Maureen Sullivan American, Army, Vietnam

Leon E. Key

Leon Key lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Army, after years of racial abuse in Boston. He was trained in communications installation and repairs. After advanced training in crypto (computers), Key was sent to Vietnam with the 160th Signal Corps near Saigon. He recalled taking part in several firefights, including an ambush that left him wounded. Key would earn a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars.

Maureen Sullivan Army, Cold War, Massachusetts, Natick, Stateside

Elliot Goodman

Elliot Goodman had just finished law school when he was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1954. He would be trained in field artillery and sent first to Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, then to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. A “lucky break” got him assigned to managing the Army Service School, which assigned personnel (enlisted and officers) to the Army’s various training centers.

Elliot Goodman during his days with the Army.

Elliot Goodman in 2017, showing the photos of himself and his father, Louis.

Maureen Sullivan Japan, Marines, Massachusetts, Vietnam

Andrew DeFrancesco

Andrew DeFrancesco joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Don Bosco High School in Boston. He was a member of the Corps’ Force Reconnaissance Unit; his training included scuba diving and parachuting. He served in Okinawa, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, and was wounded five times.

Jim Ramsey interviews Andrew DeFrancesco at the Bedford VA Medical Center.
Maureen Sullivan Army, Army National Guard, Korea, Vietnam, West Germany

Ronald A. Cole

Ronald Cole was drafted into the Army in 1968. Trained in power generation repair, he was sent to West Germany. After six months, he was transferred to Vietnam, where he became the crew chief of a Huey helicopter. On missions, he would man a .30-caliber machine gun. He left the Army in late 1969, and joined the Army National Guard. He returned to active duty because “he couldn’t find work,” and served in West Germany and Korea to oversee maintenance of power generators. He was discharged in 1983 with the rank of sergeant.

Ron Cole’s medals
Ron Cole’s Overlord badges
Maureen Sullivan Army, European, Uncategorized, WWII

Hilbert Margol

Hilbert Margol and his twin brother, Howard, served in the 42nd “Rainbow” Division out of Oklahoma during World War II; both served as gunners with 105MM gun batteries. They would be shipped to Europe in early 1945, serving in the Alsace, Ardennes and Rhineland campaigns. Both brothers witnessed the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, and both served with the Army of Occupation in Austria just after the war ended.

Maureen Sullivan Air National Guard, American, Army NG, Army Reserves, Cold War, Massachusetts, Peacetime, USAF Reserves

Nicholas M. Zallas

“How can I make your job easier” was the directive that guided Nick Zallas through a 40-year career in the military. He served with National Guard and Reserve units in the Army and Air Force in communications and military police. Zallas was part of a response unit during the Blizzard of 1978 in Boston, as well as the Ramstein Air Show disaster in Germany in 1988. He retired from the Air Force Reserves in 2009 with the rank of colonel.

Maureen Sullivan Cold War, USAF, Vietnam

Vernon Amundson

MP3 of Vernon Amundson interview

Vernon Amundson joined the Air Force right after high school in 1954. He would spend 25 years in the USAF, mostly as a navigator on a variety of aircraft, including B-52s, C130s and AC 119s. Amundson served in Europe during the height of the Cold War, as well as in Vietnam. He retired in 1979 with the rank of major.

A B-52
A C-130
Maureen Sullivan Marines, Massachusetts, Natick, Vietnam

Paul Carew

MP3 for Paul Carew

Paul Carew joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Natick High School in 1970. Trained to be a radio operator, Carew joined the 2nd Battalion, “Hotel Company,” 4th Marines, as part of support for a helicopter force based on the USS Tripoli. He went on missions to Vietnam and Thailand, as well as the Philippines and Japan. As of the interview in 2021, Carew is the Veterans Services Officer for the town of Natick.

Maureen Sullivan Natick, USAF, Vietnam

Roger M. Woodbury

Photo Courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
MP3 of Roger Woodbury interview

Roger Woodbury was a teacher in Rhode Island when he realized that some of his students would soon be eligible for the draft. Asking himself “Why am I exempt,” Woodbury entered the Air Force in 1968. He would become a squadron weapons controller in Massachusetts and in Thailand. After leaving active service in 1973, Woodbury would eventually join the U.S. Air National Guard in Worcester, leaving in 1989 with the rank of major.