It took him 40 years, but he never gave up hope. A fellow Vietnam veteran says: ‘He let the families know their sons did not die alone and they’d never be forgotten.’
Jim Zwit never forgot the hot, sticky smell of Vietnam. And he never forgot the eight Army buddies he lost there in an ambush in 1971.
He made it his life’s mission to track down each of their families, spread across the United States. And that was in an age before finding people was made easier by the likes of Google, email and social media.
It took him 40 years, but he finally found the last of them.
“He let the families know their sons did not die alone and they’d never be forgotten,” said Pat Condran, a fellow vet who plans to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., to mark the 50th anniversary of the April 15, 1971, firefight that forever changed the lives of those who survived.
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Great article and a great soldier and friend Brock. There are so many stories hidden in history that we'll never know about-the "little" skirmishes my dad was involved in in Europe (1 dead 3 wounded in a hedge row in Normandy), the incursion into Cambodia in 1967 with loss of life and then denial that the Army was there-my buddy WAS there and only wrote about it trying to deal with his PTSD), etc. Thanks for that post.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations.
DeleteVery emotional story. I was blessed to have never been exposed to combat during my days in the Marines. My Dad and son, both Marines, saw combat and my experience within Marine Corps League exposed me to many combat Veterans. The comradery of those Vets is beyond imagination. My love and gratitude for them is unwavering. God bless all of you who served.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and thank you. I believe all thanks should go to those in the field.
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