Just when I thought I had everything that belonged to my dad accounted for, my Uncle Marty threw me a curve ball. They were cleaning out their storage shed when they came across a military uniform. At first, they thought it belonged to my Uncle Mike, who also served in Vietnam, but the rankings on the sleeve were higher than what Uncle Mike had been. So, they concluded it had to belong to my dad. The fact that my dad might have some of his stuff stored at Uncle Marty's is not that much of a surprise at all. Let me explain.
You see, Uncle Marty and his family currently live on the property that used to belong to my grandparents. The barn that used to be on the property is no longer there, but some of the sheds are. When dad went off to Vietnam, he stored some of his stuff on that property since he didn't have a place of his own. And when he came back, he stayed with family for a bit before bouncing around from place to place until he settled in a little house in Eureka. He only rented the house; he did not own it. So he kept his main address listed as his parents' in High Ridge. And he also continued to keep some of his stuff there as well. Just ask my family about the car that sat there for about 20 years. Haha! As you can see, it's not unlikely that Uncle Marty would come across some items that would still be stored at his house.
My cousin, Jess, gave me the heads-up that he was bringing in over. For which I'm glad. I was able to keep my composure when he walked in with it. I took it home with me to show my husband. When I pulled it out, he about cried cause he knew exactly what it was without me having to say anything. After I showed him, I looked it over thoroughly and cautiously checked each pocket. If you saw my short on YouTube where I'm going through my dad's other Vietnam stuff, you would know why. Click to watch the YouTube Short.
The uniform itself is in good condition after being stored in a shed for--how many years now?--more than 50 years? Goodness! It has a few stains, a few tears, and could use a good ironing, but it doesn't smell nor is it moldy. I think I should consult with a textile expert on how to clean and care for it. That's out of my wheelhouse.
Something I took notice of though. The patch on the arm is his rank. The rank on the uniform is Sergeant. Which made me think back to the story he told me about his friend Lonnie Merchant. Lonnie was the Staff Sergeant is a step above Sergeant and is in charge of certain duties pertaining to the lower-ranked soldiers.
Dad and Lonnie were good friends. They spent a lot of time together in Vietnam. Well, on the night of September 9, 1969, Lonnie asked dad to switch his rotation and go out and he would stay behind. Dad obliged. They were doing Mine Sweeps; clearing the roads of land mines so trucks and equipment could get through. When dad came back, he learned that their bunker was hit and a sergeant was killed. His heart sank. And when they read off the name, he about collapsed. Just like that, his best friend was gone.
Lonnie Merchant Find a Grave Memorial
This affected dad throughout his whole life. If he wouldn't have switched, he would have been there too and could have possibly been killed. I wonder if Dad had a bit of survivor's guilt. He talked about it with me on multiple occasions. See the video below.
The reason that patch on his uniform got my attention was as a result of Lonnie's death, dad was promoted right on the spot. He was the next best qualified to take Lonnie's position. He was always his second in command, dad would say. So, since the uniform had the Sergeant insignia patch instead of the Staff Sergeant insignia, this uniform was from before Lonnie was killed. It's amazing the things you think about. I know if Dad would have been here to see it, he would have thought the same thing. It could have been why he kept it over at his parents' house. It was probably too much to bear to look at it. Dad wouldn't talk about Vietnam for decades after he came home, so it wouldn't be a stretch of the mind to think that.
But I'm glad I have it now. And once I get everything cleaned up, I will store it all together. I would love to display it, but I have no clue how I would display it or where I would put it. But I have it and it's safe. Yeah, it's true, my family never throws anything away. And there are days I am glad about that.
