Untold Stories with Vietnam Veterans | Ep. 93 with Danny Chrisler and Dan Ernst
Welcome back to the No Grey Areas Podcast! Today, our host Pat McCalla brings you a powerful double interview featuring two Vietnam veterans, Danny Chrisler and Dan Ernst. From ordinary small-town beginnings to the jungles of Vietnam, Danny and Dan open up about their unique journeys of courage and sacrifice they faced during the time they served.
Together, they paint a vivid picture of life in the military, sharing close calls, moments of bravery, and the challenges faced upon returning home. They reflect on the importance of support for veterans, highlighting the significance of a simple "thank you", and the need for ongoing post-care.
In this exclusive episode, we're reminded of the profound impact of war on those who serve and the everyday gratitude owed to our veterans.
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No Grey Areas is a motivational podcast with captivating guests centered around how our choices humanize, empower, and define who we become. This podcast is inspired by the cautionary tale, No Grey Areas, written by Joseph Gagliano. Learn more about the truth behind his story involved with sports' biggest scandal at nogreyareas.com
Transcript
Speaker 1
Welcome back to the No Gray Areas podcast. I'm your host, Patrick McCullough. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with two Vietnam veterans. They share their deeply personal stories of service and sacrifice, the complexities of war, the lasting impact on those who served. Let's get started.
::Pat McCalla
Well welcome to the No Gray Areas podcast. Today we have two very, very special guests and especially cents
::Pat McCalla
on this day that we're recording. Not the day that this drops, but on the day we're recording right now, it's National Vietnam Veterans Day, and we have two Vietnam veterans.
::Pat McCalla
And you guys set this up really well for me because I don't really need to remember names very well because it's Dan and Danny.
::Danny
So you guys, I,
::Pat McCalla
So I want to just jump right in to,
::Pat McCalla
our interview today. Give me just a little background, each of you on where you came from because you're dropped in Vietnam all those years ago.
::Pat McCalla
But
::Pat McCalla
what kind of place did you come from? Was a little town. Big city. So why don't we go with you first, Danny?
::Danny
in Wisconsin. Lodi. Lodi and,: ::Danny
1500.
::Danny
People. And, of course, I had the rural paper out or the local paper out. I worked at the gas station for four years before I went into the service, but I, I volunteered for the draft, and I knew the lottery was coming out, and I didn't want to say, oh, I was drafted. I wanted to volunteer, proving everybody I wanted to serve my country and get it done with.
::Danny
So,
::Danny
that was what happened there. And had.
::Danny
You
::Pat McCalla
traveled much growing up?
::Danny
No.
::Danny
No, you're
::Danny
I hadn't even been in an airplane before. Yeah, the first time on a plane going to Vietnam.
::Danny
Yeah. Yeah. So,
::Pat McCalla
I mean, all kinds of, shocks and change or you're dealing with you're on a plane,
::Danny
and
::Danny
I had my basic training at Fort Linwood, Missouri, and in January, cold. Oh my God. Yeah. And then my IT advanced infantry training with some people call in Fort Polk, Louisiana Tiger land. And that was the fun. And they tried to make it as close as what they could to Vietnam. This is what you're going to be dealing with.
::Danny
And so it was okay.
::Danny
But Vietnam
::Pat McCalla
different than Wisconsin.
::Danny
Yeah. So they tried to yeah.
::Danny
And some people go over there and boats I was fortunate enough I think we fruit fly and tigers airlines at that time isn't even around anymore. Yeah. And, that was pretty interesting. But, you know, the land there and all at once, you see at Russia, hot air at, oh, my God, 100 and some degrees, you know, and that's what you have to work with all the time.
::Danny
But that's what we did.
::Pat McCalla
What month did you drop
::Danny
May.
::Danny
yeah.
::Danny
yeah
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
May of 68. Yeah.
::Danny
And
::Danny
20 I turned 21 in Vietnam. Yeah. 20.
::Danny
You
::Pat McCalla
turned 20 and Vietnam
::Danny
Now turned 21 and Vietnam.
::Danny
21. Yes.
::Danny
Yes.
::Danny
no. Oh, no. Yeah.
::Danny
But,
::Danny
this is another story. But I don't know if I didn't know, but I was infantry, you know, 11 Bravo. And, when I went over there from Fort Polk, Louisiana, and after the first month, I was armor, I was in the armored division track commander behind the 50 caliber machine gun on the armored personnel carrier.
::Danny
I didn't even know what 50 caliber machine gun was, but there I was.
::Danny
like I said, that's that's quite another story.
::Pat McCalla
Oh my goodness. Well, we want to get into that. We're going to come back to you on that. But okay. So you're you're growing up in a small town,
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
Yes. Well,
::Dan
I grew up in, a town of about 70,000 people. I was Lorain, Ohio.
::Pat McCalla
that was like a massive city compared to Danny,
::Dan
Oh, yeah. Yeah,
::Dan
but it didn't seem large to me. We
::Pat McCalla
then did you, did you volunteer when you drafted. How. Because you went to,
::Pat McCalla
you did a little bit of schooling,
::Dan
I yes, I went to, community college, graduated with a chemistry, a two year chemistry degree. I worked for, a Xerox corporation for about a year and a half. Went to night school, tried to get my Bachelor of Science degree, and, wound up bailing out of college all together. And, about a month after I was, not even a month after I got out of, college, because, I just didn't do well, and I just wanted to drop out within a month.
::Dan
I had my draft noticed, and, I figured, well, my time's up. I better, I better go ahead and enlist into a service that I want to be. And and so I listed in the Marine Corps.
::Dan
I chose the Marine Corps. Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
So you had done a little bit of traveling.
::Dan
Yeah, I, I actually moved away from home. I was, living in Rochester, New York, and then I moved back home, near home in Akron. I went to university of Akron for about a semester, and I says, forget it. Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
you grew up in Ohio
::Pat McCalla
but Vietnam was a little different. Both those places, I suspect,
::Dan
Right. A little a little.
::Dan
Different to say, the
::Pat McCalla
Now, what's cool about you guys? The story is you really didn't know each other until just a couple of months ago, right?
::Dan
No, actually, a couple of years
::Danny
couple.
::Danny
Years.
::Danny
Years ago. Yeah, a
::Danny
carwash?
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
He was pulled in over there, and I was here, and I looked over and I see the Marine Corps sign. Vietnam veteran. I had to go over and say, welcome home.
::Danny
That's another thing. As Vietnam veterans, we appreciate that. Thanks for your service. Okay. Where's the welcome home? You know, we didn't get any welcome home. We really appreciate you the same way.
::Danny
We appreciate welcome home and vets on vets. First thing comes out of our mouth is welcome home.
::Pat McCalla
So that's really good for us to hear. Danny.
::Pat McCalla
those of us that didn't serve or even people that have served that maybe we weren't in combat, you appreciate hearing not just thanks for your service, which I always try to say when I see someone a veteran
::Danny
Yeah,
::Danny
Yes.
::Danny
Yeah. Well,
::Danny
you know, a lot of you
::Pat McCalla
came home and people, were against the war. And unfortunately, what happened at that time period is because they were against the war,
::Pat McCalla
They were also against the veterans
::Danny
And you're welcome home. Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
that's good for us to hear
::Pat McCalla
when you see someone with a, veteran, especially a Vietnam veteran, make sure you take time and say thank you for your service. Welcome home.
::Danny
You bet. That's real nice. Yeah.
::Danny
Yeah
::Pat McCalla
for our audience.
::Danny
Yeah. Take
::Pat McCalla
that to heart. That's what we need to say to to veterans, especially Vietnam veterans. So,
::Pat McCalla
Tell me about tell us about your first couple of weeks there again, both of you.
::Pat McCalla
You're from, Midwest or out East, and you're dropped in the Vietnam the other side of the planet.
::Pat McCalla
Completely different culture, completely different world. Danny, why don't we start? What? Tell us a little bit about your first
::Danny
couple of. Okay, that you were.
::Pat McCalla
with.
::Pat McCalla
And so, if you
::Pat McCalla
Tell us a little bit about your first couple of weeks.
::Danny
Okay, that you were.
::Danny
I brought some notes, if you don't mind, I'd like to read them. Yeah.
::Danny
for the draft in November of: ::Danny
th,: ::Danny
Now with a couple hatch covers, that's to get in and out of the armored personnel carrier when you put it up, goes back, and hits to your back. Well, it was really hot that morning against all regulations. Then he took his flight vest off that you're supposed to keep on. I took it off and laid it against my cupola cover.
::Danny
That's what saved my life. That's what saved my life.
::Pat McCalla
the vest on the back of
::Danny
The fact that I took it off me and put it against the cover, because when the RPG came through the cover, it absorbed that shrapnel and the concussion, and everything blew me over the road. But think of I wouldn't have had that on. I would have been cut into. So,
::Danny
I had taken my flight first off, and that morning that was against the road, that it ended up actually saving my life.
::Danny
I had two marks on my gun shield, also from an AK 47, only inches from where the gap is that where my 50 caliber barrel went through. So that's how close another one came. And lord knows how many shots missed you that you don't even know about, you know. Yeah, yeah. But those are two that I could look at.
::Danny
I went through six lieutenants during my tour on my track. Two were wounded, two were transferred out, one got malaria, and one was with me for my last six months. My job there was being a truck commander on an armored personnel carrier. My weapon was an M2 Browning 50 caliber machine gun, which, by the way, will shoot a bullet 1.7 miles.
::Danny
So it.
::Danny
Was powerful.
::Pat McCalla
it's a big gun again, for audience who don't know if they could, if we if we had a rounded
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
I was going to bring one but I was told. Yeah, yeah it does. Yeah. And
::Danny
I was infantry and knew nothing about being with an armored unit the first time. This is something the 50 caliber. I did not know how to put it back together again. My lieutenant did not think that was very funny.
::Danny
I said, sir, I was put into this position by you. He says, I know. Okay, I'll give you a little slack. Sarge, come over here and tell him how to assemble it again. So, my command track had my driver, myself, the senior aide man, and a Vietnamese interpreter, which was usually a true hoi. No, Chou Hoi is an enemy.
::Danny
th,: ::Danny
I better stop there, because that's getting into coming home. I don't want.
::Danny
To come home.
::Pat McCalla
yeah, let's come
::Danny
back. Yeah,
::Danny
Sorry.
::Danny
Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
Well. So
::Pat McCalla
what a complete life change. And you go from the small town you dropped in over there, and then you have numerous close calls. And like you said, you don't even know how many,
::Danny
Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
wow. And then six lieutenants you went
::Danny
through.
::Danny
Yeah. For different reasons, you know. Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
yeah. And then you said 67 men killed in your unit.
::Pat McCalla
were you close to any
::Danny
of that.
::Danny
With the internet? Now, of course you can look up and you can see from what date to what date, how many the three quarter CAF Charlie troop lost killed in action.
::Danny
And that's how I researched that, you know? Yeah. Oh,
::Danny
th,: ::Danny
I knew him for two days. Yeah. Joseph Putney.
::Danny
What a way to honor.
::Danny
And what a way.
::Danny
Yeah, yeah. Oh.
::Danny
there were
::Danny
three other guys that I saw physically get killed almost simultaneously. And one, Ronald Kinski rode with me from Ohio and, rode with me on the track all the way out to where we were going to have them dismount. He was infantry. And when we got out there, they dismounted and they walked through a hedgerow and I heard a audible noise.
::Danny
You know what an AK 47 sounds like when you hear them enough? And I said, what the heck was that? And I told my driver, I said, go ahead, little bit, go ahead a little bit. And he says, I know. My lieutenant was screaming at me. He's screaming, don't you dare. I said, Winston, pull ahead a little bit.
::Danny
And I could see one guy with an RPG and one other guy and AK 47. I could see him there about 20ft away. I said, pull ahead. Well, when he did, and I, I opened up with my 50 caliber, you know, they I think they had to pull me off. It was crazy. But I was just, just go nuts, you know?
::Danny
Then I got down and I went over to him and I said, I just was talking to this guy, you know, 15 minutes ago. Last thing I said, don't keep your head down, you know? But so I really knew about 4 or 5 guys personally. They'd go kill, you know.
::Pat McCalla
I can't imagine my friend. Yeah. Then,
::Pat McCalla
tell us a little bit about then you. So you again, total culture shock. Total change I mean whether different language. But but now you're in the middle of a war. So you go from Ohio to
::Pat McCalla
landing in Vietnam. What were those first couple of days and weeks like for you?
::Dan
I was, a member of the Or. They assigned me to an outfit called a Combined Action Platoon program. And I'll get into the jobs that we were involved with. But it was let's say I get off the airplane in Danang, and, I mean, I got off the airplane and like, like Danny described,
::Dan
oh my God, I'm going to be uncomfortable for a whole year.
::Dan
Yeah. Because I immediately start sweating. I got off the airplane in the middle of August. I don't remember the date like he does, but
::Dan
it was hot. It was humid. It was terrible. So I said, well, I better get used to being uncomfortable for a whole year. Actually, at that time it was 13 months. 13 months was our tour.
::Dan
They later cut down the time frame to one year, which
::Dan
really made me unhappy.
::Danny
yeah.
::Danny
That was after your time, right?
::Danny
Yeah.
::Dan
So,
::Dan
First day in Vietnam, they sent us, as I mentioned, I was a member of the Combined Action Platoon program. And what our job was was to live in a village with the people, help them whenever we could, and learn their or earn their trust. And so it was a squad of Marines. And a sign to us was the the local militia, they call them PFC Popular Force troops.
::Dan
And those Popular Force troops were there to protect their villages. So we lived among the people in the village. We did helpful projects during the daytime and we ambushed at night. And
::Dan
with us we were these kind.
::Dan
Of jump in.
::Dan
Sure.
::Pat McCalla
What kind of helpful projects would you do?
::Dan
fix little walk bridges? assigned with us were,
::Dan
medical guys from the Army armory. Excuse me. Navy corpsman. Yeah, they were Navy corpsman. And so we'd set up a little,
::Pat McCalla
Like a medical
::Dan
Like a medical unit. And in the daytime, we'd be giving the little kids shots, vaccinations, fix up wounds, stuff like that. So.
::Dan
So
::Pat McCalla
you guys are, repairing bridges and fixing wounds during the day and then going out at night and.
::Dan
Right.
::Dan
Yeah, yeah.
::Dan
So
::Dan
each night, the platoon or the squad would wind up having about 2 or 3 people stay back at, you know, front yard or backyard of, of a house. And that would be the harbor site. And then the rest of the team, 5 or 6, would go out and ambush and stay out all night and come back just before, before dusk.
::Dan
Yeah. So that's what our units were supposed to do. And it was very success for you in, in Vietnam. Getting back to my first day get off the airplane. And we had to be, it was kind of a specialized unit, so we had to do some training right there in Vietnam. So we spent 2 or 3 weeks at what they called Cap school.
::Dan
Now, the Cap school involved learning all of the jobs of a marine squad. There's a machine gunner, there's a radio guy, there's a guy that walks point and then there's a regular rifleman.
::Dan
So we had to learn all these jobs, though. All of them. Exactly. Radio. So very important to be able to call in,
::Dan
medevac and and call in artillery and artillery illumination if we met the enemy and we had to sweep this sweep the area in the night.
::Dan
So we had to learn all those jobs. We had to learn some of the Vietnamese language because we were going to be living among the people. And, first day hadn't even been issued our M16s yet. The South, the Viet Cong or maybe the NVA or lobbing mortars into our compound. Compound consisted of maybe ten hutches and built with sandbags.
::Dan
And in the middle of this, this area, which was probably 100ft square, was, was our, our whole the whole compound alive and mortars and, and there's a, a group of sandbags set up in a circle about five feet high. And they said, everybody get in this circle. And they dropped mortars into the compound. It blew away about 4 or 5 buildings.
::Dan
No one luckily got killed that day. But
::Dan
talk about feeling like you wanted to be part of the ground.
::Pat McCalla
Oh, I bet you couldn't get
::Dan
I didn't even want to be alive at that moment because I said, I'm going to get killed my first day. Yeah, yeah. So
::Dan
nobody got hurt. Nobody got killed. But we were filling sandbags for the rest of our time. Their capsule.
::Pat McCalla
Wow, Dan, what a welcome to Vietnam,
::Dan
Yeah, it was you.
::Dan
Oh, yeah.
::Pat McCalla
Yeah, man. So,
::Pat McCalla
what was it like for you? So we we talk about you guys showing up there and what that was like your first days there.
::Pat McCalla
Hear a little bit about what it was like during during your time there and, what you guys were actually doing in Vietnam. Tell us a little bit then coming home.
::Danny
th,: ::Danny
Everybody was so happy to have finally gotten home on a plane. But then an officer got on our plane and said his best advice was for us to get out of our uniforms. We couldn't quite figure that out. You know, he told us that things were not the same as it was a year and a half ago. We've been gone a year and a half.
::Danny
There were protesters through bloody tampons, fecal material, urine objects. When we came through from our plane, none of us could figure out why everybody was acting that way towards us at home. I was off from my old job back at the Gulf Station, a Gulf gas station where I worked before going into the service. It was full service back then.
::Danny
And, you know, you check the oil, you wash aluminum in the car, and, nobody wanted to have any eye contact with me. And I said, that's rude. Hey, Mrs. Thompson, how are you? Oh, your boys getting big. She would put a magazine or something in front of her eyes. Tell the kids not to look at me. Nobody wanted to have any eye contact.
::Danny
They would tell their kids not to look. I did not know what I had done wrong. It took weeks before things started to get back to normal and people accepted me again. So that's what was so weird. We didn't know what we do wrong.
::Pat McCalla
man. Danny, all I can say. And Dan just retired.
::Pat McCalla
When you were reading that, I almost teared up and then just got angry as well. Just got angry. It's so sad that, what you guys went through over there and then to come back to that kind of reception, I mean, having fecal matter thrown at you and being told to get out of your uniform
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
The
::Danny
Sergeant stripes and spit shined boots and everything, you know, and you get out and then.
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
They said, do they call you baby killers? Oh, yeah. They said all that stuff, you know.
::Danny
Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
And then even going back to your, your hometown
::Danny
Yeah. Like
::Danny
job, same town,
::Danny
you know what you say. They know
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
At that
::Danny
Yeah.
::Dan
Dan what what was your experience coming home?
::Dan
Well, I lived in the Midwest,
::Dan
and even though I landed in San Diego
::Dan
I did not experience the same treatment that he did. Yeah.
::Dan
People were not as friendly as I would had hoped they would been. But in my town, I didn't experience that sort of hate. Yeah. So in that respect, I was very lucky.
::Dan
Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
do you guys think, you know, you've lived long enough now and you've seen a couple of wars that we've gone through as a country since then?
::Pat McCalla
Do you think that, generally speaking, the public has learned a good lesson, a valuable lesson from that, that now when soldiers come back, even if you don't agree with the war they were in that they they learned and go, we're still going to honor our soldiers.
::Pat McCalla
Do you think we've learned as a as American people, or do you think it's similar?
::Danny
I think it's turned around, I really do. I mean, then I, you know, we're proud veterans and I know he would and I would going into the airport, if we see a veteran, they're sitting there, went for the baggage, come up the carousel, I go right over them, cam on the shoulder. Thank you for the service. And he looks at me.
::Danny
Welcome home, I said.
::Danny
Yeah, you got it. Yeah.
::Danny
So
::Danny
I really think it is. I think everybody's got more patriotic I think.
::Pat McCalla
Yeah, that that's really good because again, it was a, it was and
::Pat McCalla
any country I'm not just talking about America because people are people were broken
::Danny
here. Yeah.
::Dan
Sure. Dude. That
::Danny
all. Yeah. And
::Danny
are over there fighting.
::Danny
We know what they've went through or are going through.
::Danny
What what are your thoughts?
::Danny
I feel that
::Dan
has changed immensely from that time. Yeah. Now there are some still some radicals that hate the military and hate the cops and hate everybody. But an example of the change that I've noticed, as I recently was privileged to go on a, Arizona flight, the honor flight, it's called the Arizona Honor Flight.
::Dan
And they took veterans from World War two, from the Korean War and from Vietnam. Now we were the last to go there. It's a program whereby they gather up anybody that that was a veteran during that time or went to Vietnam. And they send us to Washington, DC and we spend a whole day touring all of the all of the memorials, Vietnam War memorials, World War to the Korean War and we go to to a lot of the, the presidential like the Lincoln memorials.
::Dan
And it was just a great trip. And the people at the airports treated us like royalty, screaming and hollering. They were all lined up with flags, and it was just a wonderful, warm feeling. And it was it was a great trip for all of us. And I do it again. In fact, I want to volunteer to go as a as a helper.
::Dan
on these trips. And, it's just a great experience. So noticing how the people feel about veterans really
::Dan
has turned around a lot for me.
::Dan
So
::Pat McCalla
happy to hear that. So happy to hear that. Because again, I can't emphasize that enough. So important for us, regardless of how you feel about whatever conflict that we're involved in, that we honor men and women, you know, having to children that are, are or were in the military, my son is still in I realize that even if we're not in a conflict, people that serve, I don't think the common person understands.
::Pat McCalla
It's like you're owned by the military. You guys understand that?
::Danny
that? You probably smile a little bit. It's like
::Danny
by the military.
::Pat McCalla
people are serving, even if they're not in a conflict or war, there's there's, there's a lot that they're giving up
::Danny
for there. And
::Danny
get it. I remember my
::Danny
You. Yeah. And
::Danny
what the heck? Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
So,
::Pat McCalla
you know, I think it's such a reminder to just honor our veterans.
::Pat McCalla
regardless of how you feel about something. You mentioned a memorial. How do you think that you two serving specifically in Vietnam for you?
::Pat McCalla
how is that changed when you stand in front of the memorial? a memorial.
::Dan
A lot for me because, one of my best buddies was killed over there. Lance corporal Tom Williams. And, it's tear jerking to hold the paper up and scribbling with pencil to scribble on his name, and,
::Dan
So.
::Dan
Yeah.
::Dan
Yeah, that's.
::Dan
Is he. Is that in DC?
::Dan
Yes. Yes. Yeah.
::Dan
Yeah. And you actually went during this. Oh yeah.
::Dan
And you write he was killed. He had one week to go in Vietnam and he was
::Danny
killed.
::Danny
to go.
::Dan
5530 over 55,000 military were killed in Vietnam. And that wall shows everybody's name is just unbelievable.
::Dan
Yeah,
::Pat McCalla
How about you Danny. When, when you stand in front of the memorial. Because I've gone to memorials and it's sobering for me. But I was not in the military. You're in conflict obviously. And so I can't imagine for, for you all.
::Danny
Yeah. I've been there twice to the wall. And, as a matter of fact,
::Danny
we're a library side of a guy, and I bought a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart in the cases and everything, and went and sat them down in front of his name. And I told the curator of the wall that was on that day, I said, make sure you know that this is for this guy's name.
::Danny
And I got a hand rubbing up it. And I told them and he said, okay. I says, I want him to have a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. I'm sure he probably got it, you know, but still with the local, you know. But, I said, I want to make sure you guys. But yeah, it's a tear jerker.
::Danny
When we go through there. yeah.
::Pat McCalla
tell our audience just for the few that may not know what a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart is like
::Danny
why you wanted to honor.
::Danny
Well, I happen to have gotten two of them, you know, and it's it's for valor for doing something over and above. And sometimes you wonder, what the heck did I do that you did you. Things settle down. Everything but. And the the Purple Heart is given for wounds suffered or whatever, whether it's a shrapnel wound or what it is.
::Danny
And,
::Pat McCalla
Yeah, yeah. Wounded in
::Danny
yeah.
::Danny
Wounded in action.
::Danny
So
::Danny
Yes, I did with that.
::Danny
Yeah, yeah,
::Pat McCalla
Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
what, for for the the public that didn't serve. There's a lot that they didn't serve. Haven't served. What would what would your message to them be
::Pat McCalla
how to honor you?
::Pat McCalla
You've given us one piece of advice that I really think is important to to add welcome home, especially to Vietnam vets. What's something else that we can do? I think of on on Veterans Day, on Memorial Day, on 4th of July, these different days where we're honoring the dead or honoring veterans. What what are some things that we can do or say that that that help us help you feel the support of the public?
::Pat McCalla
Because I think it's so, so important for any country. I'm not just talking about the
::Danny
United States,
::Danny
countries know on this planet. Yep. The
::Danny
and
::Danny
and I know you guys know this better than most, but as I
::Danny
of countries are like
::Danny
that. Yeah. Yeah. and
::Pat McCalla
so what are some ways that we as a public that maybe never served can really honor our veterans? Well,
::Pat McCalla
what are some ways that we as a public that maybe never served can really honor our veterans?
::Dan
For a person that doesn't know me or doesn't know Danny. Just a simple thank you. Is is sufficient. You know, if people don't know me and don't know what what we've gone through, just. Thank you. If they know I'm a veteran. I mean, I don't know what else. What else to.
::Dan
Say. Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
So thank you as a
::Dan
Yeah.
::Dan
Oh does.
::Pat McCalla
Yeah. And so
::Pat McCalla
that's not meaningless. That's what I hear you saying because
::Dan
sometimes you don't
::Danny
Yeah. Like I
::Pat McCalla
said, I try to say thank you to them,
::Pat McCalla
but you're saying that that does mean a lot.
::Dan
That's not absolutely okay.
::Dan
Absolutely.
::Danny
okay. Yeah. Some
::Danny
I was going to bring up, another way I like to get this out to the veterans is I've recently, put in another disability claim, and that's what they're encouraging vets to do now. And all the veterans that haven't put in disability claims to see if they can get what they think they're entitled to back.
::Danny
I put it in I was 30% rate of disability and now I'm up to 80. Yeah. And that's just that my hearing that I was zero rated for hearing from the VA. I went to audiologist. He said, look, you're hearing so terrible. Now I'm 50% rated for hearing crazy.
::Pat McCalla
Yeah. You light up a 50 caliber
::Danny
anybody that's not been around.
::Danny
Zero rating for 50 caliber machine gun blown.
::Danny
Up. You're not at the top. sure.
::Danny
Yeah. You know. Yeah, I can't even. Yeah.
::Danny
And, you know, wrong on my track being a track man. You had a camo helmet on so you can't hear what's going on with a camo helmet. What would happen? Throw off the helmet. You know, you got to hear what the going on. And so
::Danny
the that's where I would like to encourage all the veterans that haven't put in for a new disability claim to do it because I'm, I'm really happy.
::Danny
What's happening with me. And I'm sure that happened to a lot of them.
::Danny
Yeah,
::Pat McCalla
And Danny you bring up a great point with that.
::Pat McCalla
So important again for us to take care of our
::Danny
Yes.
::Danny
That's right.
::Danny
Yep
::Danny
Yeah. Especially
::Danny
Yes. So
::Danny
::Danny
You know, always take care of. Yeah,
::Danny
Yeah, we
::Pat McCalla
really do.
::Pat McCalla
I see now that I have some kids that are going to the VA, a hospital and,
::Danny
Yep.
::Danny
So yeah.
::Danny
Yeah, yeah.
::Danny
Yeah. Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
What were some of the and we'll wrap up with this, but what were some of the residual effects that you came back with good and bad? I'm sure. So let me give you an idea of where I'm going with this. The good I'm sure you really had to grow up. I can't even imagine how you went from,
::Pat McCalla
::Pat McCalla
You
::Danny
were already.
::Danny
20.
::Danny
but,
::Pat McCalla
yeah, at that age, you really probably went from boys to men really quickly.
::Pat McCalla
that's probably somewhat of a positive, but. But both you share some of the residual effects, good and bad, that you came back with.
::Danny
And it makes you mature fast, doesn't it, then. But you're seeing all of these wasted,
::Danny
injuries to arms and legs and people being killed. And you're wondering, you know, was it all worth it? You know, but, you know, it's just what do we I don't know, I think we all grew up a lot. And I think it's important for anybody to go into the service because you learn a lot, you mature a lot, and you mature fast, and you, you learn a lot of discipline.
::Danny
And I thought I was pretty disciplined before, but when I came back, I just I was really glad I did it. And we all say we do it in a minute, right. All I don't think you ever find a Vietnam veteran and says, I do it again in a minute, you know, and it's a lot of people. It might sound nuts, but we were proud to have done it.
::Pat McCalla
yeah, as you should be.
::Danny
I thank you.
::Dan
I just have to agree with him. I mean, it's so.
::Dan
all about memories that.
::Dan
Some good, some bad and and,
::Pat McCalla
know what you're saying down there. Where, again, they're not just all bad memories or good and bad memories,
::Dan
Yes.
::Dan
Good memories. one one of many good memories I have is,
::Dan
my first C.O. over there. His name was a Captain Ed Getty. I'll never forget him. And if he ever watches this, this podcast. And I still honor you, buddy. You were the best C.O. I've ever had. And, this guy would shave twice in the morning.
::Dan
And the most squared away guy I've ever met. And I just respected the heck out of him, and, And I always will. So.
::Pat McCalla
You know what I really liked about this podcast,
::Pat McCalla
the both of you did. And I think it's a great way to honor, but it really does show to that. When you say that you remember these things, it really does display like you're giving rank and names. You keep giving
::Danny
rank and the rest of
::Pat McCalla
these people.
::Pat McCalla
And that was
::Pat McCalla
can do the math for me. How many years ago was that?
::Dan
Over 50.
::Danny
55.
::Danny
55.
::Danny
You
::Danny
the names
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
respect. And
::Danny
Could I tell you a quick story about the P.O.W.? My bracelets.
::Danny
I came back from Vietnam: ::Danny
It looks like it's brand new. It's nickel. They're made. They're not the aluminum ones or whatever. It's nickel. So, I was, in our neighborhood one day, and the guy comes up, bangs on the trunk of the car, and he. I had been a veteran back, you know, he came up to me, puts his hand through the window.
::Danny
. He said, I was over there: ::Danny
He says, I drove him to the flight line the day he took off and never came back. I flew with Ray, saw his rule. He said no. And he said that day they took off up in the air and, I don't know, one two pilots and a Phantom four. And they got hit and they were going down and the one guy says, I'm getting out of here.
::Danny
n to the plane in Cambodia in: ::Danny
It's a very strange. You can't take this off and, you know, give it to the wall or something. I said, no, this has been on me. Never off through different illnesses I've had and everything. Never off.
::Danny
and then so I get on the computer, you know, and I look up because Ray. So, my guy that took him to the line, he's coming over to my house.
::Danny
, an email, I said, I thought: ::Danny
And I said yes. She says, I'm coming to Scottsdale. I'm a professional photographer, and the rodeo is going to be in Scottsdale and I'm going to be there. She said, let's go out to eat. So my wife and I met her and, we met her for lunch, and she says, I was one year old when he went down missing in action.
::Danny
And my mother had to wait seven years, of course, before she could remarry or whatever. But she said, I'm so blessed to know that somebody had worn my father's bracelet all those years, and you'd be surprised if people see that. Is that one of those? Is that one of those is the am I if I were to my death, you know
::Pat McCalla
Wow, man, Danny, what an amazing
::Danny
Yeah.
::Danny
They didn't even know. Yeah.: ::Danny
Yeah, 21
::Danny
Yeah. The story. Something like all those years.
::Danny
Yeah. Yeah.
::Pat McCalla
Well, Dan and Danny,
::Pat McCalla
all I can say for me and our audience is, thank you, thank you.
::Pat McCalla
Welcome home.
::Danny
Thank you.
::Danny
That.
::Danny
Thanks.
::Danny
Thanks, pal.
::Danny
Thank you. Man. Thanks to. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you, thank you.
::Danny
Did
::Pat McCalla
So two truths in a lie.
::Pat McCalla
It's ironic because we call this no gray areas. And then I'm going to ask you to lie to me. But it's a fun thing for the audience and myself. We got to know you a little bit. We got to know your story a little bit. So are you going to do is you're going to give me three statements.
::Pat McCalla
Two of them would be truths. One of them would be a lie. And I have to try to guess. The audience has to try to guess which is the lie. So
::Pat McCalla
we've been going with you first. Danny will keep going in that
::Danny
direction.
::Danny
Okay, well, I kind of screwed up this first one. I was born and raised in Arizona.
::Danny
Okay. No. All right. We'll show you a closer.
::Danny
Okay.
::Danny
I am a cancer survivor. I have worn a P.O.W. am my braces for.
::Danny
55 years.
::Danny
I kind of blew that today.
::Danny
I got it. I got this one, I got you. it's true that you've
::Pat McCalla
been wearing that. And it is not true that you were born in Arizona. But, see, that just shows I was paying attention
::Danny
Yeah, yeah.
::Danny
So you are a cancer?
::Danny
Yes.
::Danny
12 years. 12 years. Yep. Congratulations.
::Danny
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
::Danny
Yeah, yeah. So are.
::Danny
You.
::Dan
My first part time job was a popcorn salesman.
::Dan
I'm the oldest of eight children, and I'm the only one that served in the military.
::Dan
As a junior and senior in high school, I wrestled for Lorain High School. As a senior, I made it to the Ohio State level, but came in second in the 120 pound weight class.
::Pat McCalla
man, Dan, those are good ones. And and I know you a little bit because we've had quite a few conversations.
::Dan
so you.
::Dan
So you've got an advantage.
::Dan
I
::Pat McCalla
do, I should have an advantage. The second one, I was like, okay, I know this one. And then you added a second part, which I'm not sure. And that was it. You're the oldest of eight, but the only one who served.
::Pat McCalla
I'm going to say that's true.
::Dan
You're
::Danny
right. Okay. hundred and
::Pat McCalla
5050 chance.
::Pat McCalla
And then I think you I think I remember you telling me you were a wrestler. That's true.
::Danny
Wrong.
::Danny
I'm so proud of yourself. There's something wrong with your job.
::Dan
I wrestled in high school, but, for two years. Yeah, but, I was late to the program. The guy that was,
::Dan
had a year experience, and we were 120 pound weight class. He wound up in all of the varsity matches. I did okay in the junior varsity league, but I got into one high school. One, senior, what would you call it?
::Dan
varsity match. And I pinned the kid in the first period, so I could have. I could have been pretty well. Yeah, but I had tough competition. Was in there within the team.
::Dan
So
::Pat McCalla
knew you were in the wrong weight class.
::Danny
All right, you got a nice job there. Okay.
::Danny
And I would like
::Dan
to add about the popcorn salesman. Yeah.
::Dan
when I was about nine years old, my mom and dad owned a Drive-In restaurant in in our hometown of Lorraine. And he had a big popcorn machine, and he'd put me out there on a on a Pepsi case so I could be high enough. And the people at the Drive-In restaurant would come and buy popcorn from me.
::Pat McCalla
So at that age,
::Dan
I was a.
::Dan
Cute little kid, you know?
::Dan
things have changed.
::Danny
popcorn.
::Danny
thank you.
::Pat McCalla
So, man. What? Just much, much respect to both of you and your service and the life that you've lived.
::Pat McCalla
And thanks for sharing with us today,
::Pat McCalla
we love you guys.
::Danny
Thank you,
::Speaker 1
As we wrap up this episode with Vietnam veterans Dan and Danny, we're reminded of the courage and sacrifice of our veterans.
::Speaker 1
Let's continue to honor and support them, recognizing their service. The lasting impact of their experiences.
::Speaker 1
Be sure to like, follow, and subscribe if you love this exclusive episode.
