42 years ago today, 9/22/1969, Barry Kenneth Alexander died in Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam. He was born on 9/11/1947 in Clemson, South Carolina and had just celebrated his 22nd birthday. Barry served our nation as a helicopter pilot and died by hostile fire. A few weeks later his body was returned for burial. Seeing his coffin, draped with the United States flag, was forever etched into my memory as I started my senior year in high school.
Thanks Cuz, yes Barry was a terrific guy. He was killed in his Medivac helicopter with only 2 weeks left. The Medivacs were the most dangerous, and he volunteered to pilot them as very few percentage wanted to pilot them. He was training another pilot to take his place that day, who was the only survivor, and lived to tell the story of the booby-trapped injured soldiers, they were trying to save. I was in the army at the same time, and suffered for many years with grief and survival guilt.
Frank Howard, through his son Jimmy, gave me and two of my brothers sideline tickets for a game with Ga. Tech. at Grant Field in Atlanta. Thanks for posting this, how is your wonderful dad and daughter? I have been off Tigernet for awhile, suffering with health problems, but thanks to the underrated VA system, I think I have overcome them
No comments:
Post a Comment