Memorial Day 2020

Remembering Vietnam Buddies Under Fire

By Dalton J. Narine

Dalton Narine -Cut from the same Cloth

When World War II began, the Venezuelan military was badly in need of modernization, and the United States was eager to help in return for Venezuela’s support in the war.

My grandfather, Frederico Gonzales, volunteered and headed straight to France where he joined forces in the Trenches.

Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were muddy and uncomfortable. The toilets overflowed. Conditions that caused medical problems such as trench foot. Yet Frederico soldiered on, finding ways to live and fight until he developed an infection of the feet.

Men stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots.

Upon graduation from University, I was drafted by the US Army and completed Basic Training.

In Vietnam, I served with The First Infantry Division as an Air Traffic Controller trained to conduct missions behind enemy lines while still in ground combat and on LZs (landing Zones for Helicopters and the infantry).

In Vietnam, I was in the trenches, too — defensive perimeters made up of wire, mines, machine guns, sandbags and bunkers. I spoke to Grandfather one night when my company was expecting an attack by the…