ST. Augustine, FL, Vietnam heroes to be honored

OFF THE WIRE,
AND NOT ENOUGH OF THIS HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!
BY: PETER GUINTA
Source: staugustine.com

Army helicopter pilot Coy McDonald, of the 334th Armed Helicopter Company, was flying night missions when he fired two rockets into a building he suspected was a Viet Cong hideout.

That's when the world exploded.

His rockets had ignited a spectacular secondary explosion that sprayed debris high into the air -- right into McDonald's flight path.

It was close.

McDonald had less than 30 days to serve before his tour ended.

"We had to clean the mud off when we got back (to the base)," McDonald said. "It was cool flying at night. You could see (the enemy) cracking at you."

He spent a total of 28 years in the Army and then flew corporate aircraft for 23 years.

McDonald is one of five local Vietnam veterans who survived and will be honored at a veteran appreciation show starting 3 p.m. Sunday at Flagler Auditorium, 14 Granada St., St. Augustine.

Doors open at 2 p.m.

The show is free, open to the public; tickets are not required.

A free shuttle will be run from the city's downtown parking facility by Old Town Trolley starting at 2 p.m.

The keynote speaker will be U.S. Rep. John Mica, R, Winter Park, soon to be the new chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

The other Vietnam veterans to be honored include Marine grunts Tom Crawford and Harry Manford, former Navy corpsman Paul Heagy and former Army Special Forces Green Beret Tom Waskovich,

Event organizer Michael Rothfeld, president of Florida Veterans Programs & Projects Inc., is also the producer of a documentary, "Vietnam: Service, Sacrifice and Courage," that will be shown after the congressman speaks.

Rothfeld also produced a documentary on Korea called "Korea: A Forgotten War, Remembered Heroes," featuring five Korean War veterans, three from St. Augustine.

The Vietnam documentary was filmed with Flagler College's Communications Department students under the leadership of Director Josh Wallace.

The printing, copying and inserts were paid for by Allied Veterans of the World, who also paid for the Korea documentary.

Also in attendance will be the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, 48-feet long by 8-feet high, which will be escorted to the college from Daytona Beach to St. Augustine. The guard consists of Flagler and St. Johns sheriff's deputies and by the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club, Legacy Vets, Rolling Thunder chapters, Patriot Guard Riders, Legion Riders, Christian Motorcycle Association and independent bikers.

During the show, patriotic music, a special tribute to MIAs and POWs and Michael Isom reading poetry by Army Vietnam veteran Randy Cribbs from his book, "Were You There?" will be featured.

A military gun display will be on the wall with a World War II Jeep outside.

Rothfeld will then present his 22-minute documentary.

The program will be dedicated to Leo Chase Jr., an Army rifleman killed in the battle of Ia Drang in November 1965, the first St. Augustine resident killed in Vietnam.

Rothfeld said, "Every year we try to honor all veterans but also single out one conflict. This year, the men in the documentary didn't speak in detail to their families about their experiences. So now we have them recorded."