Vietnam War Commemoration
Name:
Michael Frangadakis
Years of Service during the Vietnam War:
3 years
Position and Branch of Service during the Vietnam War:
Medic Technician-US Army
Where were you deployed:
Phu Bai I Corp.-Nah Trang(II Corp) South Vietnam
What caused you to join the military:
Called to service. Doing my part to support freedom and liberty in the world.
What was the transition like when you returned home?
Unfriendly. After returning in November of 1969, friends and some relatives became distant or disappeared from my life. As I was passing near an antiwar rally in downtown San Jose, about twenty protesters attacked me because they said I was a baby killer.
Most significant memory:
Landing at San Francisco Airport and kissing the tarmac. I couldn’t believe how good it felt to come back to The States and see my family. It was Halloween night and I trick and treated my mom, dad, sister and dog with a surprise we all never forgot.
What do you wish that civilians would understand about military service?
When our military enters a warzone there is more to what goes on than killing and fighting. On average only about 10 percent of deployed troops ever see combat. The rest support the mission and nation build the third world country we are fighting in.
