When I die I’m sure to go to heaven, ‘cause I’ve spent my time in Hell!

This site is dedicated to all U.S. Army Air Traffic Controllers, especially those in the 359th-366th ASDs, 165th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, who served in Vietnam.

Soldier
I was that which others cared not to be. I went where others feared to go and did what others failed to do. I asked nothing from those who gave nothing. And, reluctantly, accepted the thought of eternal loneliness, should I fail.

I have seen the face of terror, felt the chill of fear, warmed to the touch of love. I have hoped, pained, cried. But, foremost, lived in times others would say best forgotten. At the very least, in later days, I will be able to say with the greatest pride, that I was indeed a Soldier.

Author Unknown

Vietnam Veteran is not what we are, but it is who we are. Vietnam did not end in the 70’s, but goes on still today. Vietnam was not just a war, not just a place where blood was shed and lives lost. Vietnam is a place where deep friendships were made, characters assembled and lives changed forever.

Vietnam Vet is not a title, it is a statement.

That statement is: We went, we fought, suffered and yet endured to see another day, another way of life. The Vietnam Vet has come full circle, finding old buddies; healing minds and hearts with that phrase we never heard, “Welcome Home.” We have people who thank us on Veterans Day, wishing their best to us and saying prayers for us. The Vietnam Vet has earned his place in society, paid in full. Yet we are, by our own standards, indebted to our brothers, those who gave their lives, their blood or their minds. We stand proud for who we are and what we have done in life. Let us, upon whose shoulders it bears, become the source of healing for our own brothers.

Rick Bartholomew, 1999