Show notes
In this episode of Ask A Vet, we sit down with Vietnam Veteran Ernest, whose two back-to-back tours as a Huey door gunner took him from avoiding the draft… to becoming the man everyone in his unit depended on.Ernest shares unbelievable stories: being shot down four times, falling 100 feet from a helicopter into a rice paddy, saving his pilot’s life, living 50 yards from the South China Sea, water-skiing in a war zone, and fighting in some of the most chaotic conditions imaginable.Ernest’s perspective on service, survival, friendship, and finally being honored decades later on an Honor Flight is something every American needs to hear. If this episode impacted you, please subscribe and help us continue documenting the stories of the heroes who served.Chapters:01:10 – Background & Avoiding the Draft06:30 – Basic Training at Fort Jackson10:05 – Arriving in Vietnam12:00 – MOS Changed Overnight After Base Attack13:35 – Becoming a Door Gunner16:15 – Building a Hooch by the Sea18:00 – Water-Skiing in a War Zone20:25 – Shot Down Multiple Times23:40 – Saving His Pilot’s Life27:50 – Missions Across Vietnam31:00 – Falling Out of a Helicopter 34:45 – First Combat Mission & Melting the Gun38:00 – Daily Life45:00 – Re-upping & Serving a Second Tour48:30 – Coming Home to Hostility50:20 – The Honor Flight That Finally Healed Something54:40 – Life After the War & Reflections
