RECOGNIZE a VETERAN TODAY

Doug Strasburg
Mid American Stock Car Series
November 11, 2013

Today is "VETERAN'S DAY. The day set aside each year to honor our United States Veterans. They selflessly give thier all to serve and protect our great country of the United States of America. Each veteran has a story to tell, ask them thiers. Here is a portion of mine as told at a Veteran's Day assembly at the Deerfield High School a few years ago.

My name is Doug Strasburg. I was born in Watertown on April 1st, 1947 and raised in Lake Mills until my junior year of high school when we moved to Rhinelander where I graduated in 1965. I joined the United States Army on January 30, 1966 and was honorably discharged from active duty on February 4, 1969. I received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and advanced training on heavy equipment operation and maintenance at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. I was trained to operate graders, bulldozers, articulating bucket loaders and such. We learned how to build bridges and roads.

In March of 1967 I boarded the General Nelson M. Walker troop ship docked in San Francisco Bay bound for Viet Nam along with a few thousand others. While crossing the Pacific Ocean from east to west, you cross the International Date Line and loose a day. I went to bed on March 31st and woke the next morning on April 2nd. Remember my birthday? ……….April 1st……. I missed my 20th birthday. It gets even more interesting. During WWII, my father was shipped to the Philippine Islands, crossed the International Date Line ……you guessed it, on his birthday and lost a birthday. I can’t imagine the odds of that happening.

After 21 days at sea, we landed on the shores of Viet Nam. We beached on the shores with amphibious vehicles much like you see often on old WWII films. Those in my unit convoyed up to Tay Ninh about 50 miles northwest of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. After a few short weeks, we were relocated to Cu Chi, about 20 miles northwest of Saigon. I know you all watch the History Channel……You do watch the History Channel, right? They have run a documentary on the tunnels of Cu Chi. Cu Chi was considered the hub of a massive and elaborate system of under ground tunnels, living areas and even medical facilities. These were very small and crude tunnels and rooms that the enemy used to evade and invade US and South Vietnamese forces. They would come out of these tunnels, set up, strike and seemingly disappear in the jungle.

Remember….. I was trained to build bridges and roads. I think I helped build one bridge and maintained a few roads. But, much of my time in Viet Nam was spent clearing jungle to expose the enemy and their tunnel system or building an artillery base near the Cambodian border on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a main supply route between Cambodia and Viet Nam. We lived in the jungle and would occasionally be able to go back to our base camp in Cu Chi and sleep in the barracks.

Some of you may be wondering, how much action did I see? Being in the Corp of Engineers, we tried to avoid as much as possible. But, you can’t go swimming without getting wet. Most of our losses were from the rocket and mortar fire received when the Viet Cong would strike and hide. My worst injury was received diving into a bunker while being attacked with rockets. When I went to the infirmary to get patched up they asked me if I wanted to put in for a purple heart. You are eligible if you are injured in any way while under enemy fire. My injuries were minor and I declined. My father spent months in the hospital after being bombed in WWII in the Philippines and spent the rest of his life with pains from those wounds. How could I compare my scratches to his injuries and justify a purple heart? Men like him EARNED the Purple Heart they didn’t apply for it. 56,000 didn’t come back home from Viet Nam, they EARNED the Purple Heart.

Why am I up here talking about the Viet Nam war? Because, for many, many years I didn’t talk about it. We all came back from Viet Nam to dissention and controversy even amongst our own families. We were spit on and called names. Even some of our own veteran organizations didn’t recognize us because Viet Nam wasn’t supposed to be a war.

Then one night I got a phone call from some one I trained with in the States and spent my whole tour of duty with in Viet Nam. We began sharing a little. Then a phone call from another buddy. Then I looked up a few and talked a little more. After a few nightmares and flash backs, those many years spent suppressing thoughts and feelings began loosening its grip. Today, I am proud to say, “My country called and I served.”

No war is popular. Some even avoidable. But if the men in the generations before you had not come when called to serve, I may not be able to stand here today and speak freely to you. We would not be allowed to worship freely. The press would not be able to speak and print freely, be it the truth or not. You would not be living in the land of plenty where cars and computers and TV’s and closets full of clothes are taken for granted. Or where gasoline is ONLY $3.10 a gallon.

Today we are engaged in another controversial war. The giant called terrorism may not be dead, but this war has dealt it a mortal blow. Please don’t take your country for granted, don’t go to sleep and let these cowards breech our sacred shores again. Support those who are serving and let’s bring them back to a grateful, proud country. They are over there so we can still call this a free country. Freedom is not free! May God bless those who are serving and those who have served before them.

Thank You!
MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!

P.S. A year after I spoke at Deerfield, the buddy that called me after 20 years passed away from cancer believed to be brought about by Agent Orange, a defoliant used in the jungles of Viet Nam.