Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:24 | Once Jack Jeter was contacted by one of his buddies from his unit in Vietnam, he caught the reunion bug. It became his mission to find guys and reconnect.
Keywords : Jack Jeter Vietnam Ed Holtz computer John Johnson Barry McCaffrey reunion Jerry Gast
Jack Jeter was a little older when he was drafted, 23 years old. His training was at Fort Polk, over the hot Louisiana summer of 1968. He didn't think any place could be hotter or more miserable. Then he got to the jungles of Southeast Asia. (Caution: strong language.)
After settling in and meeting the company, Jack Jeter was amazed at how little action was occurring where they were. Then the unit moved further south and his platoon set out on a short sweep. The point man spotted a trail and the platoon leader decided to follow it; a very bad idea. Part 1 of 2.
Following a trail while on patrol, Jack Jeter's platoon veered off to the left and walked right into an enemy base camp. Luckily, most of them were further down the trail, waiting to ambush the Americans. Left on their own in a ferocious firefight, they were surprised when the company commander arrived on the scene. Part 2 of 2.
Saddle up! The call went out and Jack Jeter's platoon headed out to reinforce another unit caught in a firefight with the NVA. As they reached the scene, his buddy Snag Johnson was hit in the leg but kept on firing. They got out of there and and began an exhausting trek with Snag on a stretcher. (Caution: strong language.)
The day Jack Jeter was wounded was the third day of serious firefights. His commanding officer, Captain Barry McCaffrey, was wounded on the first day and the temporary replacement had his own ideas about how to proceed. That led the unit right into big trouble. Part 1 of 3. (Caution: strong language.)
In the middle of the firefight in which Jack Jeter was wounded, someone ran out and picked up a wounded man and got him to safety. It would be decades before the issue was settled. Exactly who was that? Part 2 of 3.
The bullet barely missed wrecking his knee. Jack Jeter was in for some hospital time before he could go home. Once he did, he was amazed at the blase attitude of his friends about Vietnam. Part 3 of 3. (Caution: strong language.)
After leaving the Army, Vietnam war veteran Jack Jeter got fulfillment from an old hobby, racing motorcycles. He built a successful business and was getting on with his life when he got a strange phone call. It was time to reconnect. (Caution: strong language.)
What do you want future generations to remember about the Vietnam War? Jack Jeter has a definite idea about that. (Caution: strong language.)
