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Jack Fishman

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When Jack Fishman went to Vietnam, he was an immature kid who had flunked out of college. Later, after a successful graduation, a career as an IRS special agent, and a law degree, he says all that can be attributed to his experience in Vietnam. His successful life has made it possible for him to help other veterans. (3:18)

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The lessons of Vietnam are forgotten today, says Jack Fishman, although the veterans of that war now have the respect they didn't get when they returned. He wants the draft reinstated for both men and women and not only for the military but for public service jobs. His reaction to the 50th Anniversary project? What took them so long? (4:02)

Jack Fletcher

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Rather than walking on the ground, when the draft came around in 1943, Jack Fletcher opted for the Army Air Corps. Pilot training was closed, so he was set to become a mechanic. He'd only begun training and had never worked on an engine when he was shipped to the Pacific, where the on the job training was superb. (7:46)

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Jack Fletcher's troop carrier squadron moved from New Guinea to Leyte, where there was still fighting. He just missed some Japanese paratroopers who landed on the other side of the air strip. While temporarily withdrawn to the beach during that battle, some Red Cross coffee was denied them, at least on a free basis. When it came time to transport those folks, it was payback time. (6:17)

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On his first day in Leyte, Jack Fletcher ran into a friend from his hometown. There were still Japanese there, too, about ten miles inland. He was an aircraft mechanic and a crew chief on a C-47, ferrying troops and supplies around the Philippines. It was on one of these missions that a stray bullet hit the cabin and gave him a leg wound. (5:11)

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Jack Fletcher recounts the life of a crew chief on a C-47 in the South Pacific. Flying everything from Bataan Death March survivors to crates of eggs, it was a very busy time. Shortly after the Japanese surrender was achieved, he was flying supplies into Japan itself. (6:38)

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There were plenty of interesting sights when Jack Fletcher landed in Japan. The C-47 crew chief was part of the supply effort for the occupation shortly after the war's end. He had no trouble there, but when he got back to Okinawa, he had to spend a long night during a typhoon trying to keep his aircraft safe. (4:44)

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Jack Fletcher recalls some of the odd and unexpected things that happened during the war in the Pacific. Before he deployed, he designed a coded map for his mother to keep track of his whereabouts, then he ran into his brother in the Philippines, who also had the map. We also hear about a search for Japanese gold teeth and some larcenous sailors. (4:17)

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As he was recuperating in a hospital in the Philippines, Jack Fletcher befriended a nurse who made the rounds among the wounded troops. When he found out she was getting married, he made a beautiful gesture that only an aviator could make. (3:14)

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In a war, there always seems to be some humorous things that happen, though they can't always be enjoyed at the time. C-47 crew chief Jack Fletcher recalls some of those including some purloined steaks and a power struggle with a pilot. (3:49)