Palma Sola VFW veterans remember their Vietnam service

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of Vietnam War stories shared by Manatee County residents in conjunction with the PBS documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

Tony Fouse, 70, may speak for many Vietnam veterans when he talks about his wartime service.

“I am no hero, but I walked beside a bunch of them. I did what they sent me to do,” he said recently while sitting down to talk about his memories at Palma Sola Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10141.

Denny Lemley, 69, and Jim Long, 68, members of the same VFW post, also shared their thoughts the same day about their service in a war that changed America.

Lemley quit high school at age 17 and joined the Army in October 1965.

“My dad was a lifer – an Army medic – and fought with Patton in World War II,” Lemley said.

Part 1: Rome plow driver scarred by intense combat in Vietnam’s ‘Iron Triangle”

Part 2: Palma Sola VFW post commander served with heroism in Vietnam

Part 3: He fought two wars: Vietnam and the war within

It was not unusual for the sons of World War II vets to fight in Vietnam.

“We were brought up to believe in the United States. Military service was honorable,” Lemley said.

He arrived in Vietnam on Thanksgiving Day in 1967 and worked with the 101st Airborne Division as a light equipment operator building artillery pads, helicopter pads, small air strips and knocking down jungle.

Lemley was on guard duty in a bunker at Bien Hoa when the Viet Cong attacked during the Tet Offensive on Jan. 31, 1968.

“They had artillery they were shooting at us. They had sappers that came in and blew up the Long Binh ammo dump. About two weeks after Tet, we were policing up the bodies of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. The worst part is the smell. You never forget the smell of death,” he said.

After the war, Lemley bounced around.

“I was rebelling. I didn’t like the way we were treated and went through several wives,” he said.

He eventually settled down and worked with a power company for about 20 years.

“I am pretty blessed now. I’ll have a couple of cocktails with my buddies in the afternoon, hanging out at the VFW. We shared the experience – the laughter, the heartbreak and the pain,” he said.

“We weren’t trying to be heroes. We were just looking out after each other,” Lemley said.

Fouse graduated from high school in 1964 and joined the Army. He served in Germany and Fort Bragg during the American military’s buildup in Vietnam. He took a break from Army service and then re-enlisted in 1969, ultimately volunteering for duty in Vietnam in 1970.

He served as a supply sergeant with the 18th Military Police Brigade in Da Nang. His service also included convoy duty along Highway 1 and bringing convicted American prisoners from Long Binh Jail to Fort Leavenworth.

After his military service, he moved to Bradenton and joined Cedar Hammock Fire Department. He retired as battalion chief. Later, he sold fishing tackle for 15 years.

“I am so glad that our returning service members are getting some respect,” Fouse said, remembering how there seemed to be none for Vietnam veterans.

Long enlisted in the Marines on Aug. 10, 1966, and served in Vietnam from 1967-69. His service in the mortuary in Da Nang focused on the ultimate reality of war.

“There is no age limit on death,” he said. “I spent way too much time over there.”

Asked why he would volunteer to work in a mortuary, he said he owed it to his comrades to make sure they were properly identified and arrived home in the best way possible.

“They were young’uns – too young to die,” he said.

Long completed his Vietnam service by escorting home the body of a next-door neighbor from Walton, Ky.

“I brought my buddy home. It was very tough,” he said.

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Palma Sola VFW veterans remember their Vietnam service."