Vietnam Veterans Hold Reunion in East Ridge

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF-TV) – Service men and women who have served in a combat zone will tell you that you never quite get over it.
One way former soldiers put the past behind them, is by going to reunions, and sharing stories.
That’s what Vietnam Veterans are doing this week in East Ridge.

FRED CARTER, VIETNAM VETERAN "Sometimes the convoys would range from 25 or 30 trucks to 50 to 60 vehicles..that’s a big convoy."

Fred Carter drove a fuel truck in Vietnam. And now, almost 50 years later, looking at old photos brings back memories.

VOICE OF FRED CARTER "There were about 14 vehicles totally destroyed….and probably 13 tankers that went up in flames that day."

Members of transportation companies in Vietnam chose Chattanooga for this year’s reunion. They come from all over the country, and even brought replicas of the gun trucks they drove back then.

JOHN PORTER, TEXAS, VIETNAM VETERAN "This does more good..you talk about the PTSD treatment..and all that stuff the V.A. does..this does more good than any of that will ever be."

DAN MEDLEY, MEMPHIS, VIETNAM VETERAN "A month before I left there, on September 2nd of 1967, we had our first major convoy ambush where we had 20 trucks and one jeep destroyed or heavily damaged . We had 7 killed and 18 wounded in that convoy."

The transportation companies and gun truck drivers have their own museum in Fort Eustis, Virginia.
Barbara Bower was one of the founders.

BARBARA BOWER, FORMER DIR., TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM "A company commander of the 523rd Transportation company that wanted to be sure that one of the gun trucks that was in Vietnam came back for the museum." "We have the only one that exists from Vietnam."

Members of the Chief John Ross chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution have joined with this group of veterans as part of a nationwide move to recognize veterans from all of America’s wars.

Although members of the transportation corps in Vietnam were in a support role, most companies experienced combat.
In fact, two of their members were Medal of Honor winners.
That reunion runs through Saturday.