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 American, Army, Korea, USAF, WWII

Allison “Doc” Blaney

“Doc” Blaney joined the Army on his 18th birthday in 1943. Trained as a medic and a paratrooper, he parachuted near Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion at Normandy; he would spend the next six days treating the wounded in an old chapel. He was also at the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he joined the Air Force, and served during the Korean War in photo intelligence.

Maureen Sullivan Army, European, Korea, USA, Vietnam, WWII

Winston E. “Pat” Flynn

“Pat” Flynn joined the Army in 1943, wanting to join the 10th Mountain Division as a skier. Instead, he was trained for combat infantry. He served with the 157th Infantry Regiment, and saw action in Italy and France. After the war, he stayed a civilian for about a year before rejoining the Army for another 20 years. Flynn would see action in Korea with the 9th Infantry Regiment, and in Vietnam as part of the Special Forces.

Interview conducted by James Ramsey

Pat Flynn and his medals
Pat Flynn at his home in Lexington, 2019
Pat Flynn recuperating after a Special Forces mission.
Pat Flynn receiving a field commission to second lieutenant.

Maureen Sullivan Army, Korea, Vietnam

Kevin Strel

Kevin Strel left a halfway house in New York City at the age of 17 to join the Army. Trained as a medic, Strel would be sent to Korea as part of the 9th Infantry Regiment. For the next year, he would rotate between patrolling the DMZ and being on base treating personnel and Korean civilians. He would finish his three-year enlistment at Fort Dix and Fort Devens.

Kevin Strel’s medals
Maureen Sullivan American, Army, Massachusetts, Persian Gulf

Arthur Robert

Arthur Robert was a second lieutenant with the 403rd Civil Affairs Company when his unit was deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm. Robert would end up in Kuwait City organizing the transport of supplies. Robert would later serve with the Mass. National Guard, retiring in 2005 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Art Robert writes a letter.
Arthur Robert
An oil fire during Operation Desert Storm
Maureen Sullivan American, Army, Vietnam

Arthur Kovacs

Arthur Kovacs, audio interview

Arthur Kovacs had finished two years’ study in civics engineering at the University of Buffalo, as well as some time in Haiti as a medical missionary, when he was drafted into the Army in 1970. He started out being trained to handle mortars, but soon transferred to clerk school. After basic, he was sent to West Germany, where he worked as a legal clerk in Frankfort. He was discharged in 1972.

Maureen Sullivan American, Army, Cold War, Korea

Raffael deGruttola

Raffael deGruttola – audio

Raffael deGruttola enlisted in the Army in 1953, shortly after graduating from Somerville High School. Because of his talents as a musician, he earned a spot in the 18th U.S. Army Band in Fort Devens. He would also earn a spot in the 1st U.S. Army Band in New York City, as well as attending the Naval School of Music Conservatory in Washington, D.C.

Maureen Sullivan African, Army, European, USA, WWII

Mario Aiello

Mario Aiello grew up in Readville (part of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston) and was drafted into the Army in 1942. He became a Technician 5th Grade, and was part of the 5th Army’s 75th Field Artillery Battalion. Aiello saw action in North Africa and Italy, and would earn a Bronze Star.

This interview was conducted with Aiello’s son, Stephen Duggan, at the Bedford VA Medical Center.

Mario Aiello in later life
Mario Aiello’s discharge paper
Mario Aiello and his mother in Readville
Maureen Sullivan Army, Vietnam

George T. Palmer III

George T. Palmer III – audio

George Palmer joined the Navy in 1967 to “see the world” and because he “didn’t like walking in the jungle.” He served as a Fireman E-3 at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida, Vietnam and Seattle, Wash. While in Vietnam, he repaired small boats, including PVR, or “swift” boats.

This interview was recorded at the Bedford VA Medical Center.