Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    Clemson University honors military and Vietnam veterans

    Clemson honors military and Vietnam veterans

    Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Erica Jaros | Retired South Carolina Army National Guard Col. Alston Gore, a Vietnam War Huey pilot,...... read more read more

    CLEMSON, SC, UNITED STATES

    11.22.2014

    Story by Staff Sgt. Erica Jaros 

    108th Public Affairs Detachment

    CLEMSON, S.C.— Clemson University honored the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans and all military veterans with their families during the military appreciation football game at Frank Howard Field in Memorial Stadium Nov. 22 in Clemson, S.C.

    One of the honorees was Terry Cameron, a Vietnam veteran and 1969 Clemson graduate.

    “Vietnam was hot, wet and scary. It could be hard to find the enemy, and sometimes they found you,” said Cameron, a first lieutenant serving as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam from 1970-1971.

    Clemson University, Clemson Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) units, and U.S. Army Cadet Command are part of more than 6,700 Commemorative Partners nationwide honoring the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

    “It’s like a 50 year delayed welcome home and thank you,” said Cameron.

    Retired S.C. Army National Guard Col. Alston Gore became a first lieutenant UH-1H Huey pilot after he graduated from Clemson in 1969, was also in attendance at the game’s festivities. He flew with A Company, 227th Battalion, 1st Cavalry in Vietnam from 1970-1971.

    “I was glad to be of service to the guys on the ground. They were our mission,” said Gore. “We flew them into the combat assaults and the weeks and days after that we supported them with taking out their wounded, taking out their dead, supplying them with food and when it was time, we would extract them. We were their workhorse and we loved being their workhorse.”

    Vietnam was a new type of war for the U.S. military. The enemy used the jungle to their advantage and guerrilla tactics that service members weren’t prepared for.

    “I always thought about it like being a boxer in the ring and your foe could come and go as they wish,” Gore said as he described the tactics of the North Vietnamese Army.

    Cameron recalled that the day he left Vietnam was the happiest moment of his life. But during his time overseas, he learned to love the guys he served with. He knew that they would always be the ones to take care of each other.

    As veterans from different branches and wars gathered at the heart of Clemson’s campus, the camaraderie was evident in the handshakes, smiles, and warm embraces exchanged between them.

    Veterans had the opportunity to take part in the pre-game parade through campus where fans lined the street and waved American flags. During the pre-game activities, two members of the Special Forces Association Parachute Team dropped in with the game ball and the S.C. National Guard’s Chief of Staff, Col. James “Ronnie” Finley and Staff Sgt. Eric Bamberg from A Company, 151st Expeditionary Signal Battalion joined the team captains on the field for the coin toss. Throughout the game Clemson honored individual veterans, organizations, and the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

    “It’s important to honor Vietnam War veterans because we should never forget where we came from,” said Army ROTC Cadet Stephen Cullerton, a simultaneous membership program cadet with the S.C. Army National Guard’s 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command. “The service members who fought and died in Vietnam paved the way for the military today.”

    During halftime, Vietnam veterans filled the end zone to be recognized as the Clemson Tiger Band played the Armed Forces service songs. Also recognized during half time were 26 families of fallen service members from South Carolina.

    The military appreciation game was an opportunity for Vietnam veterans and the community to come together, share stories, and remember the more than 58,000 service members who were killed in action in Vietnam. Thirty-one Clemson alumni were among those killed during the war. Their names can be found on the Scroll of Honor outside of Memorial Stadium.

    “I went down to the Clemson Corps’ Scroll of Honor and I loved what was at the base of the flag pole. It said ‘freedom is not free,’” said Gore.

    Cameron, Gore and other veterans attending the game strongly agreed that the thing they are most proud of is simply that they served.

    “I would like to see everyone who is physically capable, participate in some way for at least two years of their lives to support this country,” said Gore. “It doesn’t have to be the military, it can be the Peace Corps, but I’d like for them to feel like they have an earned interest in the freedom of this country.”

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.22.2014
    Date Posted: 11.25.2014 15:23
    Story ID: 148803
    Location: CLEMSON, SC, US

    Web Views: 333
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN