I enlisted in October 1966 when things were happening in Vietnam. I chose the Combat Engineers as my MOS. At the end of my training in Fort Leonard Wood, I came down on orders for Korea, "B" Company, 13th Combat Engineer Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. I was a little disappointed it wasn't Nam, but I told myself to make the best of it. My dad enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. he was a tail gunner in a B-24 bomber and was shot down. My grandfather enlisted in the Army in 1917 and was on a boat that didn't sail because the war ended. My great-great-grandfather enlisted in the PA 129th Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Korea wasn't a sugar assignment. Our platoon went to the DMZ to remove mine fields for the installation of a new fence. There were some injuries in the mine field, but I still wanted Nam. I reenlisted to go to Nam. 87th Engineer Company, 199th Light Infantry Brigade was my home for a year. It was a busy year and my first night home I went to the local bar with my dad for a beer. He put his hand on my shoulder and said welcome home, son. We made a pact that night to never tell stories of our wars. I made E-5 before I left Korea and I made E-6 in Vietnam. Specialist of the Month at the division level in Korea and other awards in Nam. Yes, I was a good soldier and was going to reenlist and mentioned this to my wife of one year, pregnant. She said, "We are going home," so we went home to Pennsylvania. I still have my union card from the United Mine Workers.