A group of veterans gathered in Downtown Gresham to share some amazing stories on the eve of the country’s milestone birthday.
One was drafted during the Vietnam War and found himself with a platoon pinned in by enemy fire during the Tet Offensive, one of the war’s largest military campaigns. The platoon had to hold out for days in a small village, with little support as supplies dwindled to just a handful of bullets.
Another served as an Army medic during the Korean War. He brought photos during the gathering. One showed a little Korean girl whose life he saved by removing shrapnel from her neck. He also told the story of Mr. Kim. He was a little boy the medics found in a village. When they were leaving, the soldiers hid Kim in the back of an ambulance that was brought onto the military boat, despite being told to leave locals behind. Kim would stick with the medics, helping out when he could. He later immigrated to the United States and became a college professor…