Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Thomas Owens

Vietnam | Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 61st Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division

There were bad days and good days in Vietnam. A bad day for Thomas Owens was loading bodies onto helicopters or dodging rockets. A good day was when the Donut Dollies came to visit. By the time his unit was standing down, he wound up in the hospital, worn down by bad nutrition and infection. He was determined to walk out of Vietnam though. (4:10)
He was aware of the antiwar movement, but just ignored it. When Thomas Owens returned from Vietnam, all he wanted was a hamburger. He's on speed dial with his fellow vets and he advocates for what he considers right, much to the consternation of his local politicians. (4:53)
Thomas Owens has no use for bureaucrats, especially the ones who left him with no change of uniform and no decent food. He laments that going to the VA is just like going to Vietnam all over again. You can't get what you need. He does his part for today's returning veterans and he wonders, why do only the negative stories about veterans get all the publicity? (3:58)
Thomas Wells

Operation Iraqi Freedom | 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment

Thomas Wells was adopted into a large family in Omaha which gave him a good environment in which to grow up. His folks decided he needed some discipline, though, as he neared the end of high school, and they informed him he would be joining the Army. He found some good role models in the DI's at Fort Benning. (4:54)
It was just a quick comment from a commander to a lowly recruit, but what Thomas Wells heard that day completely changed his state of mind and helped him get through basic training. As he traveled to his first duty station, another chance meeting with a superior worked out well for him. (4:55)
His company won a shooting competition which meant they could attend the Bright Star exercises in Egypt. Thomas Wells was packing to leave when he got new orders. The unit was going to Iraq and they only had thirty days to train up on all new equipment. (4:42)
All the bad stuff happened at the bridge. You rotated between three posts in the small Iraqi town and for the men of Blackhawk 1-9 Cav, the bridge was where you didn't want to be. Thomas Wells remembers that place well and he also remembers trying to keep good relations with the locals, whom he always tried to treat with respect. (5:51)
It was the worst incident of the deployment. At a bridge in a small Iraqi town, a car bomb took out three soldiers. Thomas Wells pays his respects by recalling them from better times. (3:38)
Thomas Wells interacted with a lot of Iraqi children but there were two in particular that he found very charming. He would give them candy and money and the last time he saw them, they got a significant parting gift. (2:45)
Ali was taking an immense personal risk. If he was identified as an interpreter for the Americans, he and his entire family could be assassinated. Thomas Wells reveals what happened to Ali. (2:17)