This audio is an oral history interview conducted by The Army Heritage Center Foundation to preserve the memories of Soldiers’ and their Families, honor their service, and help educate the American public about the Army’s and its Soldiers’ contributions to the Nation.
“There was a lot of talk about activating the National Guard and Reserve units. My brother had been in the Reserves for two years, had just gotten married and bought a house. At that time as long as there was one son from a family on active duty the other one couldn’t be called up. So I volunteered.”
Thomas Neidigh – US Army, Big Spring
Soldiers from the B Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Division advance on the village of North Bong Son in 1966.
Neidigh adjusted well to infantry training. “I was young and it didn’t bother me. I was an outdoor type. I hunted, a rifle was no problem. To me it all went pretty smooth. Others, they had a hard time. We had a couple who really went over the wall, they went AWOL. They just weren’t mentally cut out for it. I had my mind made up before I left. I really had no fear about what I was about to face, but that was just me. There were a lot of guys that had a hard time.”
Early on in his military career, Neidigh got some advice from an officer who had been to Vietnam.
“He said: ‘Try not to make any close friends.’ He said: ‘The reason I’m telling this is that either you or one of your friends is probably going to get shot and maybe killed. And the reaction that one or the other of you has to that could ruin you the rest of your life.’ I had friends but I didn’t really pursue the closeness … but I would have done anything, if it came down to it, to help them or get them out of trouble if I could.”
(Read more stories from this veteran and others at: Voices of Service)