Page 44 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021 - Online Magazine
P. 44
Johnnie R. Helms
In My Own Words
several years artillery school, and then another
working various four weeks in “staging battalion”
jobs and a short (jungle warfare). From there,
stint in college, I it was straight to Vietnam. We
decided to join the landed at Da Nang in July of ‘69.
Navy. I took all the My primary MOS was artillery. I
tests and physicals started out with Whiskey Battery
during the summer 1/13, BLT 2/26, a 4.2mm mortar
of ‘68, then told the battery. That unit transferred
recruiter I wanted back to the states in February of
to think about it. ‘70, and, if you had nine months
in country, you could go home
One day, I went with the unit. I did not meet that
to a local café for criterion.
lunch, and a Marine
recruiter was sitting I went on to serve the rest of my
at the counter. After time with 3rd Guns, a 175mm
a few minutes, I sat gun battery out at An Hoa, South
down beside him Vietnam. During my time with
and said, “I’d like this unit, I received a meritorious
to join the Marine combat promotion to Corporal
Corps.” He looked because we had lost our section
at me like I was chief by incoming rockets.
crazy. I explained
that I had already I finally boarded the “freedom
passed the physical bird”, a DC-8, back to Okinawa;
for the Navy. A then it was home to the states.
As President Reagan once said, “Some people couple of days later, Before leaving, we were required
spend a lifetime wondering if they made a he called me, and to buy a set of civilian clothes.
difference. Marines don’t have that problem.” I I went to Amarillo We were told that we had to
believe that statement is true for a lot of people, and signed up. At change into them at the airport
such as pastors, doctors, schoolteachers, police that time, Vietnam upon arrival in the states. At
officers, EMTs, nurses, firefighters, and so was pretty hot, so that time, returning vets from
many others. There are a lot of ways to serve! after Christmas of Vietnam were not allowed to
‘68, I made the trip travel in uniform. I soon found
was born and raised in the to San Diego, CA. out why: protesters were waiting
for us at El Toro, California. After
Texas Panhandle, a farm Life began to change! Once a being bombarded with tomatoes,
I boy from Quitaque. Born Marine steps on those famous rocks, etc., we got safely inside
August 28, 1944, my father was yellow footprints, there is no the terminal. We got our civilian
a corpsman in the Navy at the turning back. We all knew where clothes on and went different
time. He never talked much we were headed, and we all directions to board planes to our
about his service. As part of the knew that, in order to survive, hometowns. It almost felt like it
“greatest generation”, he just we must learn all we could, while was safer in Vietnam!
came home and went back to we could.
work. After boot camp, we spent four I received orders to report to
I graduated from Quitaque High weeks at Camp Pendleton for Drill Instructors school, a duty
for which I had volunteered.
School in 1962. After spending infantry training, four weeks in
44 Amarillo Senior Link
