Echoes of the Vietnam War

In July 1969, Job Gonzalez was lowered into a tunnel where his enemy was waiting. When he resurfaced minutes later, he was out of the frying pan and into the fire. His valor that day earned him a Silver Star recommendation that lost its way in the chaos. A mechanical engineer, Job describes trauma in the only language that fits: the point where a material bends and can't spring back.

In EP118, "The Void," we joined Mark Coonrad on a road trip to visit the graves of three men who died serving with the 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division — the "Braves." Heavily engaged in the Central Highlands, this unit earned high commendations for its bravery and combat effectiveness, and enduring legendary battles like Dak To. In this conclusion, we hear from Jim Wytko, one of the surviving Braves who's still around to tell their story.

The Braves of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment fought a hard, largely unsung war in Vietnam's Central Highlands. Nearly 300 never came home, and most of their families received little more than a telegram — hardly enough to understand what happened. A veteran of the Iraq War has set out to fill that void: to visit every one of their graves and remember each as "more than just a name on The Wall."

The United States Coast Guard is the service that has to go out but doesn't have to come back. By July of 1965, the first 82-foot patrol boats were arriving at Da Nang. Most people don't even know the Coast Guard was in Vietnam, and the people who do know tend to picture them somewhere in the background, keeping the shipping lanes clear. During his one-year tour, Woody Barley was definitely not in the background.

Diane Carlson Evans passed away last week at the age of 79, following a battle with cancer. An Army nurse who served 18 months in Vietnam, she became a tireless advocate for the women who served there, ensuring their courage, sacrifice and service were recognized alongside their fellow Vietnam veterans. As we continue to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day, we’re honored to bring you her story.