Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
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Jon Eckert
Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)
| India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines
Jon Eckert volunteered for another deployment, but this time he was going to be handling IED detecting dogs. When they were later sent to the Kajaki Dam, these Marine canines were critical to finding the multitudes of hidden explosives that were incapacitating American forces on a regular basis. (3:22)
Jon Eckert describes a tragic day in Afghanistan when he and his dog were leading a patrol to prevent anyone from hitting an IED when the unthinkable happened and they lost fellow Marine CPL Jorge Villarreal. (Caution: strong language) (5:39)
Terry Caskey
Vietnam
| Multiple Units
Ever since watching the old TV series Combat, Terry Caskey knew he wanted to be a medic. He knew he wanted to go to Vietnam, as well, so he could help soldiers survive if they were wounded. After his training, he had dual MOS's as a combat medic and operating room technician. He got his orders for Vietnam in July 1968. (4:42)
After some OJT at the Fort Campbell military hospital, Terry Caskey flew off to Vietnam. When he stepped out of the airplane door, he was struck by the overwhelming heat and awful smell. Assigned to a MASH type field hospital in Phu Bai, he waited for days at Cam Ranh Bay for transport north. (4:54)
There was a mortar attack going on when medic and operating room technician Terry Caskey arrived in Phu Bai. He was assigned to a field hospital where the flow of casualties and the enemy attacks were relentless. He could watch the rockets fire off from a nearby hilltop and track the contrail right into his compound. And as he ended an epic shift in the operating room, he emerged covered in blood. It was too much for a twenty year old to bear. (9:19)
The first thing that happened to Terry Caskey when he was transferred to the 95th Evacuation hospital in Da Nang was a rocket attack that ruptured his eardrums. At least the facility was a step up from the field hospital in Phu Bai. The 95th was in a real building and had flush toilets. (5:24)
There was water everywhere which meant that there were mosquitos everywhere which meant that Terry Caskey had malaria four times in Vietnam. His day at the hospital could be mundane or it could be terrible. He recalls a terrible day when a chopper full of dead and wounded Marines landed at the hospital. (5:21)
It was long hours for the staff at the military hospitals in Vietnam. Terry Caskey recalls one wounded soldier who stepped on a land mine and underwent multiple amputations. Years later, seeing photos of that day set off a PTSD episode which resulted in him finally getting the needed help from the VA. (6:32)
He had just had back surgery and malaria, again, when he flew home. The airliner had lost hydraulics and nearly crash landed in San Francisco. That was all bad enough but when Terry Caskey stepped off the plane, he was greeted by a long line of protestors who cursed him and spit on him. Not much of a welcome home. (5:15)
Nobody wanted to talk about it. Even his family had been affected by the relentless shame heaped on the war and the veterans of the war. But Terry Caskey was no baby killer. He had seen enough dying men working in Army hospitals in Vietnam to know what that war was really about. He coped by drinking until, inspired by the hero's welcome for Desert Storm vets, he organized a reunion. This began an upward path. (5:09)
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