TWO REALLY BRAVE TROOPERS

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HELLO CHAPLIN AUDRY
I GOT YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS FROM JIMMY STEPHENS AS I SERVED WITH HIS BROTHER DANNY AND WAS WITH HIM THE DAY HE DIED. I ATTENDED SEVERAL OF YOUR SERVICES WHILE I WAS WITH D CO 3RD PLT EVEN THOUGH I LOST MY FAITH IN GOD AT THE TIME. I'M NOW ALMOST 65 AND HAVE ACCEPTED GOD AND TRYING TO SERVE HIM FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS. I JUST MADE CONTACT WITH DANNY'S BROTHER AND IT HAS BEEN A HEALING FOR ME TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT DANNY. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR THE TROOPS AND WELCOME HOME.
TAKE CARE AND BE WELL
DONALD J MENDOCHA

Don, so great hearing. And, I know that it meant lots to Jimmy to hear from you. Even though it has been so many years since Danny's death, the pain is still there and real. Jimmy has done so very much to keep Danny's memory alive.

Thank you for your testimony. War is a tough time and tests us all in so many ways. I am sure that God doesn't mind it when we are struggling. I'm still involved with lots of our guys; in fact, the first part of next month, Lieutenant Roach and a few of us are getting together in Reno.

Where are you? What has been going on with you all these years? I wrote a memoir about my experience in Vietnam, I want to send you a copy. Send me your address.

God bless and welcome home to you. Amazing how Vietnam is such a part of our existence probably that way with all combat soldiers, to include all those serving now. I just ordered an album off iTunes from Billy Bang. I read about him in Sunday's NY Times and how Vietnam so affected all of his life. He went on to become a concert violinist.

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HELLO CHAPLIN AUDREY
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERING MY E-MAIL. I JUST WANT TO FILL YOU IN ON MY LIFE SINCE VIETNAM. I WAS MARRIED JUST BEFORE I LEFT FOR THE ARMY. I WAS BROUGHT UP IN A CHRISTIAN FAMILY BUT LOST MY FAITH ONCE I WENT TO VIETNAM. I WAS A RESEARCHER FOR TIME MAGAZINE BEFORE AND WHEN I CAME BACK BUT LEFT THE JOB TO MOVE UP TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS, SO I THOUGHT. I WENT THROUGH THE NORMAL EXPERIENCE OF HEAVY DRINKING AND BEING ANGRY ALL THE TIME. I WENT INTO SALES AND MADE A GOOD LIFE FOR MYSELF(OR SO I THOUGHT). MY WIFE KEPT HER FAITH, KNOWING SOME DAY I WOULD TURN BACK TO GOD. YEARS LATER(1991) MY WIFE WAS DIAGNOSE WITH BREAST CANCER AND GIVEN ONLY 6 MONTHS TO LIVE. SHE MANAGED TO BEAT IT TWICE BUT FINALLY PAST AWAY FROM THE DISEASE 10 YEARS LATER BUT NOT BEFORE I CAME BACK TO GOD. WE BOTH HAD EVERYTHING BUT I WOULD OF GIVEN UP ALL FOR HER. AFTER HER DEATH I NEVER CRAWLED BACK INTO THE BOTTLE AND TRIED TO GO ON WITHOUT HER. I KNEW HER SINCE I WAS 5 YEARS OLD. YEARS PAST AND I MET MY NEW WIFE WHO HAD SIMILAR PAST LOSING HER HUSBAND TO CANCER. I TRIED TO BE AN EXAMPLE TO HER AND SHE ALSO GAVE HER LIFE TO GOD. I'M ALMOST 65 NOW AND SEMI RETIRED AND WE ARE PLANNING ON MOVING OFF LONG ISLAND NY AND GO TO STROUDSBURG PA. SHE HAS BEEN SUCH A HELP TO ME WITH FACING MY PAST. I ALWAYS THOUGHT OF DANNY STEPHENS AND JACKIE MONTGOMERY ANOTHER FRIEND THAT I LOST AND WONDER IF ANYONE WAS OUT THERE SEARCHING. I'VE BEEN ON MANY SITES LOOKING AND FOUND JIMMY STEPHENS NAME AND E-MAIL LAST WEEK AND WROTE TO HIM. WE SENT EACH OTHER SEVERAL E-MAILS AND THIS LAST SUNDAY JIMMY CALLED AND HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DID FOR THE TROOPS. I DON'T THINK YOU REMEMBER BUT AT ONE OF YOUR SERVICES YOU ASK ME IF I NEEDED ANYTHING AND I TOLD YOU A RADIO, AND THE NEXT TIME YOU WERE IN THE FIELD YOU BROUGHT ME THAT RADIO. I SENT JIMMY SOME INFO THIS MORNING AND ENCLOSED THE ARTICLE ABOUT YOU IN TIME MAGAZINE BACK IN 1970, DO YOU REMEMBER IT? THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING THERE.
TAKE CARE & BE WELL
DONALD J MENDOCHA


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Don, so glad to get your wonderful testimony. It brought tears to my eyes, especially about your first wife and her cancer. And, you surely stepped up the plate. My volunteer job is that I am very involved with the UCSF Cancer Center. I got into it when I began to drive Rose, who worked with my wife, for her chemo treatments. She was diagnosed at 30 and died just a month shy of her 41st birthday. For about two years, I would drive her and watched her die slowly and so when you were recounting your story, I was right there. I thought that I knew some really brave soldiers in the Nam, many just like yourself; but they didn't come anywhere close to Rose and your wife. In fact for over three years now, I have been trying to do a book about Rose's bravery. I actually, at her suggestion, kept a blog for the time I was with her; but, it has been the most difficult thing I've ever tried to do. My own grief keeps intruding. I have almost abandoned the project several times but am keeping at it.

God richly bless you. So glad to be back in contact, will put your book in the mail today. And, sounds like you have PTSD (think all of us do to a degree)--one of the things I've tried to do over the last several years is encourage those like yourself to file a claim, if you haven't. God bless. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Jerry}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}})) Thanks for sharing the story of the radio.