Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
6:09 | John E. Walker enlisted during the Vietnam era and got the specialty he wanted, aviation mechanic. The dreary weather on the day he departed should have been a clue. His first test in the war zone, monsoons. Next, the task of cleaning the aircraft after medical evacuations.
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Compared to the infantry, the living conditions were like a Holiday Inn, says helicopter mechanic John E. Walker. They had Vietnamese women to do the laundry and manual labor, although he didn't really trust them. He recalls an older friend there who taught him to play chess and keep on the straight and narrow.
John E. Walker is haunted by memories of Vietnam. One thing that is still in his nightmares is the grisly way the commander of his base would treat the bodies of the dead. Also in his dreams is the grim fate of a rescued helicopter pilot who desperately grabbed the skids to a rising aircraft.
The best day of his tour in Vietnam was the day he got the hell out of there. He had missed his tight knit family, particularly during the holidays. But before John E. Walker could see them, he had to face a gauntlet of angry protesters. Now, after a long career which included Desert Storm, he appreciates the apologies he sometimes hears.
The veterans group meets weekly, and John E. Walker is grateful for the friendship which helps him overcome the fallout from his Vietnam experience. He recalls his first night home which included a leap from a second floor after a nightmare. He is proud of his military life, but bitter over the slow response to his developing health problems.
