FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Bravery and courage represent the Purple Heart, an honor most veterans aren’t fond of receiving but carry for the rest of their lives. James Mitsch, a Vietnam War veteran lives for his squad members that never made it home.
Mitsch served three years in the Marine Corps. He felt it was his duty to serve our country, so he left Indiana University and went to California for basic training. Once it was time to go to war, a brotherhood formed.
“We learned to be brothers, you protect me and I protect you,” said Mitsch.
One day, Mitsch and his squad were caught in a hidden trap, where everyone in his squad was ambushed.
“Everything just started going, boom, boom, boom,” Mitsch explained. “I was blown up into the air and blown backward, my life passed before my eyes. As I was floating I saw the sky, and then I saw the bamboo trees, and then I saw myself as a kid.”
He was hit by a shrapnel from a bomb, it went right through his leg and took out part of his thigh and calf.