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John Craven
U.S. Army - 1969-1970
Co. A., 70th Engineering Battalion,
Combat Army
Khanh Duong, Vietnam, 1969
D.O.V.E. Fund member since 2006
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I was inducted in August, 1968; received basic training at Fort Knox,
KY and AIT at Fort Polk, LA. I arrived at Cam Ranh Bay in January, 1969
and was assigned near the remote village of Khanh Duong, 40 miles west
of Nha Trang. We ‘cruits” were mighty scared and immediately began the
search for a seasoned man in our squad to help us learn the ropes.
Our tasks were many - build QL-21 road and its bridges as well as perform
various combat missions. On October 4, 1969 three men in my platoon died
during an assignment. Being their squad leader, I have borne survivor guilt,
feeling responsible for their death, even though I was assigned away from
the danger at the last moment by my superior. Losing those young men
impacted me more than anything else during the war.
After years of suppressing my experiences of the war, I sought to gain
healing. The process started when I changed the priorities in my life -
taking myself out of the center and putting God there. I’m not saying it’s
easy, yet there is a new hope each day.
I made my return trip in 2007 with D.O.V.E. to check on various projects.
In addition, I placed a memorial plaque for the three men near the village
and we are building a school in their honor - one more layer of healing.
Helping the Vietnamese people through D.O.V.E. allows me to reach out to
other Vietnam veterans, their families and other humanitarians who want
to make a positive difference in this world.
God bless you for serving our country and “Welcome Home!”
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