Rodolfo "Rudy" Escajeda - 1965

After graduating from Bowie High School in 1964, I decided to voluntarily enter the Vietnam draft at the age of eighteen. I had made this important decision after seeing four of my cousins being drafted and sent to battle. Two of them were sent to Vietnam, the other was stationed at Okinawa, and the fourth to Germany. I did not want to be the only one left behind in El Paso, so I enlisted in the United States Army in 1965. As I left El Paso to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for two months of basic Army training, it felt strange. I had never traveled out of El Paso my entire young life. After finishing my basic training, I was sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, for approximately another two more months. At Aberdeen, I had more advanced training that would be useful for me in Vietnam. Roughly four months after enlisting, I was deployed to Long Binh, Vietnam, which is about 30 miles north from Ho Chi Ming City Known as Saigon. There I was given the responsibility of supply specialist. As a supply specialist, I had the duty of receiving and passing out the supplies to almost all U.S. Armed Forces. Such as, the Army, the Marines, and Air Force, even sometimes we would supply the Vietnamese with parts. The fourteen months and four days I was deployed at Long Binh, I saw and experienced many things. I clearly remember going into the village on a weekend to get something to eat with some guys; in the restaurant, we noticed it was filled with smoke and we did not like how it looked. So we made the decision to leave that place; as soon as we left that restaurant it blew up. We did not know what caused it, or who did it, but we were just grateful we left just in time. I also remember the day the ammo dump blew up. As a supply specialist on of my responsibilities was guarding it, and I am fortunate and thankful, I was not on guard duty during the explosion. Coming back home I felt relieved because all of that was now behind me. I considered myself as being one of the lucky ones and felt that God had a plan for me after surviving many of those small events. Even now that I am 70 years old, I still believe God has a plan for me because I am alive, have my family, and still working. Rodolfo retired from The United States Army, as an E-4; he has two sons and one daughter from his first marriage, and two daughters from his current marriage. He has grandchildren. He has been married for 40 years. By Rodolfo “Rudy” Escajeda as told to Daniel Villanueva, Student, University of Phoenix.