The "Nam Brothers" Reunion

Across the Fence 313 (Veteran's Day Extra)

November 12, 1966, somewhere in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, near the Cambodian border. A group of Wisconsin farm boys with the 4th Infantry, settle in to spend the night in sandbagged foxhole bunkers on the perimeter of a remote fire support base. We had no idea what horrors the night would visit upon us, and how the ghosts would haunt us for years to come.

Ray Slaback from Readstown, Harlan Springborn from DeSoto, Larry Skolos from Viroqua, and Howard Sherpe from Westby (that’s me), were drafted together in December, 1965, from Vernon County, Wisconsin. Don Hanson from Osseo, Wisconsin, was also drafted that month. None of us knew each other at the time, but that would quickly change.

We all became part of the 4th Infantry Division’s train and retain program at Ft. Lewis, Washington. We went through basic training together, went to Vietnam on a troop ship together as the advance party of the 4th Infantry, went ashore in the same landing craft, and spent our year together in Vietnam. Today they are my “Nam” brothers.

November 11, 2010 (Veteran’s Day). Forty-four years after we survived the November 12 attack, five of us reunited during the Veteran’s Day program at Westby High School, where I was the guest speaker. It was the first time all five of us had been together at one time since we left Vietnam. It was a wonderful reunion. There were hugs, smiles, some tears, and plenty of laughter, as five old friends, whose friendships had been forged in fire and shared experiences, were grateful to be with our “Nam Brothers” again. You can’t go through what we did together without developing a special bond. Perhaps Don Hanson summed it up best, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

In my talk during the program, I told a short, sanitized version of the terrifying experience we had shared that night when we were almost overrun by 1,500 NVA. When Don and I finally reunited three years ago, he said, “Do you remember when Puff arrived and saved our butts?” How could I ever forget? “Puff the Magic Dragon” was a converted C47 that laid down 6,000 rounds a minute with their gatling guns. The rain of bullets cut the enemy down, like wheat in a field. If Puff hadn’t arrived, we have no doubt, we’d have all been killed.

The five of us getting together and talking was good for the soul. I had never mentioned that night to anyone, other than my four “Nam Brothers.” They hadn’t discussed it with anyone either. There was nothing heroic about it. Just a lot of frightened young men, who all thought they were going to die, fighting for their lives and their buddies. It was good to get those ghosts from our past out in the open. Perhaps now the nightmares of that experience will go away for all of us.

One thing still bothers us. There’s very little mention of that battle in any accounts about the war; just a short story in the Army Times that didn’t sound anything like what we had experienced. It wasn’t even given a name. We decided to call it “The Battle of Dedman’s Hill,” in honor of our friend, Leslie Dedman, who was killed that night.

I hope our reunion will give us all some closure and peace. All five of us went through some frightening experiences together. It’s good for us to know that we aren’t alone. We’ll always be there for each other. When we get together we’re able to find humor and great camaraderie in our shared experiences. To show you how strong those ties are, Don Hanson’s brother died and the visitation was that evening in Whitehall. He still came to be with us for the program that morning. That’s how important and strong this brotherhood is.

I think we’ve all made our peace with the war. We haven’t let anger, bitterness, or alienation destroy us. We’ve gone on with our lives, and hope they’ve been productive. Vietnam will always be a part of us, and we all accept that. We think it’s made us stronger, better people.

When we left Vietnam, we all went our separate ways, went on with our lives, and never even contacted each other. I think we all went into the Vietnam closet, as I call it. We had served in a very unpopular war. Vietnam vets became the targets for the country’s anger and protests of the war. It would be 32 years before Harlan, Larry, and I finally got back together. Then three years ago, Don and I got back together. This Veteran’s Day, Ray finally joined our Nam brotherhood. Ray summed it up for all of us when he said it was not wanting to revisit the memories of the past that took him so long to get reunited with us.

I like what Jack P. Smith, a survivor of the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, and later an ABC News Correspondent wrote. “I’ve discovered that wounds heal. That the friendships of old comrades breathes meaning into life. And that even the most disjointed events can begin to make sense with the passage of time.”

Was the Vietnam War right or wrong? Was all the pain and suffering worth it? The five of us will leave that to the historians. I can tell you this, after our reunion, we stand united, five old Wisconsin farm boys, a band of “Nam Brothers,” who are proud to say we’re Vietnam veterans...and still alive.