Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
7:16 | In Bill Ryan's everyday life in Vietnam, he had a daily mission to wake up to. Most of those missions took place in the air, having to locate and target the enemy. Following that, Ryan closes with an 'army pet peeve' that irritates him about other soldiers.
Keywords : Bill Ryan Vietnam air combat helicopter flight mission Kevin Baker Huey Helicopter gunship 50 cal. machine gun target jungle warfare gunfire
During his time serving in Vietnam the first time, Bill Ryan had plenty of up close encounters with the Vietnamese enemy and some civilians. At this point, Ryan's ears were used to hearing the sound of gunfire in the distance when not being directly part of it.
While stationed in Vietnam, Bill Ryan remembers a few incidents that happened with the Montagnards during his first tour. While he did not see them often, he describes them as very primal and resistant.
His first tour was not the only time Bill Ryan was deployed to Vietnam, he was actually sent there twice. Here he talks about what he did with his time back in the states before being shipped off to war once again, including his time in different schools like flight school.
After easily passing Ranger school and flight school, Bill Ryan was sent back to Vietnam for his second tour. It was here that he flew gunships to aid in the war efforts. On one occasion he unfortunately suffered some gunshot wounds to his legs, halting the entire mission.
Bill Ryan spent his early life mostly in other countries such as Germany due to the fact that his father also served in the military. This factor is what ultimately would lead him down a similar pathway, and eventually to Vietnam.
