Steve was among U.S. Combat Units, who were deployed in 1965. At the time, operation stretched over borders, while Laos and Cambodia were severely bombed. The Cambodian Campaign was a civil war and a conflict that set against the forces of the communist party of Khmer Rouge and North Vietnam and the Vietcong, who were against the government forces of the Cambodia, with the support of the America and South Vietnam. By May of 1965 about 10,000 Air force personnel were serving in Vietnam.
The three years that Steve was in Vietnam, he participated in many campaigns and operations. He was an expert pilot. His crew was the best. The other twelve airplanes and their crews that were under his control, were the best!
When he left Vietnam in 1968 to come home, he was a wounded worrier both physically and emotionally. He had seen things that no normal human being should encounter! The first sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam that he had participated, was the Operation Rolling Thunder which had begun on March of 1965, shortly after he had left home to go to Vietnam. It had lasted all the way through 1968. By then, when 1968 came to close, 58,000 airmen served in Vietnam.
His bravery and courage in this Operation gained him the rank of major. He received many medals for his valor and heroism. President Nixon pinned the purple heart medal on him. Helen refused to go to the White House for that ceremony.
Steve decided to retire from Air force. He was only twenty seven years old. He had so many job offers from different airlines. Luckily his wounds from war were not that serious to prevent him to get a job as a pilot. He Chose Pan Am as his employer under the condition to fly their route to Western Europe. He would began working only after a few months of rest and healing. He had gotten his wounds when he had crash landed his airplane in the jungles of Vietnam. That was why he got a purple heart. No one in his plane was seriously wounded. In fact his bravery in these act had saved many lives! He had been able to fly his broken plane out of enemy's approximate nearness to safety.
To Be Continued
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