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Vietnam Vet Dave Ziemke
Episode 2437 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam Vet Dave Ziemke and his service as a field wire-man in the jungles of Vietnam. The featured story appeared in the Independent of Marshall, Minnesota. It was titled, The Vietnam War – Dave Ziemke — serving in a field artillery battalion and was submitted by Bill Palmer who writes for Prairie Lives.
This story was written to contribute to The Lyon County Museum’s upcoming exhibit about the impact of the Vietnam War on Lyon County. If you would like to share Vietnam experiences or help with the exhibit, please contact the museum at prairieviewpressllc@gmail.com or call them at 507-537-6580.
Dave Ziemke is another tremendous representative of the great Vietnam Veteran Generation, one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. He joined the U.S. Army in June of 1967. He completed Basic Training and AIT (Advanced Individual Training) with an MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of field wireman
He was sent to Vietnam and arrived in December 1967 where the Army assigned him to the 1st Battalion of the 5th Artillery Regiment, a unit of the 1st Infantry Division. The battalion’s base camp was at Quon Loi, north of Saigon and not far from the Cambodian border.
Dave said this about his assessment of duty in country: “My first experience of Vietnam — you’re there and you’re going to do whatever needs to be done.” He added this commentary: “I probably went in the field two weeks of each month because they gave you breaks, they knew you couldn’t take all of it because it’s stress. After the others got shot or whatever, I ended up being the top dog in less than six months. Being top dog isn’t so nice because you’re needed here, there and everywhere.”
Listen to episode 2437 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Dave Ziemke and his service as a field wireman in the jungles of Vietnam.
