Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Al Copeland

Vietnam | A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 199th Light Infantry Brigade

His nickname was "Moose." He was big, and because he was the new guy, he had to carry a lot of extra gear. Al Copeland talks about the constant routine of night ambushes they would set up to catch the Viet Cong. On one of these, they took fire from a village and the result was not good for the villagers. (4:12)
On Saturdays, Al Copeland's unit had to go on Air Mobile Assaults. Choppers would pick up the men and ferry them from one landing zone to another, wherever there was intelligence that the Viet Cong were present. This was tough in the Mekong Delta, where you stepped in mud up to your knees. (3:46)
He made Buck Sergeant about the time he figured out that he and his buddies were basically fighting for each other and for no other reason. They were taking a large bunker complex and when two others were under fire, he went out to get them. After the fight was over, he was disturbed to learn what his superiors intended to do about the enemy base. (6:09)
The squad was eating lunch and Al Copeland was off a bit, keeping watch on them while the other squad began a sweep. As soon as the second squad set out, they were in a firefight and Charlie started running. The only problem was that Charlie was running right toward him. (5:00)
Al Flory

Vietnam | 2nd Armored Division, 48th Medical Battalion

Growing up with his dad in the military, Al Flory always figured that he would join the military. After talking to an Army recruiter, he decided to join the medical service corps and deploy to Vietnam. (5:37)
After his time at Fort Hood, Texas, Al Flory was happy to be deployed to Vietnam. Accepting a commission to go serve on a surgical team in Can Tho, Vietnam, he was able to serve the military and civilian casualties as they came in. After this deployment, he decided to go to flight school and was accepted, starting his aviation career. (7:21)
Throughout his 8 months in flight school, Al Flory and his team worked with all sorts of aircrafts in order to prepare for a Vietnam deployment. After arriving in Can Tho, they were shipped to Chu Lai where they were ultimately stationed. (5:36)
On his first mission, Al Flory and his detachment took a lot of fire as they tried to bring back some KIAs. On a particularly hairy mission he calls "Black Friday", the entirety of his unit was hit by NVA fire. (5:21)
On a particular rescue mission, Al Flory and his detachment faced a lot of fire as they descended below the trees, battling brush, to airlift some troops with casualties. 33 years later, he had an unlikely phone call from one of those soldiers that sticks with him today. (7:01)
"The Magic Hour" was the critical time period for Al Flory and his team, as they tried to give the soldiers they rescued the best chance of survival. Acting quickly during this time period was crucial and they did their best to do so. (3:48)