Name: VYCITAL RICHARD K
Branch: ARMY
Rate: E04
Rank: CORPORAL OR SPECIALI
MOS: 93J
MOS Title: Countermeasures Search Specialist or Air Traffic Controller Radar
Entered: 7102
Discharged: 731212
Service Number:
State: UNKNOWN
Race: CAUCASIAN
Leider ist kein Bild verfügbar.
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Dank des Internets konnte der Vorbesitzer des folgenden Vietnam Zippos ausfindig gemacht werden: Richard "Rick" Vycital lebt heute mit seiner Familie im Staate Idaho. |
Auszug aus dem Mail:
Rolf, what a delight and surprise to see the old lighter I carried around Vietnam for a year..! Thanks for ending me a picture and bringing back oldmemories!! My two boys were especially delighted to see it, since it is oneof the only war memory objects of mine they have seen..
I was initially stationed at Marble Mountian Army Airport, where I was radar approach control specialist..after about 5 months I transferred to Pleiku, in the central highlands..we were transported by helicopter, 3 of us, to the Kontum airport, which was under seige by about 40000 NVA regular troops. We ran the radar unit out of an old aircraft bunker, bringing in c-130 cargo airplanes at night onto the unlit runway using our precision radar..we supplied the town for about 2 months that way..during the day, we usually were under artillary or rocket barrage, so we kept pretty low in the bunker..they had to take a b-52 stick right on our airport when a heavy wave of tank and infantry threatened to take the town..Kontum was the capital of the central highlands, and therefore the north and south felt it was worth a fight, I guess. They had moved the elite Vientman green beret stationed there out to cover the south, so only a skelton crew of half-baked south vietnamese regular troops and us three americans were left to make the fight.. .we were glad to survive and get out by helecopter. about 5 months there total...fortunately, it was close to the end of the war, and they battle for saigon was taking priority soon, so I think the north viets sort of moved off that direction rather that staying the seige. Hope this background helps keep the memory alive for you..we got several bronze star and army commendation medals for the action in Kontum, and the three of us probably still have occasional thoughts about the time spent there.. I wish you well, and thanks again for the nice surprise!!
Sincerely,
Rick Vycital
