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Vietnam Vet Bill Lemanski in Vietnam
Episode 3085 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam Vet Bill Lemanski. The featured story appeared in the Pike County Courier. It was titled: ‘I served my country’. Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, local veterans tell of their experiences over there and when they came home.
Bill Lemanski of Tuxedo, N.Y., answered his nation’s call in December 1965 at just 18 years old, leaving his job as a junior draftsman in New York City to serve in the U.S. Army. Assigned to the infantry, he completed two tours in Vietnam’s rugged Central Highlands of Pleiku Province, where harsh conditions and constant danger forged bonds of brotherhood among soldiers.
After returning home, Lemanski transitioned to civilian life, working as an engineer designing cabling and control systems for a nuclear power plant. But one memory from his homecoming would remain etched in his mind far longer than the technical drawings of his career.
Passing through La Guardia Airport in uniform alongside a fellow soldier, Lemanski encountered a group of disheveled young protesters wielding anti-war signs. They cursed at the two veterans and even tried to spit on them. It was a moment that encapsulated the hostility many returning servicemen faced—an experience as jarring as any firefight.
For Lemanski, the incident was a painful reminder that while he had fought for his country, his country’s welcome could be cold. Over the years, he watched attitudes shift, with most Americans now honoring those who wear the uniform.
Retired since 2003, Lemanski has embraced a new mission—writing. From the jungles of Vietnam to the drafting tables of engineering, his life’s journey carries the mark of service, resilience, and the enduring hope that the sacrifices of soldiers will never again be met with scorn.
Listen to Episode 3085 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Bill Lemanski.
