Joe
Klinger, India 3/5 Raised in San Antonio, TX. Went to MCRD
in Feb. '67, 0311, assigned to I/3/5 in Aug. '67. Was a new guy that
barely survived Sept. 6, 1967 during Operation Swift. I was next to
Curtis Eidson during much of that horrific event, so we share many of
the same memories. L
t.
Corr (my hero to this day along with Capt. Kolakowski!) sent me to NCO
school in Okinawa during Dec. '67, while 2nd platoon was
up in Danang.
Upon
return, I was a Squad Leader and escaped without serious injury until
June 8, 1968, when I was seriously injured when our CH-46 was hit repeatedly
(Rodney Johnson was in the same chopper!). After a successful RECON
response mission just North of An Hoa, I was sent back to the States
after a couple of operations, and I was thrilled to get out of Nam.
Got
married, had a family (1 son and 2 daughters), and went to school. I
really enjoyed the school environment, so I stayed there for quite a
while. I am now a Health Physicist, and work with nuclear materials
as Chief of the Division of Radioactive Materials for the Illinois Dept.
of Nuclear Safety.
In
1985, I received a Commission in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and I am now
a Commander and Officer-in-Charge of a medical detachment in Peoria,
IL. I often work with the Marines, in fact, last year I was part of
the medical support for 20,000 Marines in the desert at 29 Palms, CA
in July! Let me assure you that the young military personnel hold
us Vietnam combat veterans, especially Marine vets, in the highest regard
and you should all be very proud. When they see my ribbons from
Vietnam, especially the Purple Hearts, they ask questions and express
their sincere respect and admiration.
In
'99 supporting the Marines at 29 Palms in CA as a Medical Service
Corps Officer. Uniforms haven't changed that much in 32 years!
Last
year I was requested by the Vietnamese government to assist in development
of a nuclear safety program for the peaceful use of nuclear material
in Vietnam. I presented a paper in Hanoi, and visited their military
museums and the Hanoi Hilton. It was an unbelievable experience, and
brought back many memories.
At
the Daewoo in Hanoi in '99 when I was a visiting Health Physicist for
an international conference on the peaceful use of nuclear materials.
I
have really enjoyed finding the India 3/5 website, and kudos to Curtis
for his hard work. I, probably like most of you, thought I was alone
out there in my memories of Vietnam. It's great to know that I 3/5 is
alive and well and that we are still watching out for each other!
I
am now the Training Officer for Fleet Hospital Great Lakes. I am responsible
for all the training for approx. 700 Navy personnel in 5 states. Fleet
Hospital Great Lakes is a fully capable 500-bed hospital that can be
erected almost anywhere in the world and in approx. 10 days we can begin
receiving patients. We proudly and enthusiastically wait for a call
for mobilization to support our country in time of need for either combat
or humanitarian operations. We hope we get called to proudly serve our
country in response to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Semper
Fi, Joe Klinger
