Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:18 | Growing up in poverty, Joe Ponds had a strong family unit during his formative years. Because his grandmother was blind, she taught him lessons on observation that were later valuable to him in Vietnam.
Keywords : growing up poverty Baltimore MD Family African-American projects wisdom observation
Enlisting in the ROTC program at his college, Joe Ponds got his introduction to military service. At the time, race relations made it difficult for African-Americans to succeed, so he found himself especially sharp on his training. After he graduated with his pilot's license, Joe Ponds went into flight school.
Departing for Vietnam for the first time, Joe Ponds received his orders over the Mekong Delta in 4 Corps. Being prepared for any sort of combat environment was always essential for his company due to the surprise nature of the conflict.
While flying a Huey over the Mekong Delta, Joe Ponds was called into reinforce the ground troops who had come across a large group of VC. Facing heavy fire, he had to work hard to maintain a level head and make sure his guys got out alive.
After getting new orders to fly a combat helicopter designed to draw enemy fire, Joe Ponds started to patrol the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Later in life, he found out that his patrols may have led to intel that resulted in the invasion of Cambodia.
After returning home, Joe Ponds found a pretty hostile response for his fellow soldiers. They even had to deal with some increased problems because American politicians took actions that harmed their position. The purpose of a war needed to be a devoted commitment to something, which he feels was not in place during the Vietnam War.
