Brothers in Arms
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Vietnam War veteran James Corin answers question from Laurel Highlands High School students during a panel discussion held Wednesday morning in the school auditorium. The discussion was organized by the Laurel Highlands School District Air Force JROTC as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
JROTC cadet Misha Thomas, a ninth-grade student at Laurel Highlands High School, asks a panel of Vietnam War veterans, “How long after the war did it take you to recover?”
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Vietnam War veteran Kenny Noga answers question from Laurel Highlands High School students during a panel discussion held Wednesday morning in the school auditorium. The discussion was organized by the Laurel Highlands School District Air Force JROTC as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
JROTC cadet Jessica Grof, a ninth-grade student at Laurel Highlands High School, asks a question during panel discuss with area Vietnam War veterans.
A panel of Vietnam veterans gathered at the Laurel Highlands High School auditorium Wednesday to field questions from students about their service during the Vietnam War.
“We are here today because it is the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War,” said Col. (R) Dennis Jones, Mustang Squadron’s senior instructor. “The President of the United States proclaimed May 28, 2012, through Nov. 11, 2025, as the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.”
The event was held as part of The Vietnam War Commemoration Commemorative Partner Program that is designed with nongovernmental organizations to help people in thanking and honoring Vietnam veterans and their families. Commemorative Partners must commit to conduct two events each year from 2015-2017.
With two microphones situated in the auditorium, students, including members of the Laurel Highlands Air Force JROTC Mustang Squadron, who sponsored the event, lined up to ask a variety of questions concerning the veterans’ time spent in the military during the Vietnam War.
One of the major consensus among the veterans was doing whatever they could within their power to make sure that future generations receive respect for their military service; which is something many Vietnam veterans did not experience when they returned home from war.
“All you ROTC people and all of you in the audience right now, whenever you see a guy coming home from the service, just say, ‘Welcome home.’ They would appreciate it. No one told us that,” said Kenny Noga, who served as a United States Army corporal during the Vietnam War.
Donnie Coleman, an E5 specialist with the United States Army during the Vietnam War, shared a personal experience that echoed Noga’s statement.
When he returned home from his tour of duty and landed in San Francisco, Coleman was bused to an Army Depot in Oakland. When they were departing the buses a fellow solider was spit on by a war protester which caused a scuffle between the two. When the dust had settled, the solider ended up being arrested because of the event.
“War is not a pretty thing, and when you come home and the only people you have standing beside you are your family it is very sad, and a lot of us have a lot of anger from that,” he explained. “We didn’t make the war; we went to serve our country and follow what we were supposed to do.”
It was because of the isolation they felt when returning home and because of the experiences they had during combat that lead the veterans to depend on each other, they said. In fact, the veterans said their fellow servicemen were the one thing they couldn’t live without while overseas or when they returned.
“Your buddy; he was your lifeline,” said Noga. “When we came home, all we had was each other. When the World War II veterans came home, they had all the ticker tape parades. Now today you see Vietnam veterans hugging each other; when we came home that is all we had. Now, it is a little better, and I am thankful for that.”
While they often had to deal with unbearable heat and monsoon conditions in the trenches of Vietnam, panelists were able to reflect upon some of the beautiful parts of the country.
“I would have to say the sunsets and the sunrises,” said Noga regarding his shining moments while in Vietnam. “It is a beautiful country. Every country is beautiful in its own way.”
“They had rubber plantations over there. And you could just see for miles and miles and miles all of these rubber trees,” added Coleman.
Even though the men returned home many years ago from their time in Vietnam, several of the panelists agree that what they experienced has changed them forever.
“We haven’t recovered yet,” said Ronald Landman, sergeant of the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. “You can watch a war program (on television) and something will take you back to there, or you can even smell something like fuel.”
Despite the fact that they have endured a lot in the pursuit of serving their country, the veterans gathered were happy to be able to share their experiences with the audience, because many of their brothers in arms will never have the opportunity.
“I am very grateful to be here to represent my bothers who didn’t make it home,” said Coleman.