The Vietnam War was one of the most difficult times in our country's history. The war was not only a struggle for the people at home who lost their sons, but it was even more difficult for the men fighting the war and fighting for themselves.
For many Americans who did not grow up in the 1960's, it is very hard to grasp what those horrifying years were like. For the men fighting in Vietnam, those years were gruesome. War is definitely hell and very painful and unforgettable. For Lieutenant Cornelius Finley, Jr., of the United States Air Force at the time, Vietnam was a God-awful place that he will never forget. This is his story.
Tia Finley
Imagine growing up in an era when you weren't sure what was in store for your future. You can't. For me, growing up in the 60's was the worst time in my life, or so I thought. I lived in Newton when I was in high school, so I had to endure all the prejudices and discriminations that surrounded me. I thought growing up in Newton was bad. Boy, was I wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to embark upon.
After high school, I decided I had to get out of this place, so I decided to join the Air Force and get my education through them. I don't remember the exact date that I enlisted in the Air Force, but I do remember feeling a little scared for three reasons; I never discussed it with my father that I would be joining the Air Force, and two, I was very nervous, and finally, three, I wasn't very sure whether or not I would ever return to my family.
I did my basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. I don't think I ever quite finished it either. About a week after we were there, we got our orders from our Tech Sergeant that we were shipping out for Vietnam in two weeks, so we better soak everything now while we still had the time. And one other thing, we had better write our families to tell them of the distressing news. It was distressing all right, especially for my family, because they didn't even know I was even in the Air Force. They thought that I was seeing the country with a couple of my buddies from school.
Well the two weeks were up and we were about to go to war. I'll never forget the last words my Tech Sergeant had said to us before leaving. He said, "Be careful men, you are about to enter Hell and Hell hath no fury. Now go and fight like true soldiers."
The trip over was a long one as well as a scary one. I was thinking to myself, "Why am I doing this. This is a suicide mission." that was about the only thought I had, because two seconds later I would be jumping out of a plane right in the middle of sniper fire.
While parachuting through the air, about three men had already been gunned down and were dead. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I couldn't believe we were getting shot at while we were still in the air. The rest of us finally made it to the ground, but that wasn't any better. It was like the enemy was waiting for our arrival because they were already firing at us. We still had about another four miles to go before getting to safety. Half of my flight were already dead or severely wounded. I had never been so scared in all my life. I didn't want to end up like the rest of my buddies so I knew I had to fight with very little experience at all.
I'm pretty sure that I was in Hanoi. I remember it being a God forsaken place. Just about everywhere around me, I was surrounded by rotting bodies, fire, or fire bombs exploding about 20 feet away from me.
I would tell you more, but the experiences that I suffered over there are hard to talk about, even to this day. Every day I had to imagine what it would have been like if I had never joined the Air Force. I gave up five years of my life in Vietnam. And for what? To have to have a terrible memory haunt me for the rest of my life. I fought in a war, that in my mind was very senseless. Too many young men and women died for an old man's fight.
Cornelius Finley, Jr.
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