From start to finish: Vietnam Vets serve in Iraq

Photo By Spc. Jasmine Walthall | Staff Sgt. Louis J. Swift pauses while performing pre-flight inspections on a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter. Swift, a member of the 3-142 Assault Helicopter Battalion from the N.Y. Army National Guard is a Vietnam vet and a native of Detroit, Mich.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

02.12.2009

Story by Pfc. Jasmine Walthall 

Multi-National Division-Central

By Pfc. Jasmine N. Walthall
Task Force 449

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – It takes a dedicated Soldier to serve through several wars and continue to wear the uniform, Soldiers like Staff Sgt. Louis J. Swift and Chief Warrant Officer Steven M. Derry. Swift and Derry are Vietnam veterans who currently serve with the 3-142 Assault Helicopter Battalion, a National Guard unit out of Ronkonkama, N.Y.

Swift is currently serving in Iraq as a crew chief and door gunner, jobs he has done for the past 24 years. He is responsible for ensuring his assigned aircraft is safe by performing routine inspections prior to take off.

"I enlisted for Vietnam from 1967-1973," says Swift, a Detroit, Mich. native. "Then, I enlisted for a one-year term for Desert Storm in 1991."

This is Derry's second tour in Iraq. He is currently serving as the officer in charge of 3-142 AHB's Air Movement Request section. His job includes viewing flight schedules for Soldiers in the battalion, as well as ensuring there is enough fuel and time to execute missions.

These men are quick to note the differences between serving in Iraq and Vietnam.

"Vietnam was a lot more active," says Swift. "We got rocketed more often and this time it is definitely safer, where we were once flying in t-shirts, we are now wearing 40 pounds of body armor."

Derry agrees, "It is definitely a lot calmer; there are not as many improvised explosive devices and our aircraft are not under attack as much."

Serving in two different wars from very different time periods allows veterans to appreciate some of the similarities and differences between the past and the present.

"The attitudes have changed in the past years," says Swift. "At one point, Soldiers were forced to deploy through the draft, but now that it is an all volunteer Army, there is more pride and dedication from the men and women who wear the uniform."

Although the times were different, Vietnam still instilled values pertinent to the American Soldier.

"I gained respect for fellow humans," says Swift. "I also gained pride in my country and in the military."

This will be the last tour for Swift and Derry, and while they are sad to see their careers come to an end, they are proud to have served their country.

"I am proud that I am still a Soldier," says Swift. "I am glad that they had me back and while I will be retiring at the end of this tour, it has been a good and rewarding career."

"I set out to make a career in the military, and that is what I did," says Derry. "The military allowed me to set up a retirement for my wife and children, and it will be missed."

• Date Taken: 02.12.2009
• Date Posted: 02.12.2009 01:46
• Story ID: 29917
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ