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Veterans Day – Weatherford, Texas

Episode 3148 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how they celebrated Veterans Day at Weatherford, Texas in 2025. The featured story was titled A Saturday to Remember – Inaugural Veterans Day event brings community together. It appeared in the Community News of Weatherford, Texas. It was submitted by Melissa Winn.

Winn reported that the Weatherford community turned South Main Street into a sea of flags, cheers, and gratitude on Nov. 8 as the American Legion’s annual Veterans Day parade marched proudly toward the Parker County Courthouse and back. But the celebration didn’t end there. Immediately afterward, the newly formed Weatherford Chamber Veterans Business Council launched its inaugural event around the Square and down York Avenue, creating a spirited extension of appreciation for those who served.

Mayor Paul Paschall set the tone by reading a proclamation officially recognizing Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, reminding the crowd that supporting veterans is a year-round responsibility. Local students lifted their voices in honor of the Armed Forces, vendor booths lined the streets, and the Weatherford Police Department’s K-9 unit drew eager spectators. The day showcased a community deeply committed to the men and women who defended the nation.

A central focus of the event was raising funds for the National Vietnam War Museum in Mineral Wells. Several of the museum’s military vehicles were on display, symbolizing the enduring legacy of the Vietnam Veteran generation—a generation defined by resilience, sacrifice, and unwavering service despite returning home to a divided nation. Event organizers expressed pride in the turnout, noting that proceeds would support the museum’s mission to preserve and honor this remarkable generation.

Listen to Episode 3148 and discover more about how they celebrated Veterans Day at Weatherford, Texas in 2025.

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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.

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Episode 3146 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature story about the opportunity for Vietnam Veterans who served during the Battle of Dak To to receive an all expense trip back to the battle site. The story originated in the 173^rd Airborne Brigade Association Newsletter.

As Thanksgiving approaches, the Sky Soldiers community reflects on the passing of two valued members, James Bradley of Florida and Dennis Hill of Massachusetts, who were laid to rest in October. Both were dedicated supporters of the Association, and their contributions will be missed by all who knew them. We honor their memory and the sacrifices made by all Sky Soldiers.

In exciting news, the Return to Vietnam Program is offering a unique opportunity for veterans who served during the Battle of Dak To in 1967 to return to Vietnam on an all-expense-paid, guided journey. The trip, set for February 13–24, 2026, will bring together veterans from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 4th Infantry Division to revisit the battlefields where they served. This program aims to provide a healing experience, allowing veterans to honor fallen comrades and reconnect with their past in a deeply personal way.

The program will cover all transportation, lodging, meals, and additional expenses, and veterans will be supported by a dedicated in-country staff throughout the trip. Interested veterans must be fit for travel and able to walk to battlefield sites.

Rick St John, a volunteer with the Return to Vietnam Program, is tasked with identifying eligible veterans for this trip. Interested parties should reach out to Rick directly at (762) 822-3766 or via email at rstjohn2506@gmail.com.

Listen to Episode 3146 and discover more about the opportunity for Vietnam Veterans who served during the Battle of Dak To to receive an all expense trip back to the battle site.

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Episode 3145 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature an interview led by Andy Pham, a good friend of this podcast, with Daniel Hart and Michael Shevchenko where they will share their reviews of the book Hollywood’s Imperial Wars.

Daniel Hart is the Commissioning Editor (H-Diplo|RJISSF), MA (Harvard, ’21), forthcoming book on JFK/Cabot Lodge in VN War (’26).  Hart created a tremendous review of the book.

Michael Shevchenko is a Marine vet (Afghanistan era), and a current MA student (American Lit., TTU), presenter at ’25 50th anniversary VN War TTU Comp. Lit. meeting.

The Publisher provided this about the book “The history of Hollywood depictions, and the historical context in which they were created, of US military involvement with racial ‘others’ from the Indian Wars through Vietnam to the War on Terror”– Provided by publisher.”When the Vietnam War punctured the myth of American military invincibility, Hollywood needed a new kind of war movie. The familiar triumphal narrative was relegated to history and, with it, the heroic legacy that had passed from one generation to the next for more than two hundred years.

How Hollywood helped create and instill the American myth of heroic continuity, and how films revised that myth after the Vietnam War, is what Armando José Prats explores in Hollywood’s Imperial Wars. The book offers a new way of understanding the cultural and historical significance of Vietnam in relation to Hollywood’s earlier representations of Americans at war, from the mythic heroism of a film like Sands of Iwo Jima to the rupture of that myth in films such as The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, and Platoon.

As early as the mid-1940s, Prats suggests, fears aroused by the Cold War were stirring anxieties about sustaining the heroic myth-anxieties reflected in the insistent, aggressive patriotism in films of the period. In this context, Prats considers the immeasurable cultural importance of John Wayne, the cinematic apotheosis of wartime valor and righteousness, whose patriotism was nonetheless deeply compromised by his not having served in World War II. Prats reveals how historical and cultural anxieties emerge in well-known Vietnam movies, in which characters inspired by the heroes of the Second World War are denied the heroic legacy of their fathers.

American war movies, in Prats’s analysis, were forever altered by the loss in Vietnam. Even movies like American Sniper that exalt war heroes are marked as much by the failure of the heroic tropes of old Hollywood war movies as by the tragic turn of actual historical events. Tracing what Prats calls the “anxiety of legacy” through the films of the World War II and post-Vietnam War periods, this book offers a new way of looking at both the Hollywood war movie and the profound cultural shifts it reflects and refracts. “.

Listen to Episode 3145 and discover more about the book Hollywood’s Imperial Wars.

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• 

  Sofya Aptekar, an Associate Professor of Urban Studies at the City University of New York School of Labor and Urban Studies.

• Episode 3144 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature an interview with Sofya Aptekar where she will talk about her book Green Card Soldier and her review of the book Building Little Saigon. Leading the interview will be Andy Pham, a good friend of this podcast.Sofya Aptekar is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies at the City University of New York School of Labor and Urban Studies. She is the author of Green Card Soldier: Between Model Immigrant and Security Threat (MIT Press) and The Road to Citizenship: What Naturalization Means for Immigrants and the United States (Rutgers University Press), and co-author of Lend and Rule: Fighting The Shadow Financialization of Public Universities. Sofya researches and writes about the immigration system, US military and empire, urban diversity, and workforce inequities. She is a proud union member and worker organizer.
• At CUNY SLU, Sofya teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in urban studies, policy, and research methods. Prior to her current position, she worked as an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Core Faculty in Critical Ethnic and Community Studies program at UMass Boston. She has been a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Sage Foundation, a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. Sofya has taught undergraduate courses at Rutgers University, Queens College, Brooklyn College, and Hunter College.
• The two books described in this episode of the podcast have been added to the Vietnam Veteran News Recommended Reading List. You are invited to use the convenient likes below to order your copy of the books while taking advantage of the super discounts offered on the book purchases.
• Listen to Episode 3144 and discover more about Sofya Aptekar and her book Green Card Soldier and more.

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Despite growing up in a military family, Greg Dunlap never imagined he’d follow the same path, let alone serve as a dog handler in the Vietnam War. (Courtesy photo: Greg Dunlap)

Greg Dunlap and his K-9 Blackie, who loved hearing their echoing bark. (Courtesy photo: Greg Dunlap)

Episode 3143 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Air Force Vietnam Vet Greg Dunlap and his dog Blackie. The featured story is titled: ‘I saw the handwriting on the wall’: Drafted Vietnam War Vet reflects on bond with K-9. It appeared on the Portland Tribune website and was submitted by Hannah Seibold.

Siebold reported that Greg Dunlap’s story is a testament to the grit, humor, and resilience that define the Vietnam Veteran generation. Born into a military family, Dunlap grew up moving from Guam to the Philippines before settling in Santa Barbara. Though he never envisioned a military career, the Vietnam War made that choice for him when he was drafted into the Air Force just shy of his 20th birthday. Thanks to his hunting experience, he was placed in the military police and assigned as a dog handler—a dangerous but deeply meaningful role.

Working twelve-hour nights with only his K-9 partner, Blackie, Dunlap found an unbreakable bond that carried him through the harshness of war. Blackie’s playful spirit—flipping buckets to bark into them or proudly carrying Dunlap’s steel helmet—provided both comfort and companionship amid the chaos. When Dunlap’s service ended, he returned home to a nation divided, facing the painful reality of ridicule rather than gratitude.

Despite the difficult transition, Dunlap embodied the strength and perseverance of his generation. He built a stable life after the war, working for decades in postal service, sales, and winery equipment before retiring near his family. His story underscores the quiet greatness of Vietnam Veterans—men and women who faced a hostile world at home but met it with courage, humility, and unwavering dedication to duty and country.

Listen to Episode 3143 and discover more about Air Force Vietnam Vet Greg Dunlap and his dog Blackie.

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Vietnam veteran Joe Salzer holds three hand-carved canes he made for other veterans at the St. Cloud StandDown Resource Fair on Friday, Oct. 24, at the St. Cloud Armory. The one in his left hand has an elephant head carved on both sides of the handle.Lauren Breunig / St. Cloud LIVE

Episode 3142 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how Minnesota Vietnam Veteran Joe Salzar helps prove the greatness of his generation. The featured story is titled: Veterans share stories of resilience and community in St. Cloud It appeared on the St Cloud Live website and was submitted by Lauren Breunig. She is a news reporter for St. Cloud LIVE. She can be contacted at lauren@stcloudlive.com.

Breunig reported that Joe Salzer embodies the spirit, strength, and selflessness of America’s Vietnam veterans. At 78, this remarkable man from central Minnesota continues to serve others through a deeply personal mission: hand-carving and gifting canes to fellow veterans. Each cane, made from diamond willow wood, is a unique creation — often adorned with intricate designs and carved with care in Salzer’s workshop north of Avon. But these canes represent far more than craftsmanship. When Salzer places one in a veteran’s hands, he says, “As one veteran to another, I’ll walk with you to the end until you can’t anymore.”

A Vietnam veteran himself, Salzer was drafted in 1966 after graduating from St. Boniface High School in Cold Spring. He served with transportation and support units for the Ninth and 25th Infantry divisions, operating between Saigon and the Cambodian border during the intense years of 1967–68 — including the Tet Offensive. Like many who served, he carries the weight of loss and the scars of PTSD. Yet, rather than turning inward, Salzer transforms his pain into purpose, creating around 125 canes each year in memory of the friends he lost and in honor of all who served.

Salzer’s compassion reflects the resilience of all Vietnam veterans — men and women who endured the unimaginable, returned home to rebuild, and continue to lift one another up. His generosity and humility remind us that greatness lies not just in surviving hardship, but in dedicating one’s life to helping others do the same.

Listen to Episode 3142 and discover more about how Minnesota Vietnam Veteran Joe Salzar helps prove the greatness of his generation.

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General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defence of Vietnam (right), and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at their talks in Hanoi on November 2 (Photo: VNA)

Episode 3141 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s visit to Hanoi where he hopes to fire up efforts to find MIA’s from the Vietnam War. The featured story is titled: Hegseth in Hanoi: Pursuit of lost Americans from the Vietnam War a top Pentagon priority – Defense secretary visits military unit in Vietnam working to resolve cases of missing warfighters. It appeared on the Washington Times website and was submitted by Bill Gertz, a national security correspondent for The Washington Times. He has been with The Times since 1985..

Gertz reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed that resolving cases of Americans missing from the Vietnam War remains a top priority for the Trump administration. During his visit to Hanoi,

Hegseth and Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang exchanged wartime artifacts — an American veteran’s Vietnam War souvenirs were returned to Vietnam, while Hegseth received identification cards of missing U.S. pilots. The exchange symbolized deepening military cooperation and humanitarian reconciliation between the former adversaries.

Hegseth praised the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) team in Hanoi for its ongoing recovery efforts, despite criticism that the agency has paid Vietnam millions for limited progress. A recent report accused Hanoi of overcharging the Pentagon, claiming the Vietnamese government turned the MIA accounting process into a revenue-generating venture. Both sides have since agreed to reduce costs, though implementation is delayed by the U.S. government shutdown.

Hegseth emphasized that finding missing personnel is central to U.S.-Vietnam defense ties, marking 30 years of diplomatic relations and a growing “comprehensive strategic partnership.”

The two nations also signed a memorandum to expand cooperation on recovering remains, ordnance clearance, and environmental cleanup. Hegseth’s visit was part of a broader Asia tour aimed at strengthening regional alliances amid rising Chinese aggression.

Listen to Episode 3141 and discover more about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s visit to Hanoi to fire up efforts to find MIA’s from the Vietnam War.

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Roger Kneeland

Episode 3140 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Air Force Vietnam Vet Roger Kneeland and his service to his country both in Vietnam and back home in America. The featured story is titled: Veteran Spotlight: Roger Kneeland. It appeared on the WSBT Veteran Spotlight Series and was submitted by Claire Kenney.

Kenny reported that Roger Kneeland’s story stands as a shining example of the greatness and enduring spirit of the Vietnam Veteran generation — men and women who served with courage, humility, and an unwavering sense of duty.

After graduating from his college’s Air Force ROTC program in 1968, Kneeland began his military career as a pilot in the United States Air Force. His first assignment was flying the C7A aircraft in Vietnam, a demanding and dangerous mission that required extensive local and tactical training. Serving as part of a two-pilot crew, Kneeland adapted quickly to the challenges of Vietnam’s terrain and the intensity of combat operations. His year in Vietnam forged strong bonds among his unit members — friendships built on trust, shared sacrifice, and courage under fire.

Following his return home, Kneeland completed his six years of Air Force service by flying the iconic B-52 bomber. While stationed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he met his future wife, Gail, marking the beginning of a lifelong partnership. Transitioning from military to civilian life, he continued his aviation career in corporate and charter flying, spending two decades with Inland Steel and another fifteen years with NiSource before retiring.

Today, Kneeland enjoys family life with Gail, their two sons, and two granddaughters, dedicating his time to volunteering and community involvement. His journey reflects the hallmark of the Vietnam Veteran generation — resilience, professionalism, and the quiet pride of having served a nation in need. These veterans, like Kneeland, returned home to build families, careers, and communities, embodying the courage, integrity, and strength that continue to inspire future generations.

Listen to Episode 3140 and discover more about Air Force Vietnam Vet Roger Kneeland and his service to his country both in Vietnam and back home in America.

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Historian Anthony McAleer OAM (center) is looking to interview Vietnam veterans like Amat Binnoore (left) and Doug Hill (right) for his next book. (Mikayla van Loon: 514632)

Episode 3139 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Australian historian who is writing a book about local Vietnam Vets. The featured story is titled: Local Vietnam vets encouraged to share stories for new history book. It appeared on the Star Mail website and was submitted by Mikayla van Loon.

van Loon reported that Historian Anthony McAleer OAM has dedicated many years to documenting the military history of the Shire of Lillydale, culminating in the fifth and final volume of his series. This latest installment focuses on the period 1945 to 1995, with a particular emphasis on the Vietnam War (1962–1975) and the experiences of local men and women who served overseas or supported efforts on the home front.

Through extensive research from multiple sources, McAleer compiled a nominal roll of 130 residents from the Shire of Lillydale who served in Vietnam across the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force, five of whom died in active service. Among them were Doug Hill of Montrose and Amat Binnoore of Mount Evelyn, who served at opposite ends of the conflict yet later became friends—unaware of their shared connection until McAleer’s research revealed it.

Hill, the district’s first Vietnam veteran, served in 1964 with the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, later training soldiers in jungle warfare at Canungra before returning to Vietnam in 1968. His decorated service includes receiving the American Bronze Star for rescuing an American Marine under fire. Binnoore, the last local to leave Vietnam, served as a load master and later as a transport sergeant to Major General Donald Dunstan, facing daily dangers in Saigon.

McAleer continues to seek stories from Vietnam veterans and nurses from towns including Lilydale, Wandin, Seville, and Mount Evelyn, such as Sister Julia Seymour, the first Australian nurse to serve in Vietnam.

To share information or personal accounts, contact Anthony McAleer at antmca@bigpond.com

Listen to Episode 3139 and discover more about the Australian historian who is writing a book about local Vietnam Vets.