Vietnam Voices: 'I prayed to everybody ... you let my brother go home'
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2015
- Vietnam War veteran Jerry LaFountain talks about his experiences. LaFountain is a Vietnam veteran who has received a Purple Heart. He was in the U.S. Army. He started the Purple Heart memorial in Yellowstone County and has been active in veterans organizations and events. He was raised in Lewistown. He had to drop out of high school to help support a family of eight siblings.
LaFountain's brother, Ernie, also shared his story for Vietnam Voices.
Mr ehrlich, thank you for doing these. They really opened my eyes. Now every time I see a Vietnam vet I make sure to say ‘welcome home’ and ‘thank you’. I don’t know if you’re still at the gazette or if you’re still doing these or if you’ll even see this, but I really appreciate you doing this for these vets. 🙏🏻
I'm Australian and really respect our good friends in the USA. Our men served nobly, along with our New Zealand cousins. Thanks for what you did, Jerry.
Frank Philpott are there any good documentaries or interviews maybe on Vietnam war from the perspective of Australians? I never knew Australia served in Vietnam during the time untill this week.
@@photosynthesis69 Were you in the service? Have you read many books on the Vietnam War? I learned this fact quite a while ago in Marine Corps Recruit Training, plus I've read about every Marine memoirs on the Vietnam War and my brother was a Marine in Vietnam from December 1966 until January 1968.
I guess it depends on the amount of exposure to this type of info. Probably the average American has little knowledge of the Aussies contributions to the Vietnam War effort.
My Channel My Choice
Just about every commonwealth country helped you fight the Korean conflict.
I am disappointed to read that you had only found about ANZAC participation in the Vietnam war so recently.
@@photosynthesis69 ruclips.net/video/8gUSq7pxux4/видео.html
Prompted by being a vet of this war I've watched a lot of interviews by the Billings Gazette and others, but this by far is the very most remarkable story of a soldier who, along with his family members did what their country asked of them. Thank you Jerry, for your service, and thank you for the Billings Gazette for your commitment to letting soldiers tell of the weight of the burden that never goes away. Touching this was from a fellow 1st Cav Vet, Gary Owen! Brother.... Bravo Company 1/7th Cav, '69-70 III Corps.
As my father used to say; "I'm sorry, was I trying to speak while you were interrupting? Go ahead"....
Him trying to take care of his brothers will make anyone with brothers shed a tear
Thank you so much, Jerry. I empathize with you. It’s a privilege for me to hear your story. You are a war hero, even if there actually was no great reason for Vietnam. You did what you did out of a sense of duty and honor. I’m tremendously respectful of you and admire you tremendously.
I was born in 62, but I had cousins that fought in Vietnam and remember the change in them. One of the greatest American tragedies is the way Americans treated their sons returning from Vietnam. Not only were they heroes of war, but they were bad asses.
Thank you Jerry LaFountain. Salute
one of the American tragedies indeed, for nearly fifty years I've hoped for a quick demise with a conscious voice saying that is not going to happen, using a razor blade and my saved up meds I thought I could end it quickly .years later when the agent orange used cancer to infect my brain , the doctors had a hard time with my defeatist attitude, I was living in the far east I had no home in the states so I lived on the streets except for one week a month in the cancer ward the lead doctor saw me under the bridge and ordered me into a locked old folks home, cancer has been "cured" now for ten years and suicide is no longer an option, my stepdaughter must graduate first.
@@waynemurray8843 Waz
@@waynemurray8843
Ml ml
A realist who experienced the horrors of killing. A man with a balanced understanding of what he had done, reconciliation and that deep within he was a good man. RIP Jerry.
This interviewer must have read these comments because his later interviews became pitch perfect.
I agree. To his credit, he definitely got better with time and experience
Interview is 5 years old atm
“From my point of view, which is the only one I can give you.” What a statement, more people need to understand that.
The best interview of a vet I have ever seen. Jerry thank you for your service. God bless.
It would have been if it wasn’t for the Vet here literally cutting off, interrupting every time the interviewer speaks and asks a question, and just down right being rude as fuck. I know it’s hard to be mad at the ole feller as he is a Vietnam Vet, but boy it sure is hard to not get pissed when he just can’t shut up for a second and let ANYONE else speak…God forbid it’s not ME ME ME for 8 seconds in the interview to get asked a question… 🤦♂️
i am a desert storm vet, in the armour. growing up in manila, these guys from nam influnced me to join the service. good luck sir and to the brothers.
I loved listening to Jerry's experience in Vietnam. Welcome home.
This testimony is the most gripping,not to make lite of anyone else but I think it's the most gripping straight from the heart ❤(he's also very careful with the accuracy,not to exaggerate)
Gentlemen, thank you for this interview. I am the ex-spouse of 2 Combat Vets. One was a Door Gunner/Crew Chief flying Special Forces into Cambodia & Laos, 2 tours ‘67/68/69. Shot down 3x’s. 2nd-Riverine Assault Force on the PBR’s, Mekong Delta ‘66-‘67. The war followed both home so they disappeared into society and never identified themselves as veterans. Both are successful but immersed themselves in work as they run from their demons. It is still difficult for them. The spouses and children suffered as well. We are still angry at the leaders that orchestrated the war from their desks in Washington with inept Generals that viewed our soldiers only as a commodity 😡 Yes, I too, lost boyfriends and classmates😔
Thank you Mr. LaFountain
Can you let the man finish a sentence?
@Garrett Misael who gives a fuck you loser
Interviewer loves to hear his own voice.
He's usually pretty good about listening but this one is tough.
Very energetic informative interview! R.I.P. brother ernie!
@@dTNomis lmao, I'd say you're a tool but at least they are useful.
Jerry's trying to talk as fast as possible, to get his information out, anticipating being interrupted by the newsboy. THANKS Jerry for doing your duty sir.
So darned annoying. It's as if the interviewer can't let the man's mind recollect organically, consistently interrupting and shifting the conversation off point. Ugh.
@@steveswell1,I'll tell you what ...you didn't interrupt his older brother and he damn sure took his time. You were just kind of waiting for the next word. These boys had some very hard bark on them and were very humble about it,they achieved much in life. High School dropout geniuses?
JB 1950 the heck are you on about
THXS KEITH i so agree poor JERRY.
@@larrymcjones LMAO
I definitely feel better after this. Jerry don't worry about Heaven I'm sure you have a seat waiting for you.
This guy is of high IQ. His brain disc spins at a different rate than about 80% of all other humans. You can tell. He puts accuracy and substance before style ... perhaps to his social detriment.
Jerry is half Native American. In my experience Native Americans more often tell stories longwinded, halting pace, with digressions. Gotta be patient. The rest of us seem to like to jump in, interupt and anticipate so as to control the flow, but thats not the best way to communicate with and LISTEN to a native american elder.
49:30 - 50:05 Best part of the interview.
God bless you Jerry. You are a great man.
Welcome home!
Peace on your journey.
This man is one sharp cookie...what a blessing to watch this
This guy has raw character; Good man. I respect him.
Raw character he is the real deal 👍
Jerry we love you please know that, there are Americans out there that pray for you and your brothers. Thank you.
Glad you made it back, I was stationed at Da Nang special forces, it was hell
In order to really comprehend where this brave man fought, take a look at the TET Offensive and see the areas of the most intense fighting took place. He was in almost all those areas at one time or another. I have watched a lot of these, and he was one of the best to give an interview.
I’ve been watching this series of interviews of Vietnam from Ireland and I’ve found it so interesting to hear the REAL stories. There’s so many things I could comment on but the final few minutes where Jerry says that if there is to be a war then send the people who want it into the frontline. Then see what they decide. I can’t imagine what it must have been like and I admire you for keeping your promise to do a good deed a day for the rest of your life. It was hard to see you get emotional when you spoke of your Mother and your Dad having that awful accident. What a life you’ve had. Im sorry that you were treated badly by some Americans upon your return and particularly from the WW2 veterans. I really don’t understand why. Anyways, thank you for telling your story. God bless you and your family.
I was going to say it but all the comments say it already let the man speak.
Just watched the video of his brother Ernie, they are as different as chalk and cheese. Both heros in my eyes.
From a fellow Vietnam veteran I understand what he saying the hell with the interviewer to my brother Vietnam vet we never thought we could lose if I had to do it again I I would
Welcome home! Jerry,you and your brother ernie are true heroes..thank you for your sacrifices and service.long life jerry.
I wish the interviewer would just shut up and let this man speak.
He is actually one of the better interviewers. Some are really really bad.
exactly. amateur, greenhorn journalist. naive.
yes i find the amount of interuptions take away from what the guy is trying to say
No chit...
not only that, but damn he says YEP , k , k right all the time
From as early as I can remember, I always had a lot of respect for Vietnam veterans because I was surrounded by them because of my dad's work with USAF. Any time I met a Vietnam or Korean War vet, I asked them as much as I could so I might learn from them, knowing I was going into the military. Anytime I run into them at the VA, I make it a point to let them know still that they were my heroes when I was growing up. For those of us that are GWOT vets, I've noticed that everyone seems to feel the same way. Seeing how Desert Storm vets were treated differently than Vietnam Vets really lit a fire under us, so that we go out of our way to thank the Vietnam and Korean War guys for carrying the torch.
Respect from krakow, Poland. One real warrior. Ty sir.
Best 1 of these interviews I've heard.
Wow, Jerry lays it out there.
Great story, Great man, good interviewer. Thank you for taking the time to bring this important content to the public.
The man doing the interview is more interested in himself then listening to the answers. He continually interrupted the gentleman who tried to answer.
Will someone give the guy a glass of water! Each time I listen to one of these soldiers I selfishly think how can I sit through this guy's painful unscripted struggle to remember, but in the end the reward is such profound pearls of wisdom articulated so well that they take your breath away or make you cry. Jerry you are an American Hero if I ever saw one. After listening to you I am confident you will not change that cool renegade attitude, which I think got you back alive. I think the guys that didn't make it back would want you to tell your story over and over, because they are in them somewhere, and of course cant tell them.
Thank you for your service. I'm 36 year old man who has 2 uncles who fought in Vietnam, and I can't America treated you guy that way. I believe you all are heroes, and always have been. God bless you Jerry.
"we lived on deer-meat" real Native American, amazing gentleman, then the law school and the morphine story, and the rest wow, hello, inspirational, thankyou sir from Cambodia (my current location). Also, the interviewer did a pretty good job especially once he got the rhythm of Mr. LaFountain. It's not easy staying with someone like that when they're telling stories and staying out of their way too. That was a great question about how people 100 years from now should view the War in Vietnam, by the way.
I have watched and re watched over and over, Jerry's deeply profound and moving story. I thank him.
I wish this journalist would...1) let the guys finish talking and 2) ask half way decent questions
Keith Knott II .... he just interrupted in order to say “I heard similar stories but not like this one”
Mr. Jerry Lafountain " we were poor and didn't know it, all is good" A True American EAGLE.
My God, the secret of interviewing is to be a good listener, let Jerry speak and tell his story, which is fascinating, without the constant interruptions
left seat gunner of gunship chopper, my interview would be over in ten minutes, and in that ten minutes, the many men I killed and the attempts on my own life by my own hand would be included.
The interviewer was so disrespectful. This man even had to tell the interviewer to be quiet, so he can finish what he's saying and not forget
Such a beautiful tribute to your wife....."She's a rare individual...." ..." and she lives over there... at my house..." ..."were together for 51 years.." Beautiful!
The best description of a firefight for me was that training takes over and you really don't have time to be afraid. Unless, you are asked about your first firefight. That is totally different.
What a wonderful man.
I salute you sir, a real hero.
Amen to his statement that 'if there was a medal of honor for parents.' This is a thoughtful man and a tear-jerker to listen to, in some respects. But I am so thankful to know that he is one of my american brothers. We may yet survive.
This interviewer needs to let this man talk!!
I just came across these wonderful interviews you have done with our American hero’s...thank you. Absolutely priceless!
The interviewer asks some intelligent questions & does a good job of coaxing a story along.
Thank you Sir God bless you..
I've been watching and listening to these interviews avidly and I am so pleased Jerry bought up the reception Vietnam Vets received from WWII vets. The same inexcusable behavior on the part of members of Veterans Clubs and organizations occurred here as well. Returning Vietnam vets would go into a club in uniform and were treated by the WWII vets beyond disrespectfully. Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, Purple Hearts-you name it, didn't matter if a CMH walked in, they were all disparaged-very publicly. Of course they never returned to those clubs and the shortsightedness of those older members resulted in the later closure of the clubs due to lack of membership as the WWII vets died. Organizations such as Amvets however, sprung up (in no small part secondary to the treatment by the traditional clubs/organizations,) have a large membership and are very active welcoming back our current vets and looking after them: "Never again will one generation of veterans forsake another."
Thank you Dinky Dau for your service, your participation in this program and welcome home.
I joined the American Legion in 2014. Met my last gf there at a NYE bash. It's a good bunch of folks. I've been to one of their *Buffet Breakfasts* & stuffed myself for I think it was $4-5. I LOVE MY EGGS OE & 99% of the time go 4 eggs. When I came here in 75 the local Vet rep said there were over 10K Nam vets here. The AL never made me not feel welcome & whenever there I have a good time.
Brave man to deal with the difficulties of War and the difficulties of re-adjustment .
There was no help for us we all had to self-heal and many we're incapable of doing that
Thank goodness John was one who did!
I can remember as a kid hearing WW2 vets being dismissive of Vietnam vets saying stuff like " Vietnam wasnt a real war " or the fact that their tours were only about a year long and in WW2 they didnt get to come home until it was over , I got the impression that since they weren't fighting Hitler or ToJo then it wasnt serious .
He is a man with a good heart!
This guy is something else. Wow 😳 what a life.
I believe in all honesty that there cannot be a tougher, more bad ass and also a better human being than Jerry.
I live in Switzerland and would go to Montana in a heart beat, just to get to talk to him.
What a inspiring gentleman he is!
Been watching a lot of these videos since I found them. Thought my eyes were going bad watching this one go in and out of focus so many times the first 45 minutes of it.. Actually paused it to make sure it wasn't my eyes. Still a GREAT interview.
Don't care for the interviewer interrupting this veteran so much!!! Stop breaking his train of thought!!!!
All Good, Jerry. Interesting accounts you shared. Thank you for your service.
Jerry thank you and thank you again.
Nailed it when he said people made a lot of money. And it still goes on as new generations get sucked into the idea that there's some 'bad' guys on the other side of the world.
He is a HERO! God bless you Sir! Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
God bless Jerry, I would like to assure him that the 7th commandment, properly translated, (as reflected in the Hebrew bible, AKA the old testament) is "You shall not murder" ... Killing the enemy in combat is not murder, nor is killing in self defense.
Theres also a subject of “lawful order”.
I think Jerry viewed it otherwise; young men slaughtering each other for the benefit of the arms merchants.
seeing as how Yahweh instructed soldiers to dash babies across the rocks, I doubt he cared at all about Jerry .
Good point... people misquote the law all the time
Big respect to you sir
God bless the La fountain family, thanks you for your service
Thank you for your service and sacrifices.
I have met a few Australian Vietnam vets in my time and they also told me WW2 veterans gave them a hard time when they got back. Some even opposed them joining the Retuned Services League.
Thanks for posting these Historical video interviews.
Sorry I found this channel so late. You are right Jerry, those who send us to war should be there or send their children there, and not in the rear. Its easy for them because they have nothing to lose and lots to gain.. Fear not, God understands the nature of war. Thank you for your sacrifices.
A good soldier, man, but above all a good brother. Bless you.
Fantastic, what a guy
Jerry is awesome.
Wish he would have let him talk more he literally interrupted him before he could even answer the question he had just asked
Your testimony changed my life. NO MORE WAR!!!!!!!
I dont want to be disrespectful to the interviewer - but I wish he would have let Jerry talk. Jerry is great communicator and really told us amazing details of the war and his bravery. Maybe they can get him back...
jamie bairos I think the problem was exacerbated in this interview because the gentleman being interviewed is hard of hearing. They’re not all like this.
c'mon guys. It can be annoying, but without the host we would not hear Jerry's story. Relax fellas.
Tks for your service along with ur 2 Brothers. My hats off to you 3 sirs
This man died in 2011.he said that he would for the rest of his life payback for the killing of the enemy.Jerry,i am sure that God forgave you.Your country called you to battle and you did answer that call.I am pretty the God has forgiven you for what you were compelled to do.
god
bless you
I dont think Jerry is gone,, i find the one who died in 2011 was born in 1927 and another 2 with the same name from the deep south who were in WW2.
Thank you for your service Jerry. Nothing but respect for this man, total gentleman. Men like Jerry make America the greatest country.
Welcome home, sir.
A lot to learn from this soldier. All you gotta do is listen.
Thank you for your service. Welcome home! My dad was there same time as you. He was artillery based in Tuy Hoa.
Man I teared up, not ashamed to admit it. I can feel the pain he felt early in this video.
Honor to Jerry for his honest and earnest responses.
Wow if I had him beside me in combat I'd feel safe and confident. A true soldier, 👍
Thanks for such a great series. I won't be as harsh as the others in criticizing as this may have been one of the 1st episodes and with time things get better with practice. I've seen other interview in this series that were conducted much smoother. Respect to Mr. LaFountain for sharing his story and reliving the horror that took place.
Mr. LaFountain, thank you Sir for your service, may God bless and keep you. Your story was particularly important to me as I had the honor of knowing a man very, very much like yourself. Even the tone of the way you clear your throat. But your story gave information on locations and battles that I had previously not heard. My adopted father was a former SEAL. He would share some, but there were always questions he couldn't answer, details that were omitted. It was very nostalgic for me to hear your story, thank you Sir. Your frame of mind, the way you survived, down to being unwilling to leave, and how you feel about guns and good deeds, beacons my memories of a very great man. Thank you for being patient with this interview, for facing the demons in your memories. May you fear them not for yours has become a higher purpose Sir.
Thank you for your service.God Bless!
My oldest brother did 2 or 3 tours in Vietnam. He had too much shit on his plate just coming from my family. I do wish I could talk to him about Vietnam but I don't talk to my family. My family trauma was more than I could handle. I didn't just cut communication with my family. I avoid the world as much as I can. I can't imagine what actual Vietnam battle trauma might be on top of that. My brother, far as I know some 10 or 15 or 20 years ago; was still trying to find some family in my family. So I don't know who got fucked up the most.
nam vets don't like to talk about there family life, my father was a safe zone cook in ww2 and could not deal with his son winning the air medal with {V" and purple heart, I hope the powers that be can help a son when he hate's his father in future wars.
Fantastic man, husband and father and brother and grandfather.. A real deal.
What a Man Jerry is, this was a brilliant interview, the pride he displayed when talking about his brothers was most commendable, I'm not an American but if I were I would be very proud of this man and his family, God Bless Jerry and his Brothers 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
WELCOME HOME. Thank you, for your service. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🙏🙏
Darrell Ehrlick, Great Interview! Army veteran Jerry LaFountain, Great telling of experiences in battle. Thank God you got out of the truck cab when the VC tossed a grenade inside. All three of you brothers made it back alive and pretty much in one piece. I've seen two Voices now that have American Indian blood, and both were amazing in how you handle combat.
A quite incredible interview really brings home the reality of war and its effect on the men who took part, a hero in every sense of the word.
Stop cutting the man off.
This is t the only interview where he does this shit to these men either. Like shut the hell up and let this vet tell you his story
I love how Jerry interrupted the interruptor 😂😂😂
Excellent interview! Thank you.
Much respect & thank you for your service Sir. ❤
Interviewer is here for an argument? debate? ... interrogation?