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John Blair

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John Blair describes some of the strange things he experienced in Vietnam. They ranged from the horrible, like the dead GIs they found that had been tortured, to the delightful, like the time some cold Cokes appeared where they were totally unexpected. (8:13)

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Most guys had two R&Rs if they were lucky. John Blair wound up with three. One he earned by taking out two NVA on one of his first patrols. What he didn't get was a Purple Heart even though he earned it by taking some shrapnel. He turned it down not knowing the grief it would cause him later. (6:16)

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What do you want in your care package from home? For John Blair, it was socks, sardines and Spam. You can round it out with liquor and Vienna sausages. Too bad you can't send water because that was one thing it seemed the Marines were always short on. (4:11)

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When John Blair became a short timer he was sent to the rear but then was, inexplicably, called back to the field. Once that was straightened out, he did return to the states and landed in LA where a hippie poured his own beer on him. Welcome home. (Caution: strong language) (6:42)

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You were supposed to get three choices of duty station when you return from your Vietnam tour but John Blair was awarded the Silver Star while he was there. So they gave him no choice and sent him to Parris island to be a DI with several other Silver Star recipients. He didn't care for that at all but after one cycle, he got a much better assignment. (4:53)

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The Marines molded him into a man. John Blair is thankful for that and for all his fellow Marines, not only the grunts but the truck drivers and the clerks and everyone who makes the Marine Corps work. (7:43)

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While in Vietnam, a Marine was able to tag three captured weapons and they were supposed to ship them home to you. There was just one problem, none of them ever arrived. At least John Blair had the knife he took from an NVA officer. Regarding a different problem, he explains how the supply sergeant is the most powerful Marine there is. (4:02)

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It's a brotherhood. It's how you get through a war and how you deal with the aftermath. John Blair explains why that's important to him. He wears his Silver Star for all the friends who didn't make it. (4:55)

John Bostian

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Born in China Grove NC, John Bostian graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1936. As WW2 approached and to avoid being drafted, John joined the Navy and was admitted into the Naval Academy in 1942 until May 1943. Upon graduation from the academy, John was assigned to the USS Arkansas where he crossed the North Atlantic as part of a convoy. After serving aboard the USS Arkansas, John returned to Norfolk Naval Yard where he was assigned to the USS Franklin. (4:03)

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After serving aboard the USS Arkansas, John Bostian returned to Norfolk Naval Yard where he was assigned to the USS Franklin. He trained on the operation of the ships engines and mechanical systems. This is the story of the first time the USS Franklin was attacked near the Philippines. (8:49)