Welcome to the jungle, Viet Cong-style
-
- November
- 7
Col. Andonios Neroulias and I are on our way to Vietnam right now, to join up with the humanitarian tour group of Rockland veterans and Rotary Club members. So far, it’s a much nicer journey than 1st Lt. Andonios Neroulias took 40 years ago, though the first leg – New York to Los Angeles – is the same. (One big difference: I’m pretty sure we just spotted Eric Dane, aka “McSteamy” from Grey’s Anatomy…)
Hopefully, we will also get a much nicer reception when we finally reach our destination. A few weeks after my father had arrived in South Vietnam in 1967, he was nearly killed by the VC during a search-and-destroy mission in a pineapple plantation. This M-16 rifle saved his life, but not the way it was necessarily supposed to… (hint: that dent in the middle didn’t come with the weapon.)
Click on the audio link below to hear the full story.
