Seattle to take the night class where I met my future wife.
April 3, 2026 is our 67th anniversary.

Jackie E West, my counterpart, is in the history books for some of the special operations in which he was later involved. As someone said, and others often repeat, “There but for the Grace of God go I.”

PS: Like Colonel Flagg from MASH, we were not there then! The Army Security Agency I mean, but written and oral history tells us there were advisors for many activities related to North v. South issues.

Ray LePoidevin – Combat vet and Author of Alternate Route
“Let’s see what you do if you get back from Nam alive.”