At its Nov. 15 meeting the Teha Lanna Chapter of NSDAR recognized and remembered the service of Vietnam Veterans who served in the Vietnam War. The guest speaker was Jim Walton who reported to Vietnam April 25, 1966.
Mr. Walton shared his retrospective of the war based on his personal experiences. Unfortunately, as of April 7, 2017, there are still 1,611 Vietnam vets unaccounted for and missing.
Mr. Walton was assigned to the Army’s First Calvary Division (Airmobile) as a Combat Weather Officer at An Khe in the Central Highlands. His Division supported Army Combat units in the field. The combat weather teams were involved in all the major battles of the 1st Air Calvary.
During his presentation, Mr. Walton shared many myths perpetuated during the war. He also shared how these myths and biased reporting affected soldiers fighting a war in a difficult terrain and culture they had never faced before. About 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers and approximately 70% of those killed were volunteers.
Mr. Walton spoke with fervor about how many Vietnam vets still remember Jane Fonda’s involvement in the war and how many of the prisoners of war were mistreated and demoralized by her actions. He said his faith helped him make it through very difficult times.
At the conclusion of his presentation, he shared a link that highlights some of the myths of the war. The link is uswings.com/ about-us-wings/Vietnamwar- facts/ The Teha Lanna Chapter thanked Mr. Walton for his presentation and thanked him and all those who served in all wars for their sacrifice and support for the country.