Youtube hearted comments of Andy Babb (@Andy_Babb).
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I didn’t learn until last year at 37yo that my father was in Vietnam. Growing up he’d not only told me he was never in Vietnam, but said he’d only served in the navy (which was true, except it was 10 years later). He just mentioned it casually, and when I inquired he admitted that yeah, he had been in the ninth infantry during Vietnam in 1969, serving as a tunnel rat. He said he was only there for about a year, when I asked why he said he’d been shot. He won’t tell me the whole story but he just said he went into a hole one day that wasn’t empty. I said as respectfully as possible bc if the sensitivity : “Well, you’re here. So, does that mean the enemy didn’t make it out of the tunnel?” He just replied “yes.” I didn’t prod for more detail bc it was obvious, seeing as I was only learning of this after nearly four decades as his son, that it’s something that really bothers him.
He told me he knew he would end up being drafted so he volunteered, thinking/hoping he’d be sent to Germany as was the rumor at the time, and ended up in Vietnam. 17yo, months before his 18th birthday, my father was entering enemy tunnels armed with nothing but his bayonet and pistol. My grandparents never found out. He never told them he enlisted, served in the same infantry regiment as his father had in WWII, had been shot and awarded the Purple Heart among other metals. None of it. They both died never knowing my dad had served in the Vietnam war.
I’ve been VERY fortunate to have a wonderful and extremely close relationship with my dad my whole life. Everything he (and my mom) ever did as a parent was to make sure my sister and I were happy and had fun and fulfilling lives - which we did/do. I’ve always respected my dad, but when I learned this story I was both stunned and in awe. To me he is a genuine hero, yet he feels so much shame. I try to remind him regularly that he survived the most dangerous job in modern military history and should be proud for his service bc I certainly am.
Btw, he had also joined the navy in 1981 to work as a sonar technician on nuclear submarines. He was injured on the sub and sent home. All he’d done and he was done in by two morons playing cards on the top bunk - over the weight limit - and onto my father’s back. Permanent damage done yet he’s never received a dime from the army or the navy for his service in either branch.
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