A Minnesota PBS Initiative
The Parents at Home
I went to Vietnam in August, 1967. I was trained in Artillery Fire Direction Control, but I had no idea what I would be doing once I got to Vietnam. My folks took me to the airport when I was leaving for Oakland, California, and from there to Vietnam. It was a quiet, somber departure.
Now my mom knew something of war since her brother had been a belly gunner in bombers over Germany in WWII. Fortunately, unlike the majority of those flying those missions, he beat the odds and came home safe. She knew well that many troops do not come home from war whole or alive.
At the airport, I reassured my parents that I would be fine in Vietnam. Of course, I had no idea if that was true, but I wanted to put them at ease.
Ron Kackley and Dave Price, 1968, shortly after the Tet Offensive.
After I finally arrived at my unit in Vietnam, I sent my folks my mailing address. The first letter I got from them was most welcome. In that letter, my mom wrote that she was sorry that she and dad hadn't been in a better mood at the airport. But, she wrote, "we were not sure that we would ever see you again."
That's when it hit me that wars are not only hard for those in the wars, but for loved ones at home.
August, 1968, arriving home from Vietnam, being greeted by a happy mother!
Biographical Details
Submitted From: Edina, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Edina 
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Army
Dates of Service: 1967 - 1968
Unit: 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
Specialty: 13E20, Fire Direction Control
Story Themes: 4th Infantry, Coming Home, Correspondence, Family
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