Local Veteran Shares Insights on Ken Burns’ New Vietnam War Documentary

CROOKSTON, MN (trfnews.i234.me) Local Vietnam Veteran D.J. Johnson talks about the new Ken Burns Vietnam documentary and his experiences in the war.
everyone Neil Berg here that new Ken Burns series exhaustive series the Vietnam War documentary started last night thought it’d be interesting to talk to someone who knows about the Higgs firsthand DJ Darrell Johnson here in Crookston thank you so what’d you think about the first episode I was pretty good to learn a lot more about their country then I knew ever knew about I mean there is Ryu was pretty interesting so maybe you could tell folks a little bit about your experience I mean how did you get in did you join were you drafted no I joined I was working in a gas station there down them this recruiter used to stop by about once a week and try and get me in an odd I gradient my dad you say did I guess I might still go so I joined for two years what year was a 1969 okay so what happened were to go to boot camp but when had Port Louis watching a boot camp been advanced individual training there was this in the marine snow it was the army army okay so when did you ship off to Vietnam I got there July 13th 1969 and I got out July 13th 1970 [Applause] was that enough it was more than enough of what was your job there would you guys do well when we landed there middle makers about 95 degrees and raining and we’re all out in the car back there and you’re telling telling you where you go each individual soldier cuz it was hundreds of us Aaron and my name came up he said well my friend Bob Bally from Red Lake Falls and I flew there together and his name came up first and we went through that 199 like Infantry Brigade and the next they called me and said under adverse Airborne Division why I had no idea what I was getting into there so what was that what would you end up doing I ended up walking point my MOS was mortars infantry and mortars but they didn’t have any opening for mortars when I got there so right out in the field and I walked point for all about four months and then in one day let her helicopters come out to resupply us and they said you’re going to the rear they’re going to the mortar but – and now I thought it was great four months later I got another helicopter come in with resupply and we were on a firebase my name came up again and they transfer me out of there to the third Battalion 506 infantry who 101st airborne and I was there for about four months ok what were you doing did you see a combat yeah one when I went the first four months yeah it was it wasn’t too bad it was like skirmishes it wasn’t too bad but when I went to thorough visit five over six yeah we were a lot different country and shipped soft Cambodia may in 1970 we were there for I think seven or eight days out in the field and then about four or five days on this little firebase but I lost Oh most of my platoon there in Cambodia lost as English 18 wounded and 9k ISO hmm did your friend who turned up with you make it no he made it but he have wounded real bad head wound took up big part of his head so he had many years of recovery there this is who saw oh yes yeah yeah I see him living like so how did you end up doing know what they called tunnel rattling your times well I wasn’t in the tunnel rapid tune but there were some some deals in Cambodia where we get crawling I’m there it was up to you and I went in couple three of them and what was that like that was scary I didn’t like that very well would you have a flashlight in the gun and a brawl down in the tunnel 45 and one end of isolating the other and on your hands and knees or on your belly and elbows grown in then we didn’t have to go in very far looks far enough so that a lot of times the the enemy was underground the atole they hit open to all kinds of stuff like that well how about just talking some general stuff here how about when you got out how were you treated oh we didn’t even talk about it and I didn’t mention it nobody else crunched it we weren’t very welcome like VFW and american legion attending they didn’t really want us in there but they had all change orders you know what he just I don’t know he’s all the protesting accepting if that were buncha whiners expose him where did you fly into when you came back to Seattle Washington SeaTac did you get run into any protesters when you get on there there were City or not like in California I guess so serene but there was a few out there hollering calling your names and stuff but I did I just didn’t pay no attention I mean it over to start thinking about a time to take kind of hard you know Jesus just risking my life for your country oh yeah yeah I did do you feel like countries change this mindset over the years oh yeah it’s a lot better not a lot better there’s a ways to go yet thank you okay so you’re gonna watch the rest of the series why what’s interesting because I’d like to say they were stuff there I didn’t know about that country and their history and yeah I think I’ll watch it it’s on again tonight yeah interesting leave it at that all right in Crookston I’m Neil Berg with DJ Darrell Johnson reporting for I 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