NEW VIDEOS

Steve Long

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Normally, a door gunner would not fly his last month in country, but Steve Long finagled his way into the air. In his other job in the avionics shop, he had a run-in with the new officer in charge. He got a little satisfaction the night after he got his orders home. (5:31)

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Returning from Vietnam was not traumatic for Steve Long. No protestors and a loving family to meet him. He had a year to go on his enlistment and, by luck, he got a good post. He declined all entreaties to stay in the Marines, not the least of which was their final pitch. (4:25)

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Steve Long's time as an avionics technician in the Marines influenced his post Vietnam career in a very positive way. He finished his basic college courses in New York and then went to Georgia Tech for the engineering degree. (6:01)

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Newly minted electrical engineer Steve Long embarked on his post-Vietnam career as a draftsman. That did not last long. He lucked into a role managing the introduction of computer aided design, known as CAD, into the engineering and architectural workplace. (5:07)

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It took a while for Vietnam veteran Steve Long to process the experience in his mind, but after a while, he began to get involved with organizations and reunions, which he learned to appreciate dearly. (4:31)

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Steve Long hopes that we learned from the Vietnam experience, but he isn't so sure, with the ambivalence of the more recent wars. He does know one thing, please get rid of that Nancy Sinatra song. (6:40)

John Neel

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John Neel grew up in Louisiana before going to boot camp in Texas and getting accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program at Brooklyn Tech. However, his time there was cut short for infantry training in Louisiana and Kentucky. When he went overseas, his original post was diverted to Belgium after the Germans broke through. (This interview made possible with the support of DARLENE SANDS.) (2:45)

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Neel was assigned to Company A as a machine gun squad leader. On the way to Belgium, he and his company witnessed a buzz bomb that exploded way off into the distance, which gave him a small idea of what he was in for. It's very easy for him to remember just how unbearably cold it was in Belgium, especially when you're forced to sleep in a snowy foxhole with nothing but a sleeping bag to keep you warm. (This interview made possible with the support of DARLENE SANDS.) (6:33)

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As he was moving through Belgium, Neel came across his first sight of dead GIs on the battlefield. There would be times afterward he would see more, but he'll never forget what he felt the first time. His company was moving along the Salm River, still staying in foxholes every night. Eventually, they came under machine gun fire and lost a man named Buzz Buzzell. In the Ardennes, two Germans unexpectedly came up to them and surrendered. In addition, Neel talks about two stories where he lost his glasses and a package he received from home. (This interview made possible with the support of DARLENE SANDS.) (6:03)

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After his time in the Ardennes, Neel's division moved into La Ville-du-Bois. He has a humorous story about a bunch of chickens running loose on the streets and the mortar squad chasing them down for food. When Christmas came, Neel was surprised the dinner spread was as good as it was. Later on, Neel spotted German soldiers in the distance. His sergeant said not to give away their position, but he went against orders and tried to shoot them down. German mortar fire rained down and he and another fellow soldier named Dick Jones were hit in the leg. (This interview made possible with the support of DARLENE SANDS.) (7:35)