First of all, I knew Ross through attending some classes with him and we were friends.  Ross always had a smile and was the type of person that everyone liked.  I remember one of the last days of our senior year when seniors met in the school commons and signed one another’s yearbook.  I saw Ross that day and shared I had enlisted in the Air Force and he said he was considering the Army.  We signed one another’s yearbook.  This is the last time I saw him.

Two weeks after graduation, I was in basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas.  In March of 1968, friends wrote me at told me about Ross and Vietnam.  I was sad just thinking about someone I knew, not any older than me, losing his life so far away from home.  Just a few months later, I received my orders for Vietnam. In January of 1969, I arrived at Phan Rang AFB and was stationed about fifteen miles from the base at a MACV, Military Advisory Command-Vietnam, camp in Ninh Chu.  That’s where I spent the next two years – it would be two years without coming home.  Whenever times got bad in those two years, I seemed to think of Ross from time-to-time and just counted down the days for going home.  In February of 1971, I reported to MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida – my final duty station.  I was getting discharged in June -  my four-year enlistment was done.  One day in March as I was getting off-duty, I was handed a note to report to the assignment office at the base personnel office. My first thought was they must have meant the separation’s office but I was wrong.  The advisor role was still critical, they weren’t training any new advisors, so they extended my enlistment for 1-year to go back to Vietnam – this time I was going to Quy Nhon in the central highlands.  I arrived in April of 1971.  I only hoped that this tour would be uneventful.  On August 21st, I was wounded in action – I got my ticket home.  I spent the next fourteen months in military hospitals undergoing reconstructive surgery for my right arm. In October of 1972, I was retired medically from the military. 

OK, so how does this tie into the Vietnam Memorial and Ross and the “WallMagic”.  When we all came home from Vietnam, there was never a warm welcome.  Don’t get me wrong, my family and some close friends were there for me but in general it simply wasn’t a welcome home and thanks for your service.  As I look back, I seemed embarrassed about sharing anything about my time in the military, especially Vietnam.  When anyone would ask me about my arm, I simply said I had an accident.  Forty-years later and for the first time, I visited Washington, D.C. and the Vietnam Memorial.  I went with forty-nine Vietnam Veterans in a program sponsored by the Veteran Centers in Phoenix, Arizona, called Operation Freedom Bird.  Operation Freedom Bird provides a unique healing journey to Arizona's combat Veterans of all wars, giving them an opportunity to confront their feelings, share their experiences, and pay tribute to their fallen comrades-in-arms in a supportive environment of fellow Veterans.  I didn’t know what to expect or how I was going to manage my feelings.  I did know I wanted to find Ross’s name on the wall and simply pay my respect. During my first visit on Friday evening, I found it to be emotional for me.  I never realized that there were 58,282 fellow veterans who were enshrined here.  There were hundreds of people there, many of the vets and families were in tears.  I found Ross’ name, panel 46E, Line 27, and I did a “rubbing” – that’s where you simply take a piece of paper and using a pencil, rub over the name to get an impression on the paper.  I did this for Ross.

I spent a few moments visiting with him.  There was a small group of teens walking by and one of the boys stopped and said, “Thank you for your service sir” and I thanked him. One of the girls with this group thanked me as well and asked me if she could give me a hug and I said yes.  When she hugged me, she whispered, “Welcome Home”.  I couldn’t hold it back – I cried for several minutes.  I went back to Ross, touch his name and said, “Welcome Home Ross”.  At this moment, I realized why I came – to simply get closer and the unconditional recognition and Ross’s memory helped me through this.

There is one thing I learned during this trip, that Ross and his fellow soldiers, all 58,281, are definitely not forgotten.  Their memory is as strong as ever and are guarded over and protected by everyone who visits and volunteer at the Vietnam Memorial, 24 by 7 and 365 days each and every year.  For me, this was Wall Magic!

Dan Greening
1967 BHS Alumni
Retired Staff Sergeant, USAF
Vietnam Veteran – 1969 - 1971