RED LAKE FALLS, MN (trfnews.i234.me) This week as the Ken Burns documentary about the Vietnam War is shown on TV, we’re talking to local Vietnam Vets to hear their stories.
everyone Neil Berg here in Red Lake Falls talking to another Vietnam veteran Bob Valley so kind of talking to veterans this year in the wake of the Ken Burns series on Vietnam and bring a little local angle to it so what’s your story what happened did you were you drafted did you join I got death did then what year was that January 69 really okay so you’re drafted into the Army where did you go for boot camp Fort Lewis Washington okay and then when did you ship on July 13th of 69 69 dan where’d you end up end up in 199th light infantry we worked at a Benoit okay so what was your job just infantry ground pounder we looked for these for the enemy and cold in air specs on them and stuff like that called them in to let bigger outfits take care of them okay did you end up seeing a lot of action before I know you were wounded but before that happened or how long were you there oh I was wasn’t there very long I got hit September 24th 1969 so I was only there like three months all right what happened when that happened we’re going through some jungle tape stuff and just looking for the enemy see where they were had their setups and stuff than they had on all these trails they’ve they have land mines and mines and the trees and and this when we got hit it was a mine in a tree command detonated somebody blasted on us our point man got killed he was a was an NBA chill height in 1966 Kim we toured with the South okay then and others hit two or everybody knew everybody but two that hit about how many people there’s nine of us and you were injured pretty badly you had a head wound yeah the left side of my head is pretty much plastic hmm how long was recovery I was in hospital two weeks Vietnam two weeks in Japan and about three and a half months in fits-him in general Denver Colorado okay yeah was that a problem the rest of your life either no huh no okay I learned live with it all right when you think back or don’t you like to think back on this and rather not kind of it all depends no lost friends and it’s just hard good oh yeah so when you came back you didn’t have to go through like well you were medical so you never saw protesters and things like that no no I didn’t okay heard about a lot about it but okay what did you think at that time wasted a lot of people’s lives improved much okay all right what’d you end up doing for a living after the war well I worked worked on the pipeline for four or five years okay and then I worked in building trades for a local company for a few years okay then I went bridge construction for but ten years and then I worked for a company in town here Bill’s wood stove okay wood master what Bob didn’t tell you on camera was that he was eligible for 100% disability after the war and never would have had to work instead he went to work for 35 years and was told by VA officials he saved the federal government over 1 million dollars so when you look back now you know your experience insists then we’ve had lots of other conflicts and Wars Afghanistan I rock what do you think of all that the wasting their time we should stay home well you’re now proven nothing yet all right I don’t think okay all right we’ve got them thanks for your time thanks for your service it’s all right in Red Lake Falls I’m Neil Berg reporting for i-news TV
Local Vietnam Veteran Chooses 35-Year Career Over Disability Benefits
