10/7/2008
3:38 PM
Page 10
feature
Photographs courtesy of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
bmag print layout 1108.qxp
the courage to endure DURING THE 1960S AND ’70S, NIGHTLY
WRITTEN BY Christine Techky
Jan Scruggs from Bowie, Md.,
television news programs broadcast the horrors
served in the 199th Light Infantry
of the Vietnam War right into the living rooms of
Brigade and was decorated for
Americans, and since then, authors have penned
gallantry in 1970. Scruggs recounts
many books questioning the validity of United
that “people who are undergoing a
States’ involvement in that war.
military experience in a time of war
Yet one aspect of the conflict that received
face difficult situations, but they are
little attention was how, just as in earlier wars,
shared experiences and a closeness
soldiers serving in Vietnam formed strong bonds
emanates from those experiences.” He
with their comrades—some were short-lived
adds, “As time goes on you develop a
(literally), and some remain to this day. Below,
bond, and being under stress, you
three Vietnam veterans share some of their
naturally feel close to each other.”
positive memories and willingly recollect the
Scruggs particularly recalls fellow soldier James Mosconis, from Florida.
wartime experiences, the two men
soldiers.
“We were on patrol,” he recalls. “We
became close buddies and forged a
had tanks with us, and the battle was
friendship that continues today.
underway. Mosconis took cover behind
10
b)
(
((
))
survived and, because of their shared
camaraderie they shared with their fellow
magazine | w i n t e r 2 0 0 8
After the war, Scruggs undertook
a tree but took a bullet.” During that
graduate work at the American
same battle, on May 28, 1969,
University in Washington, D.C., where
Scruggs was also wounded. Both
he published a paper on post-traumatic
bmag print layout 1108.qxp
10/7/2008
3:44 PM
Page 11
feature ) ) ) courage
Jan Scruggs addressing the crowd during the Reading of the Names ceremony for the 25th anniversary of “The Wall” in November 2007. Left, he is shown touching the engraved names on “The Wall.”
stress syndrome. It set him thinking about his comrades who had died in Vietnam and he decided there should be a way for the nation to always honor them. Scruggs believed that a monument would be a fitting tribute to those fallen soldiers. “I understood the historical significance and the significance it would have for the country and for the people who served in Vietnam,” said Scruggs. “I had to do it.” Scruggs conceived the idea of a Vietnam memorial that would be erected in the nation’s capital. He started a fund with $2,800 of his own money and worked relentlessly to raise money through private donations. The Vietnam veteran appeared before Congress and asked for land to
Right: Dedication of a cultural community center in the Ha Bac Village in Quang Tri Province. The two Americans in the photo are Jan Scruggs and Jimmy Mosconis, a Florida businessman who donated half of the cost to build the community center. Bottom: Scruggs promoting a humanitarian program in Vietnam called Project RENEW, which removes land mines and helps the local citizens, especially land mine victims, improve their quality of life.
build a memorial in the nation’s capital. That memorial, the iconic Vietnam Wall, is now one of the most-visited sites in Washington, D.C. Scruggs has surely fulfilled his dream that his fallen comrades will never be forgotten.
winter 2008|
b)
(
((
))
magazine
11
10/7/2008
3:44 PM
Page 12
feature
) ) ) courage
bmag print layout 1108.qxp
From left: Moyer in his original regalia at his Annville, Pa. home; closeups of the patches that still adorn Moyer’s uniform; A personal display of John Moyer’s Vietnam War memorabilia.
Another soldier who fondly remembers the comradeship between soldiers during
during that three-day battle, but he
Some years after the war ended,
affectionately recalls the friendships he
Moyer received a phone call from a man
the war is John Moyer. Born near Ono,
formed on board SS Overseas Rose
whose voice he did not initially recognize.
Pa., Moyer was drafted in 1964,
headed for Vietnam. Moyer remembers
The caller did not give his name
instructed in the use of explosives while
how the younger soldiers looked up to him
immediately, but when he asked Moyer,
at Fort Benning in Georgia, and assigned
and called him “the old man.” They were
“Have you had your morning coffee yet?”
to the 1st Cavalry, 7th Battalion,
18 years old and he was 21.
a smile came over Moyer’s face and he
“Sleeping onboard ship wasn’t easy,”
Company C.
knew he would not have to wonder any
Moyer recalls. “Quarters were cramped
longer whether his old friend, Sylvin
Moyer and his bunk buddy, Sylvin
and so we slept on deck and rode the
Wendell-Tate, was dead or alive.
Wendell-Tate, became firm friends.
waves whenever we could.” He holds fond
Almost every morning, Moyer and Tate
memories of those starlit nights.
While stationed at Fort Benning,
drank coffee together, ate honey buns, and swapped stories about their lives.
Moyer enjoys reuniting with other
Marine William Lee from Plainfield, N.J., had already served in the Korean War when he arrived in Vietnam in
members of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry, 7th
January 1966. This decorated veteran
Battalion, Company C, each Veterans Day
initially served as company commander of
November 1965, when Moyer’s battalion
when he attends the Ia Drang alumni
“L” Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd
shipped out to Vietnam. The battalion
dinner at the Arlington Heights Hotel in
Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division
took part in the three-day battle for Ia
Virginia. Moyer does his part in keeping
until summer 1966. Captain Lee then
Drang Valley, one of the first major
the memory of his comrades alive at these
transferred to Company “I” India, but
offensives of the war, and one of the most
annual get-togethers. He became part of
that was short-lived. In late summer he
intense. Four hundred and fifty American
an eight-person committee that built a
was ordered from India Company to serve
soldiers were dropped by helicopter into
local memorial to U.S. soldiers who died
as senior aide-de-camp to the
the valley, only to find themselves
during the war. Moyer was the foreman
commanding general, III Marine
surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese
and laid the first brick for the Vietnam
Amphibious Force, Lieutenant General
soldiers.
Memorial at Fisher Memorial Park in
Lewis Walt.
That friendship abruptly ended in
Many of Moyer’s comrades died
Lebanon, Pa.
Lee warmly remembers his comrades,
Jan Scruggs, John Moyer, and William Lee all carry poignant memories with them from the war through the experiences they shared with their comrades. We thank you for your service. And to all the men and women who have served in any capacity, we are grateful.
VETERANS DAY - NOVEMBER 11, 2008 12
b)
(
((
))
magazine | w i n t e r 2 0 0 8
bmag print layout 1108.qxp
10/7/2008
3:44 PM
Page 13
feature ) ) ) courage
Top left: Lee being promoted to Major in 1968 while at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Ca. Top middle and right: Lee’s latest book, The Boys in Blue White Dress, and his first book, The Light Side of Damnation. Left: Lee in Spring 1953, Korea. Bottom right: Lee today at age 72.
but one soldier in particular comes to his mind— Lance Corporal Mike Baronowski, from Norristown, Pa. LCpl Baronowski became Captain Lee’s unofficial bodyguard in both Lima Company and India Company. They spent many nights together in Lee’s command bunker or in the boonies when out on operations. “We chatted about just about everything,” recalls Lee. “Baronowski had a friend who was a teacher, and the teacher’s class of third-graders would write to me. Mike and I would go over the crayoned letters, mostly pictures of school houses, trees, etc., in the evenings. Then we’d write back to each child in the class. This went on for several letters.” Most of this occurred while Lee commanded India Company. Unfortunately, recalls Lee, “when I became General Walt’s aide-de-camp, I couldn’t take Mike with me.” Baronowski stayed behind serving as a rifleman in India Company. Lee sadly notes, “Mike was killed in action by small arms fire in Quang Tri Province. He died on November 29, 1966, at the age of 20.” “I have visited Mike, most recently on a trip to Washington, D.C.” Lee recalls. “He and I chatted briefly. He is on Panel 12E, line 128, of the Vietnam Memorial … the Wall.” ) ) )
/FFE TQFDJBMJ[FE IFBMUI DBSF
At Spring Creek, our team of dedicated professionals is committed to meeting your loved one’s skilled nursing needs. Our short-term and sub-acute rehabilitation programs deliver patientcentered care to maximize recovery. With a full array of exemplary services, we offer: : Physical, speech and occupational therapy : Secure Alzheimer’s community : Wound management
Come see us for yourself. Tours given daily.
717-565-7000 1205 South 28th Street : Harrisburg, PA : www.springcreekcare.com
winter 2008|
b)
(
((
))
magazine
13