I went through U.S. Army Basic Training and AIT with Phillip Scott Glass ("Scotty"). We sat next to each other on the plane to Vietnam and we were assigned to the same infantry squad (B 2/7th Infantry, 1st Cav Division). After several months together, the 1st Cav was being pulled out of RVN and we were reassigned to the Americal, but to different units (he to A 3/21, me to D 1/46). We went together to Da Nang with some 15 others. We were then driven around to our respective new units in the bed of a deuce and a half. When I was dropped off and as the truck pulled away, he stood up and hollered out "I'll see you on the Freedom Bird ... I know, we'll sit next to each other!" He was KIA a couple of months later.

I can see it and hear it as if it was yesterday. That was 52 years ago!

Only five months ago, I wrote and recorded a song about it. The song is called "The Freedom Bird" aka "Ode to Scotty" and it is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uljYNHz26WA. You can also just search my name, Lee Gilkerson, on YouTube. The song is registered as BMI 59709436 so any radio station can play it, and I welcome The American Legion to use it in any of their publications in any form.