Last weekend I had the privilege of being a guest among true heroes. Every year D Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment of the 1st. Cavalry Army Division gets together to welcome home these forgotten veterans of The Vietnam War. They reconvene in a different area each year to see new sights and tell older stories as well as catch up with each other.
I was my father’s guest this year. My father, Robert Terrell, served from 1966-1967 in the Vietnam War and was one of the more fortunate ones to return home. He has so many accounts of loss and bravery to speak of that sometimes it seems right out of a storybook.
This year we visited the Fort Worth/ Dallas area and besides eating a lot of barbecue we visited the largest army base in existence today, Fort Hood. While there we went to The Airmobile Base to look at some of the current Army Helicopters as well as the past ones. We had lunch in the mess hall amongst some of the enlisted men and saw some of the heavier ground assault vehicles (tanks) in the afternoon. The men that we met there were so refined and polite that you can’t help but think that the army is full of some of the finest young men and women of today.
The second day out we visited Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. Aircraft were present from World War I all the way to The Vietnam War. Ground Vehicles were present as well but the highlight of the day was the Huey ride. The First Cavalry traded in the horse for the helicopter in the Vietnam War. It was a new way to drop in troops behind enemy lines as well as serve as a gunship and lift them out as well. The sound of the rotors was equivalent to the sound of angels coming. For many of these men this was to be the last ride in a Huey.
The third day it rained like crazy. It flooded in parts of Texas but I tend to think it was child’s play to these men who had to endure months of rain in the tropical climate of Vietnam. We had a banquet this third night and recognized several families of First CAV Men that had passed away recently. What a wonderful event!
The event led me to an even deeper respect for what these men went through and are still going through. God Bless them and their families and I thank all of you of your service to this fine country. Please check out the video below to see The Huey in action, there’s some slides at the end of these True Americans. Thanks for stopping by.
travelingterrells.net 