5:04 | Bill Becker was one year out of high school when he was drafted and sent to train at Ft. Polk's Tiger Land, training specifically designed to prepare troops for Vietnam. He wasn't great at running, but he was good at taking tests. This led to some stress when he arrived in country and was thrust into the role of squad leader even though he had absolutely no experience.
Keywords : Bill Becker Glen Ellyn Illinois Army Air Corps WWII mechanic body parts draft Ft. Polk Louisiana Tiger Land Vietnam running test NCO school Warrant Officer squad leader smell jungle fuel DMZ Tet recon B-52 Seabee
During his time in a reconnaissance platoon in Vietnam, Bill Becker found an underground hospital, a possible Chinese advisor, and a VC with something very unusual in his backpack. When he triggered a booby trap, he didn't even realize he was wounded. Later in his tour, he was a radar operator and away from the danger, he thought.