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Chester Ballot, 78, of Kotzebue, spends a moment at the fallen soldier memorial at the conclusion of a Veterans Day ceremony on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in 2022. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Episode 3147 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature Vietnam Vet Dorrance Collins and his opinion of his time in the War. His opinion piece titled: My Vietnam War: 57 years and counting appeared in the Anchorage Daily News.
In the late 1960s, as the Vietnam War escalated and draft notices arrived with unnerving regularity, young Americans from every walk of life answered a call that would define a generation. This account follows several draftees thrust from ordinary lives into extraordinary circumstances, illustrating the diversity of experiences that composed the Vietnam Veteran Generation — a generation as great as any that ever heeded our nation’s call.
The narrator recalls leaving Maine in 1968 in a ’65 Chevy Impala, headed for basic training alongside companions Paul, Richard, and Steven. Each man’s journey reflected the unpredictable nature of the war. Paul spent his tour buried deep inside a secure bunker performing classified duties. Richard, originally trained for infantry, was reassigned from combat due to stress and tasked with teaching GIs pursuing GEDs — a surreal blend of academic guidance and battlefield memories. Steven suffered a serious injury when an artillery gun recoiled, leaving lasting damage.
The narrator himself operated a track vehicle outside Saigon, clearing potential ambush sites, witnessing both the grinding routine and constant danger of daily operations. Other soldiers, like Carl from Virginia, brought with them lives already marked by hardship; for some, the Army changed everything, while for others, it could never reshape who they fundamentally were.
As the war reshaped American society — from counterculture movements to political shifts — these veterans carried home stories that would stay with them long after discharge. Returning to civilian life in 1970, the narrator bookended the war between two classic cars, a quiet reminder of how much had changed. Through these intertwined stories, we glimpse the courage, resilience, and quiet greatness of the Vietnam Veteran Generation.
Listen to Episode 3147 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Dorrance Collins and his opinion of his time in the War.
