A Minnesota PBS Initiative
They're Still Trying to Kill You
This video was captured by the Twin Cities PBS Minnesota Remembers Vietnam team in Bloomington, MN at a national 1st Battalion, 1st Marines reunion in August 2017.
To learn more about upcoming 1/1 reunions, visit www.alpha1stbn1stmarines.org.
I wanted to be in Vietnam... but because I had a year of college, the Marine Corps thought differently.
John Kaper had a year of college under his belt by the time he joined the Marines, so he was assigned to be a court reporter. He was determined to serve in the infantry; after a lot of persistence and making a commitment to extend his tour by 6 months, he was transferred. John's story was captured with the help of TPT's Minnesota Remembers Vietnam team at a 2017 Bloomington, MN reunion of the 1st Marines.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: Bloomington, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Con Thien, Vietnam 
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
Unit: Charlie Company, 1st Bn
Additional Locations During Vietnam: Khe Sanh, Quang Tri
Story Themes: 1966, Battle of Hill 881, Camp Pendleton, Cherry Point, Con Thien, Corpsman, Da Nang, Death and Loss, Demilitarized Zone, DMZ, Hill 881 S, Hue, Infantry, John Kaper, Khe Sanh, Luck, Marines, Medevac, North Carolina, Okinawa, Patriotism, Patrol, Physical Wounds, Quang Tri, Reunion, Tet Offensive, Watch
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