Page 110 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2020- Online Magazine

Danny Lara
Helping Other Veterans

by Larry A. Williams

football team, played basketball, They took off my left arm, and I was
and ran track. He attended Texas put in a full body cast. I had a tube
Tech from 1965 to 1966, but a college in my lungs and couldn’t talk. They
education would have to wait. kept putting me to sleep. I was sent
to a hospital in Japan and was flown
Drafted into the Army in 1967, back to a base in Colorado and
Lara’s basic and Advanced then on to Brooke Army Medical
Infantry Training was at Ft. Polk in Hospital in San Antonio where they
Louisiana, aka “Tiger Land”. He sawed off my body cast. One of
received his orders for Vietnam, and my legs was now shorter than the
after a leave at home, he was on his other, so I was in traction for two
way. From Ft. Lewis, Washington, months. I stayed at Brooke until I
he flew to Alaska and then Japan, was discharged.” Spec 4 Lara was
finally landing at Cam Ranh Bay placed on the Permanent Disability
in Vietnam. He was sent to Long Retired List on November 28, 1969.
Binh for training and assigned to In addition to the Purple Heart, he
he sights, sounds, and smells the 9th Infantry Division, Mobile was awarded the Combat Infantry
of war are some of the many Riverine Forces’ “Bear Cat” location. Badge, the Army Commendation
Tthings that stick with combat “I was assigned to Company A, 3rd Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
veterans. They all seem to cope with Battalion, Mobile Riverine Force. (the one with a “V” for valor),
its aftereffects in different ways. We were put on an Army Troop the Vietnam Campaign Medal,
Danny Lara, a decorated disabled Carrier (ATC) like the ones used to the Vietnam Service Medal, the
veteran of Vietnam, “wanted to help make amphibious landings during National Defense Service Medal, the
other veterans”. While coping with WWII, where the ramp would come Marksman Badge, the Sharpshooter
his own PTSD, he wanted to help down and we’d hit the shoreline. We Badge and the Good Conduct
other veterans suffering from the would go on ‘search and destroy’ Medal. While Lara’s recovery was
same affliction as a result of their and ‘search and seize’ missions very slow, he wanted to return to
time in war. He knew what they up and down the Mekong Delta. college and have a career helping
were going through and worked Helicopters would sometimes pick other veterans.
hard to let his fellow combat us up and take us for three-day
veterans know that they were not missions.” Danny was involved Lara returned to Lubbock and
alone. Help was available, and, over in several of these missions during enrolled at South Plains College but
the years, he has helped numerous his nine months and 26 days in had to drop out after two weeks
veterans get that help. Vietnam.
Danny Lara was born on January Remembering the day that he was
14, 1947, to David and Aurora Lara wounded, Danny explained, “On
in Thrall, Texas. Twelfth born of 13 March 8, 1969, we were on a ‘search
siblings, young Lara had to work and destroy’ mission. We had just
hard. His father, who emigrated been dropped off by the ATC at a
from Mexico in 1918, wanted a rice paddy where several Hueys
better life and opportunities for his picked us up and took us to our
family. He knew the value of an mission location. We were hit by a
education. Danny also learned the 105 (105mm artillery shell) booby
value of hard work in his formative trap. It exploded and killed the
years. His family provided labor machine gunner in front of me. I fell
on various farms. In the summer, to the ground. I couldn’t hear. I felt
the family migrated to Wisconsin to my left arm but couldn’t move it.
pick cherries and harvest cucumber Both of my legs were broken, and
fields. The last three siblings of the I had multiple shrapnel wounds
large family graduated from high all over my body. Our squad had
school. Danny graduated from three killed and ten wounded. I was
Frenship High School in 1965. He evacuated by Huey to Dong Tam
was one of two captains on the and then taken to a ship at Ben Hoa.

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