Veterans of Firebase Ripcord
101st Airborne Division
Major General Wright retired with three stars and Major General Hennessey with four. Brigadier General Berry commanded the 101st at Fort Campbell after getting his second star and was appointed Superintendent of the U. S. Military Academy after getting his third. His upward trajectory did not survive the cheating scandal that embarrassed West Point during his watch or his own opposition to the integration of women into the corps of cadets; instead of becoming Chief of Staff, he retired with three stars after commanding a corps in Germany. He now lives with his wife in Arlington, Virginia. Lieutenant Colonel Dyke retired with three stars and is now a business executive in McLean, Virginia. Lieutenant Colonel Young was killed in a commercial airline crash after the war. Lieutenant Fox retired a major with twenty-six years of enlisted, warrant, and commissioned service and lives with his wife in Atlanta, Texas.
3d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
Colonel Bradley retired with his wife to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he embarked on a successful career in commercial real estate. Colonel Harrison retired with two stars and lives with his wife in Belton, Texas. Major Turner retired as a colonel to Williamsburg, Virginia. Captain Spaulding had nine years enlisted and five years commissioned service when he was offered the choice of converting to E8 or facing the infamous reduction in force in 1972; he chose to get out and went on full-time duty with the National Guard and reserves before being recalled to active duty. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1987 and now lives with his wife in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lieutenant Case is now editor of an official military publication (Air Defense Artillery Magazine) and lives in El Paso, Texas.
2d Battalion, 506th Infantry
Lieutenant Colonel Lucas was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, his headstone bearing an engraved facsimile of his Medal of Honor. Major Koenigsbauer retired as a colonel and lives with his wife in Colchester, Vermont. Captain Fox is still with the woman he married before the war. The father of one, he is a Baptist minister in Aurora, Colorado. Captain Harris lives with his wife and three children and is a surgeon in Worthington, Minnesota. Captain Lieb left the service a major with two graduate degrees and is now a business executive in Green Bay, Wisconsin.Captain Ray Williams was caught in the 1972 reduction in force and is now a supervisor with the U. S. Postal Service; he lives with his wife in Washington, West Virginia. Lieutenant Bialosuknia was married before the war; still married and the father of three, he is an account executive with IBM and lives in Salt Point, New York. Lieutenant Edwards went to medical school after the war and was a surgeon at Walter Reed Army Hospital before retiring a colonel; he is now a staff surgeon at the University of Florida. Lieutenant Watrous was medically discharged and wears a brace on his right leg because of his wounds; married and the father of one during the war, he is still married, is now the father of two, and works in a small bank in his hometown of Groton, New York. Jon Penfold, the father of two grown sons, is a high-school teacher and wrestling coach and lives with his wife in Greeley, Colorado. Danny Thompson has a 100 percent service-connected disability; now divorced and retired from his job as a vehicle supervisor with a lumber company, he lives in Weymouth, Massachusetts.
Company A, 2-506th Infantry
Captain Hawkins and his first wife divorced and he left active-duty service after the war; retired from the reserves as a major, he now travels extensively as an international defense and military operations analyst and lives with his second wife in northern Virginia. Lieutenant Noll returned to teaching after the war and married his high-school sweetheart; they have five children, two adopted children, and a Vietnamese foster child. A colonel in the reserves, he commanded a psychological warfare battalion in Operation Desert Storm. He lives in Forrest Lake, Minnesota. Lieutenant Widjeskog is a wildlife biologist with the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife. The father of two grown children, he lives with his wife in Rosenhayn, New Jersey. Martin Glennon is an insurance agent and lay minister; he lives with his wife and eight children in Valparaiso, Indiana. Rick Isom is confined to a wheelchair because of his wounds, and his marriage broke up under the physical and emotional strain. Eventually coming to terms with his new life, he completed his college education, competed internationally with the U. S. Disabled Ski Team, and is now remarried and working for the U. S. Forest Service doing community development work; he lives in Austin, Colorado. Frank Marshall, a real-estate agent, lives in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
Company B, 2-506th Infantry
Captain Peters returned to the enlisted ranks thanks to the 1972 reduction in force, retired as an E6 after twenty years of enlisted and commissioned service (he was later advanced to captain on the retirement rolls, his highest-held rank), and is now a supervisor with the U. S. Postal Service; he lives with his wife in Lynn Haven, Florida. Captain Bill Williams spent nine months in hospitals having his jaw rebuilt after being medevacked from Ripcord; he was medically retired as a major a year later, diagnosed with migraines and psychomotor epilepsy as a result of his crushed skull. He married after the war and is the father of two children, who both followed him into the army; he lives with his wife in Lake George, Colorado. Lieutenant Wallace extended his tour to serve with the Special Forces, only to be seriously wounded in December 1970; medically retired, he went back to school and is now a lawyer in Chesterfield, South Carolina. Don Colbert married shortly after the war and is now the father of four; he is a self-employed flooring mechanic living in Troy, Missouri. Chip Collins was divorced twice after the war; he got a degree in social work and has worked as a coal miner, social worker, and human-rights advocate with the Department of Mental Health. He now lives in Birchleaf, Virginia. Bob Judd married and divorced after the war; a worker at a jet-engine casting factory since the war, he lives with his second wife in a rural area outside Twin Lake, Michigan. Tom Rubsam and his wife own a painting and decorating center in his hometown of Newton, Illinois. Phil Tolson earned a business degree after the war. He married his high-school sweetheart and is now the father of two, holds a middle-management position with a book-distribution company, and lives in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.
Company C, 2-506th Infantry
Captain Wilcox left the service at the end of his five-year West Point obligation and worked as a large system marketing representative for IBM in New York City for four years before leaving to attend graduate school; he spent the next several years as a veterans activist in Seattle and San Francisco as he processed through a case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has been a real-estate broker since 1987 and lives with his wife in Saugatuck, Michigan. Lieutenant Campbell returned to law school after the war and, now the father of two grown children and a lawyer in the oil and gas business, lives with his wife in Shreveport, Louisiana. Paul Burkey owns the auto-body shop where he worked before the war; he lives with his wife and daughter in New Middleton, Ohio.Frank Bort is a child-welfare specialist with the Department of Children and Family Services in Chicago, Illinois. Jerry Cafferty married his fiancée after the war; they have three children, and he works for the post office in New Haven, Connecticut. SteveManthei was divorced after the war and lost his job at General Motors because of PTSD; pulled out of his downward slide by his daughter and his second wife, the father of two is now a security supervisor and lives in Janesville, Wisconsin. Rodney Moore married his girlfriend after the war; a letter carrier, he lives with his wife and five children in Clarksburg, Massachusetts. Jerry Moyer got a job with the phone company after the war; he and his wife, whom he married before the war, live in Springfield, Missouri. Mike Mueller was married and divorced after the war; a full-time member of the Alaska National Guard, he was medically retired as an E6 in 1985 because of spinal cancer. Now disabled, he lives in Wasilla, Alaska. Bob Smoker, married and the father of four, is the associate pastor of his church and a tool-and-die maker in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. Gary Steele works for the U. S. Bureau of Engraving and lives with his wife and two daughters in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.Mike Womack got married and divorced after the war; he is now the chief of police of Forsyth, Missouri.
Company D, 2-506th Infantry
Captain Rollison retired as a lieutenant colonel; married and the father of two grown children, he is a safety engineer in Eagle River, Alaska. Lieutenant Flaherty resigned his commission in 1982 (he was then a major) when his daughter came down with melanoma and his family needed more of his time than a military career allowed him to give; he now owns and operates a lens-manufacturing business and lives with his wife and three children in Norwood, Massachusetts. Lieutenant McCall left the active-duty army in 1971 at his wife’s insistence and returned to college to finish his degree; he commanded an engineer battalion before retiring from the National Guard as a lieutenant colonel and is now a narcotics intelligence agent with the Louisiana State Police. Bruce McCorkle earned a marketing degree after the war; now a sales manager with a publishing company, he lives with his wife and two children in Hudson, Ohio. Gary Radford, married and the father of two, is a truck driver in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; ever loyal to his troops, he flew to Ripcord in 1996 aboard a Soviet-built Mi-17 helicopter flown by a Vietnamese pilot, then hiked with a U. S. MIA recovery team to Hill 1000, where he buried the copper MIA bracelets bearing the names of Charles Beals and Lewis Howard.George Strasburg, divorced after the war, went back to school and, now remarried with two children, is director of quality control for a manufacturing company; he lives in Dexter, Michigan.
Company E, 2-506th Infantry
Robert Granberry, married three times, is a helicopter mechanic at the Marine air base at Cherry Point, North Carolina. John Mihalko, a warehouse worker, lives with his wife and two children in Lakewood, Colorado. John Schnarr completed his degree in marketing after the war and, now a regional sales manager for a mining equipment and construction machinery company, lives with his wife and two sons in Evansville, Indiana.
2d Battalion, 501st Infantry
Lieutenant Colonel Livingston retired a colonel and, now a widower, lives in Florence, South Carolina. Captain Goates was medically discharged with an 80 percent disability due to his wounds; married before the war, he is the father of three grown children, owns a construction business, and, having earned Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is pastor of a small church in Fort Worth, Texas. Captain Straub retired a lieutenant colonel; married after the war, he is now the father of three and chief of staff for Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-NE). Lieutenant Arndt retired a major with twenty years of enlisted and commissioned service; now a computer engineer, he lives with his wife in Orem, Utah. Lieutenant Potter, who retired from the reserves as a lieutenant colonel, works as a civilian in the USAF Materiel Command; married after the war and the father of three grown children, he lives with his wife in Warner Robins, Georgia. Lieutenant Kwiecien divorced after the war; now a freelancer in the computer industry, he lives with his second wife in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Lieutenant Selvaggioperates two health clubs and lives with his wife and two daughters in Easton, Connecticut. Dennis Belt never fully recovered from his wounds and finally retired with a 50 percent VA disability from his job as a machinist; divorced, he lives with his sister in Rodeo, California. Ray Blackman , a tool-and-die maker, lives with his wife and four sons in Valparaiso, Nebraska. Gary Fowler is a sales rep for an industrial-pipe manufacturer and lives with his wife and children in Irmo, South Carolina. Rod Soubers returned to college after the war and, now an archivist with the National Archives and Records Administration, lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
Company D, 1-506th Infantry
Lieutenant Smith left the service in 1972, primarily to please his wife; they later divorced. Now remarried, he is office manager for a brick-manufacturing company in Stanton, Kentucky. Lieutenant Thompson fought forest fires after the war with the forest service in Arizona and was working for the park service in the Grand Canyon when he was killed by a falling boulder in 1996. Merle Delagrange, married before the war and the father of four boys, is a construction worker in St. Joe, Indiana. Steve DeRoque retired an E6; the divorced father of one, he is a truck driver and lives in Lafayette, Indiana. Richard Drury, also a truck driver, lives with his wife in Wayland, Michigan. John Fraser is a nonsworn officer in the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit of the Maine State Police; he has a daughter in college and lives with his wife in Augusta, Maine.Terry Handley is a partner in an injection-molding company and a manufacturer’s rep for a molding shop; divorced after the war, he lives with his second wife and children in Ada, Michigan. K. C. James works for DuPont Chemical in Nederland, Texas. Walt Jurinen is a forest ranger and lives with his wife and daughter in Munising, Michigan. Jim McCoy is a patrolman with the California Highway Patrol. Gib Rossetter, married and the father of two, is an orthopedic physician assistant in North Platte, Nebraska. Elger Sneed returned to his job in a manufacturing plant after the war and lives with his wife and two sons in Goshen, Ohio. Jerry Wise, married before the war, recently divorced, and the father of one, is the postmaster in Richland, Missouri.
Division Artillery
Lieutenant Colonel Walker, now a business executive, lives with his wife in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Captain Austin was medically retired from the army in 1971 due to the wounds he received on Ripcord; he now works for the Defense Contract Audit Agency and lives with his wife and two daughters in Atlanta, Georgia. Captain Caldwell was divorced after the war and left the army due to the 1972 reduction in force; remarried, he owns five apartment complexes in Lawton, Oklahoma. Captain Michaud retired a colonel and lives with his wife in Saint Agatha, Maine.Lieutenant Wintermute married his fiancée after the war; a retired lieutenant colonel and the father of three, he is now a bank executive in Las Vegas, Nevada. Alfred Martin is a truck driver and lives with his wife and two sons in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Dennis Murphy works for Caterpillar, Inc., and lives with his wife in Newark, Illinois. Frank Parko went through two marriages while working through his PTSD; now employed by a tool and engineering company, he lives with his third wife in St. Louis, Missouri.
Division Aviation
Captain House extended his tour six months after a year of combat flying to command a rifle company (C/2-506th) and was twice wounded on the DMZ during Operation Lam Son 719; he commanded a brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Desert Storm (earning a Silver Star) and is presently a lieutenant general on active duty. Lieutenant Anderson retired from the reserves as a lieutenant colonel; now the head of human resources for a worldwide manufacturing company, he lives with his wife in Wausau, Wisconsin. Lieutenant Caballero retired as a lieutenant colonel and lives with his wife and son in Anderson, California. Lieutenant Rosen is now a doctor and lives with his wife in San Antonio, Texas. Lieutenant Schwartz retired a major and, now the owner and manager of a llama farm, lives with his wife in Rochester, Washington. WO1Barrowcliff is an equipment specialist in the research division of an electronics company and lives with his wife in Vancouver, Washington. WO1 Mayberry flew with the National Guard until retiring due to multiple sclerosis; he lives with his wife and two children in York, Nebraska. Tom Chase is a senior quality engineer for an aerospace company and lives with his wife and children in Brunswick, Ohio. Chuck Holmen works for the railroad and lives with his wife and two children in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Terry Stanger now works in New York City selling Russian aluminum in North America and lives with his wife and son in Griffith, Indiana.
Other
Chris Jensen finished college after the war and is now a reporter with The Plain Dealer in Lakewood, Ohio. Bob Lynch retired a master sergeant and went on to earn his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees; he is a mechanical engineering technician with the U. S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Maryland. The father of three, he lives with his wife in Hanover, Maryland.
Note: Though only a few were willing to admit to it in print, many of the veterans on these pages were affected or are still affected to some degree by the symptoms associated with PTSD. The great majority have been able to get on with life regardless. A small number have yet to come to terms with their experiences in Vietnam. It is also worth noting that more than a few of these veterans agreed only reluctantly to talk to me about Ripcord; the majority of veterans to whom I wrote never responded to my request to be interviewed.