Sharing Our Stories

Jerry W. Rhodes
Lead Clerk Accounting
Roanoke

I am a Vietnam veteran. I served during the Tet Offensive from March 1968 to March 1969. It was an honor to serve my country and with the comrades in arms who were with me for that short time. One of the pleasurable memories was brought back to me recently with all of the hurricanes and tornadoes that are hitting this country currently. One of the most spectacular sites I witness in nature was a waterspout. I served in the Delta and was constantly surrounded by water. We were near the South China Sea one day when we looked out and the spout was moving northward along the coastline. It was a beautiful site, white (with foam from the churning water) and several thousand feet high. Thank you for allowing us to express some of the pleasures that we experienced along with the sorrow and destruction of war.

Most people feel that Vietnam veterans are homeless, drug addicts, or drunks with great hostilities for mankind. Those are the exceptions more so than the norm. I went over with a high school education, and through perseverance I now hold an undergraduate degree as well as an MBA. The Wall made me grow up and accept responsibility with my family as well as my self being. Thank you.