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John Shoemaker ready for battle.

It is the contention of this pod-caster that the Vietnam Veteran Generation is as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. Despite an unfriendly reception from their country when they returned home, they rose about all the bad things that were said about them. They were not all drug crazed maniacs who lived under bridges because they could not cope with society.

Vietnam Veteran John Shoemaker confirms contention.

Episode 1765 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a presentation by Vietnam Veteran, John Shoemaker. He was the 3^rd platoon leader for B Company, 2^nd Battalion, 1^st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. He served in Vietnam during 1970 and 71.  He has written numerous columns about his time in the War that appeared in the Metro West Daily News of Framingham, Massachusetts and other publications including the Wall Street Journal.

In this episode John will tell us about the Battle at the Cornfield. It happened a few miles from the base at Kham Duc. As the leader of the 3^rd Platoon of B Company, he was ordered to lead his platoon on a recon in force mission to check out a mysterious corn field that was discovered in the triple layer canopy bad lands of western Quang Ngãi Province.

John describes the battle at the cornfield that produced a rush for him that was beyond belief. He will describe the action that earned one of his squad leaders a Silver Star.

As you listen to his description of the battle you will begin to discover something that made it unique to most of the combat actions that took place in the Vietnam War.

John tells his story in a manner that will produce rushing adrenaline to the listener. Buckle your seat belt and hang on.

Listen to episode 1765 and discover more about John Shoemaker graphic description of the Battle of the Cornfield.

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John Shoemaker

Episode 1758 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a presentation by Vietnam Veteran, John Shoemaker about what he has done after he left the military and service in Vietnam. He was assigned to the 196^th Infantry Brigade of the Americal Division and served in Vietnam in 1970 and 71.  He has written numerous columns about his time in the War that appeared in the Metro West Daily News of Framingham, Massachusetts.

It is the contention of this podcaster that the Vietnam Veteran Generation is as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. Despite an unfriendly reception from their country when they returned home, they rose about all the bad things that were said about them. They were not all drug crazed maniacs who lived under bridges because they could not cope with society.

All the vituperation that was heaped upon Vietnam Veteran has proven to be false and inaccurate. When Vietnam Veterans came home from the War, they were older, wiser, stronger and better able to deal with adversity than their non-Vietnam Veteran contemporaries.

Over the last fifty years they have shown they are an outstanding group of veterans. They have excelled in a wide array of civilian and military pursuits.

John Shoemaker is a tremendous representative of that great generation. In this episode he will describe in his own words how he has contributed greatly to his country after his service in Vietnam.

He begins by describing what motivated him to join the Army and become an infantry officer at the height of the War. Infantry officers served in some of the most dangerous jobs.

He then goes on to describe how he rose to the top levels of the electronics industry.

Listen to episode 1758 and discover more about John Shoemaker’s contributions to his country as a civilian.

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John at the bunker

Episode 1757 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a spine tingling story from Vietnam Veteran, John Shoemaker. In the summer of 1970 he served as the third platoon leader of B Company, 2^nd Battalion, 1^st Infantry, 196^th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. The events he describes in his story occurred at Kham Duc, South Vietnam during Operation Elk Canyon. On August 8, a column he wrote about the action titled: “Ghosts of war” appeared in the Metro West Daily News of Framingham, Massachusetts and he refers to it in his presentation on this episode.

John verified by his actions at Kham Duc that he is outstanding representative of the great Vietnam Veteran Generation, one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country.

He begins his story with a review of the original Battle of Kham Duc that occurred two years before. That battle is not very well known because it took place in the direct aftermath of the Tet Offensive and the siege of Khe Sanh.

The NVA decided to make a statement at Kham Duc to make up for the debacles they suffered at Khe Sanh and the Tet Offensive. Their intention was to decisively defeat the Americans.

The decision was made by the American leadership to abandon the fire base rather than suffer more casualties. The war weary country would not be happy if that happened at an isolated fire base in the middle of nowhere in the outback of South Vietnam.

Two years later the 2^nd Battalion of the 1^st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade was sent back to Kham Duc as part of Operation Elk Canyon. John Shoemaker was a part of the returning taskforce. He talks about what he and his platoon experienced and the “ghost soldiers” on the other side.

Listen to episode 1757 and discover more about John Shoemaker’s Ghosts of War.

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John Shoemaker in Vietnam

Episode 1754 will feature another visit by Vietnam Veteran, John Shoemaker. He served as an infantry platoon leader with the 196^th Infantry Brigade in Vietnam. He was in country during 1970 and 1971.

In the previous episode he provided background on what led him to join the Army, choose the Infantry branch and request assignment to Vietnam during a time of some of the War’s heaviest combat operations. John is definitely a tremendous representative of the great Vietnam Veteran Generation, one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. He tells a story in this episode that definitely verifies the above statement.

In this episode he tells a double story, one that is encompassed by another. He begins by telling about a plane flight from Zurich, Switzerland to Miami, Florida. At the time he was serving as an electronics company vice president working in Austria.

During that flight he was taken back in time to the summer of 1970. In his mind, he returned to his infantry platoon in the 196^th Brigade in I Corps when they were taking part in Operation Elk Canyon. The Operation was a return to Kham Duc.

He goes on to describe a heart pounding fire fight his platoon was involved in on a mountain top. Most of the firefights and battles in the Vietnam War followed a common pattern normally dictated by NVA tactics known as “grab them by the belt buckle.”

The NVA leadership knew their forces were no match for American firepower so they decided to only engage American forces when they could get close enough to accomplish maximum casualties and avoid heavy American bombardment.

Generally the Americans had to fight defensively but this was not the case that day on a mountain top near Kham Duc when John Shoemaker and his platoon encountered a group of NVA soldiers. What happened next was astounding.

Listen to episode 1754 and discover more about the heart pounding story of Vietnam Veteran John Shoemaker and his platoon on a mountain top at Kham Duc, South Vietnam.

The Airborne OCS website features many of John’s Vietnam War columns.

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John Shoemaker

Episode 1753 will feature the background story of Vietnam Veteran, John Shoemaker. He served as an infantry platoon leader with the 196^th Infantry Brigade in Vietnam. He was in country during 1970 and 1971.

John is an outstanding representative of the great Vietnam Veteran Generation, one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. The members of that generation served their country in Vietnam where they faced very challenging circumstances in an effort to stem the rising tide of communism primarily in Southeast Asia.

They came home to an unfriendly reception from an ungrateful nation that offered very little gratitude to the veterans for their service. Despite the disgraceful way they were treated upon their return, the vast majority of them continued serving their country in a wide array of pursuits both in the military and the civilian side.

When they came home they were older, wiser, stronger and wiser than their non-Vietnam veterans. This enabled them to be valuable assets to their communities and country. They have proven this over the past fifty years. All that is necessary to see that is to take a look at their accomplishments.

John Shoemaker epitomizes the greatness of that generation. In this episode John will tell in his own words about what motivated him to join the Army after his graduation from the University of Massachusetts. He entered the Army at the height of the anti-war turmoil that was literally tearing the country apart.

He describes what drove him to join the Army and choose the most dangerous branch which was the ground pounding Infantry. He goes on to tell about the unusual events that led up to his entry into Officers Candidate School.

He then lays out the background to the incredible situation his platoon ran into at Kham Duc and the miraculous outcome. Don’t miss the next episode where he will tell the exciting story.

Listen to episode 1753 and discover more about the background of Vietnam Veteran John Shoemaker.

The Airborne OCS website features many of John’s Vietnam War columns.

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Recommended Reading
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Jack Billups and daughter Naomi.

Episode 2517 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam Veteran Jack Billups [jabillups49@gmail.com] and the two books he has written. This story comes from a press release from 24-7 Press Release. The featured press release is titled, The Profound Change In Traditional American Values And The Anguish Parents And Grandparents Experience Is Addressed By Jack Billups, Bestselling Author Of My Vietnam And Christian’s Walk.

Jack Billups grew up during the 1950s and early 1960s in a peaceful Southern California community populated by many senior citizens and dotted with chicken ranches. When he was 19 he joined the U.S. Army. He served as an infantryman in Vietnam. For his service there he was awarded the Bronze Star with V device and an air medal.

According to the press release, he is a dependable and talented “everyman” who makes no claim about his service in Vietnam except for being a patriotic American who did “the right thing” as he saw it. He maintained that attitude throughout his life. Asked to talk about his military experience by his daughter, he began writing it out, and ended up exposing 50-year-old forgotten memories and emotions about the jungle war, concluding with a trip back to Vietnam with his daughter.

Billups’ first book, ‘My Vietnam: A Gift to My Daughter’, is a stunning piece of writing that will likely take its place as one of the best Vietnam memoirs ever written according to the press release. ‘My Vietnam’ is, at its core, a love story, combined with a dramatic and searing account of the Vietnam War experience. That experience is shared with a family member, in the most intimate way possible – a return trip to the battlefields of Vietnam

His second book ‘Christian’s Walk’ was inspired by John Bunyan’s immortal classic, ‘Pilgrims Progress’. It was, according to Billups, written for times such as these, where “evil is called good, and good is called evil.”

 Listen to episode 2517 and discover more about Vietnam Veteran Jack Billups and the two books he has written.

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Recommended Reading

Episode 2516 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about a review of the recently published book “The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam” written by George Black. The review submitted by Brian Eyler appeared on the Nikkei Asia website in Tokyo, Japan and was titled: Books: War and redemption in Vietnam, 60 years after Agent Orange written by George Black.

George Black is a writer and journalist living in New York City. His work on politics, culture, and the environment has appeared in the New Yorker and many other publications, and often reflects his lifelong passion for mountains and rivers. On the Ganges is his seventh book.

Brian Eyler is the director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. He is the chair of Stimson’s War Legacies Working Group.

The book is described as, the moving story of how a small group of people—including two Vietnam veterans—forced the U.S. government to take responsibility for the ongoing horrors—agent orange and unexploded munitions—inflicted on the Vietnamese.

The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides.

Eyler ended his review with this: Younger readers will inevitably be led to ponder how, when eventually the guns fall silent in Ukraine and other theaters of war — present and future — the suffering will continue. Through the noble efforts of his book’s many characters, Black shows all readers a path toward recovery and peace.

Listen to episode 2516 and discover more about a review of the recently published book “The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam” by George Black.

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Commander J. B. Wells U. S. Navy (Retired), Attorney at Law, Chairman, Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc.

Episode 2515 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the latest news from John Wells of the Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc. about a new Congressional Resolution designed to help our veterans.

The story comes from a press release from the Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc. titled Joint Resolution will establish Veterans Get Outside Day.

The presser announced that the U.S. House of Representatives (H. Res. 387) and Senate (S. Res. 206) have introduced a bi-partisan joint resolution to designate June 10, 2023 as “Veterans Get Outside Day.” The resolution encourages a targeted outreach program to urge Veterans to participate in outdoor activities on that date.

It was reported that the resolution was introduced on May 10 by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Angus King (I-ME), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and U.S. Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA-06) and Seth Moulton (D-MA-06).

According to Senator Cassidy, “We owe it to the men and women who traveled oceans to protect us to address the veteran suicide crisis. Vets Get Outside Day is a positive step towards ensuring veterans know they have the help they need available to them.”

Representative Graves said this about the benefits of the Resolution, “Veterans Get Outside Day encourages Veterans to experience the outdoors and engage in recreational activities such as hiking, biking, fishing, and hunting, and ultimately promote a passion for the outdoors. Studies show that nature-based therapy can work. I’m proud to join Congressman Moulton in introducing this resolution to support our Veterans.”

John Wells said this about the program, “Our hope that if Veterans spend one day outdoors doing activities that help them relax and connect with nature, that they will want to make it part of their regular routine. With this in mind, we encourage everyone to “Take 10” minutes daily to get outside and do something to provide a break from daily stress.”

Listen to episode 2515 and discover more about the latest news from John Wells of the Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc. about a new Congressional Resolution designed to help our veterans.

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South Carolina Vietnam War Memorial Marker
Photographed By Nick Hansen, November 10, 2008

Vietnam Vet Ron Hagell

Episode 2514 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the South Carolina Vietnam Veteran who stepped forward to help save the State Vietnam War Memorial. The featured story appeared on WIS News, Channel 10 in Columbia, South Carolina and was titled, Man fights to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The story was submitted by Ty Wilson, Channel 10 anchor/reporter. He is an award-winning MMJ/Anchor and has more than 15 years of experience as a reporter, anchor, and producer.

The State of South Carolina has a tremendous Vietnam War Memorial located in the state capitol of Columbia. In was built in 1986 and is located on Gadsden Street in the Columbia City Memorial Park. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=13489

It is an impressive memorial featuring a square granite column for its centerpiece flanked by two polished freestanding granite walls containing the names of the 980 South Carolinians who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.

Recently, Vietnam Vet Ron Hagell noticed signs of deterioration in the Memorial when he visited the site. Not being one to sit back and wait for someone else to do something about the situation with the site, he decided to take action.

Hagell took his concerns to Columbia City Hall where he talked to the mayor and Council Members. Mayor Daniel Rickenmann assured Hagell that he will take care of the upkeep of the Memorial.

Hagell stated that his problem with the city of Columbia is that it promised it would take care of the Memorial and it hasn’t. “That’s what our problem is.”

Ron Hagell is another tremendous representative of the great Vietnam Veteran Generation, one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from our country.

Listen to episode 2514 and discover more about the South Carolina Vietnam Veteran who stepped forward to help save the State Vietnam War Memorial.

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John Shoemaker

Episode 2165 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam Veteran John Shoemaker and his contributions to his country. The featured story comes from the Redstone Rocket in Huntsville, Alabama and is titled: Ex-infantry platoon leader satisfies need for adventure. It was submitted by Skip Vaughn, the Rocket editor [skip.vaughn@theredstonerocket.com].

Vaughn’s story is the 339th in a series of articles about Vietnam veterans in the Rocket as the United States commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

Vaughn’s story about Vietnam Vet John Shoemaker is an excellent description of a great American. Shoemaker made numerous contributions to the podcast in the past and you are highly encouraged to listen to those episodes where he told his stories.

John Shoemaker is another one of those outstanding representatives of the great Vietnam Veteran Generation. During a time of widespread opposition to the War in Vietnam during the late 1960s, upon graduation from college he volunteered to join the Army with the intent of becoming an Army infantry platoon leader.

He realized his goal in March of 1970 when he was assigned as  a platoon leader with 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division in I Corps, the northern sector of South Vietnam.

He said: “I thought I can be a small unit commander that can save American Soldier lives. That was my focus. That was my goal.”

Commenting on his time in Vietnam Shoemaker opined this: “I feel the time I spent in combat was the greatest experience in my life. It proved who I am. It changed who I was and it created the person I would be for the rest of my life. And specifically, I would say what I got out of it was that it certainly gave me discipline and maturity. It established firm confidence in my abilities. And it also created a person who was action oriented. I do embrace adventure.”

Listen to episode 2165 and discover more about Vietnam Veteran John Shoemaker and his contributions to our country.