Welcome back to the No Grey Areas Podcast! Today, our host Pat McCalla brings you a powerful double interview featuring two Vietnam veterans, Danny Chrisler and Dan Ernst. From ordinary small-town beginnings to the jungles of Vietnam, Danny and Dan open up about their unique journeys of courage and sacrifice they faced during the time they served.

Together, they paint a vivid picture of life in the military, sharing close calls, moments of bravery, and the challenges faced upon returning home. They reflect on the importance of support for veterans, highlighting the significance of a simple "thank you", and the need for ongoing post-care.

In this exclusive episode, we're reminded of the profound impact of war on those who serve and the everyday gratitude owed to our veterans.

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No Grey Areas is a motivational podcast with captivating guests centered around how our choices humanize, empower, and define who we become. This podcast is inspired by the cautionary tale, No Grey Areas, written by Joseph Gagliano. Learn more about the truth behind his story involved with sports' biggest scandal at nogreyareas.com

Speaker 1

Welcome back to the No Gray Areas podcast. I'm your host, Patrick McCullough. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with two Vietnam veterans. They share their deeply personal stories of service and sacrifice, the complexities of war, the lasting impact on those who served. Let's get started.

Pat McCalla

Well welcome to the No Gray Areas podcast. Today we have two very, very special guests and especially cents

Pat McCalla

on this day that we're recording. Not the day that this drops, but on the day we're recording right now, it's National Vietnam Veterans Day, and we have two Vietnam veterans.

Pat McCalla

And you guys set this up really well for me because I don't really need to remember names very well because it's Dan and Danny.

Danny

So you guys, I,

Pat McCalla

So I want to just jump right in to,

Pat McCalla

our interview today. Give me just a little background, each of you on where you came from because you're dropped in Vietnam all those years ago.

Pat McCalla

But

Pat McCalla

what kind of place did you come from? Was a little town. Big city. So why don't we go with you first, Danny?

Danny

Danny

1500.

Danny

People. And, of course, I had the rural paper out or the local paper out. I worked at the gas station for four years before I went into the service, but I, I volunteered for the draft, and I knew the lottery was coming out, and I didn't want to say, oh, I was drafted. I wanted to volunteer, proving everybody I wanted to serve my country and get it done with.

Danny

So,

Danny

that was what happened there. And had.

Danny

You

Pat McCalla

traveled much growing up?

Danny

No.

Danny

No, you're

Danny

I hadn't even been in an airplane before. Yeah, the first time on a plane going to Vietnam.

Danny

Yeah. Yeah. So,

Pat McCalla

I mean, all kinds of, shocks and change or you're dealing with you're on a plane,

Danny

and

Danny

I had my basic training at Fort Linwood, Missouri, and in January, cold. Oh my God. Yeah. And then my IT advanced infantry training with some people call in Fort Polk, Louisiana Tiger land. And that was the fun. And they tried to make it as close as what they could to Vietnam. This is what you're going to be dealing with.

Danny

And so it was okay.

Danny

But Vietnam

Pat McCalla

different than Wisconsin.

Danny

Yeah. So they tried to yeah.

Danny

And some people go over there and boats I was fortunate enough I think we fruit fly and tigers airlines at that time isn't even around anymore. Yeah. And, that was pretty interesting. But, you know, the land there and all at once, you see at Russia, hot air at, oh, my God, 100 and some degrees, you know, and that's what you have to work with all the time.

Danny

But that's what we did.

Pat McCalla

What month did you drop

Danny

May.

Danny

yeah.

Danny

yeah

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

May of 68. Yeah.

Danny

And

Danny

20 I turned 21 in Vietnam. Yeah. 20.

Danny

You

Pat McCalla

turned 20 and Vietnam

Danny

Now turned 21 and Vietnam.

Danny

21. Yes.

Danny

Yes.

Danny

no. Oh, no. Yeah.

Danny

But,

Danny

this is another story. But I don't know if I didn't know, but I was infantry, you know, 11 Bravo. And, when I went over there from Fort Polk, Louisiana, and after the first month, I was armor, I was in the armored division track commander behind the 50 caliber machine gun on the armored personnel carrier.

Danny

I didn't even know what 50 caliber machine gun was, but there I was.

Danny

like I said, that's that's quite another story.

Pat McCalla

Oh my goodness. Well, we want to get into that. We're going to come back to you on that. But okay. So you're you're growing up in a small town,

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

Yes. Well,

Dan

I grew up in, a town of about 70,000 people. I was Lorain, Ohio.

Pat McCalla

that was like a massive city compared to Danny,

Dan

Oh, yeah. Yeah,

Dan

but it didn't seem large to me. We

Pat McCalla

then did you, did you volunteer when you drafted. How. Because you went to,

Pat McCalla

you did a little bit of schooling,

Dan

I yes, I went to, community college, graduated with a chemistry, a two year chemistry degree. I worked for, a Xerox corporation for about a year and a half. Went to night school, tried to get my Bachelor of Science degree, and, wound up bailing out of college all together. And, about a month after I was, not even a month after I got out of, college, because, I just didn't do well, and I just wanted to drop out within a month.

Dan

I had my draft noticed, and, I figured, well, my time's up. I better, I better go ahead and enlist into a service that I want to be. And and so I listed in the Marine Corps.

Dan

I chose the Marine Corps. Yeah.

Pat McCalla

So you had done a little bit of traveling.

Dan

Yeah, I, I actually moved away from home. I was, living in Rochester, New York, and then I moved back home, near home in Akron. I went to university of Akron for about a semester, and I says, forget it. Yeah.

Pat McCalla

you grew up in Ohio

Pat McCalla

but Vietnam was a little different. Both those places, I suspect,

Dan

Right. A little a little.

Dan

Different to say, the

Pat McCalla

Now, what's cool about you guys? The story is you really didn't know each other until just a couple of months ago, right?

Dan

No, actually, a couple of years

Danny

couple.

Danny

Years.

Danny

Years ago. Yeah, a

Danny

carwash?

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

He was pulled in over there, and I was here, and I looked over and I see the Marine Corps sign. Vietnam veteran. I had to go over and say, welcome home.

Danny

That's another thing. As Vietnam veterans, we appreciate that. Thanks for your service. Okay. Where's the welcome home? You know, we didn't get any welcome home. We really appreciate you the same way.

Danny

We appreciate welcome home and vets on vets. First thing comes out of our mouth is welcome home.

Pat McCalla

So that's really good for us to hear. Danny.

Pat McCalla

those of us that didn't serve or even people that have served that maybe we weren't in combat, you appreciate hearing not just thanks for your service, which I always try to say when I see someone a veteran

Danny

Yeah,

Danny

Yes.

Danny

Yeah. Well,

Danny

you know, a lot of you

Pat McCalla

came home and people, were against the war. And unfortunately, what happened at that time period is because they were against the war,

Pat McCalla

They were also against the veterans

Danny

And you're welcome home. Yeah.

Pat McCalla

that's good for us to hear

Pat McCalla

when you see someone with a, veteran, especially a Vietnam veteran, make sure you take time and say thank you for your service. Welcome home.

Danny

You bet. That's real nice. Yeah.

Danny

Yeah

Pat McCalla

for our audience.

Danny

Yeah. Take

Pat McCalla

that to heart. That's what we need to say to to veterans, especially Vietnam veterans. So,

Pat McCalla

Tell me about tell us about your first couple of weeks there again, both of you.

Pat McCalla

You're from, Midwest or out East, and you're dropped in the Vietnam the other side of the planet.

Pat McCalla

Completely different culture, completely different world. Danny, why don't we start? What? Tell us a little bit about your first

Danny

couple of. Okay, that you were.

Pat McCalla

with.

Pat McCalla

And so, if you

Pat McCalla

Tell us a little bit about your first couple of weeks.

Danny

Okay, that you were.

Danny

I brought some notes, if you don't mind, I'd like to read them. Yeah.

Danny

Danny

Danny

Now with a couple hatch covers, that's to get in and out of the armored personnel carrier when you put it up, goes back, and hits to your back. Well, it was really hot that morning against all regulations. Then he took his flight vest off that you're supposed to keep on. I took it off and laid it against my cupola cover.

Danny

That's what saved my life. That's what saved my life.

Pat McCalla

the vest on the back of

Danny

The fact that I took it off me and put it against the cover, because when the RPG came through the cover, it absorbed that shrapnel and the concussion, and everything blew me over the road. But think of I wouldn't have had that on. I would have been cut into. So,

Danny

I had taken my flight first off, and that morning that was against the road, that it ended up actually saving my life.

Danny

I had two marks on my gun shield, also from an AK 47, only inches from where the gap is that where my 50 caliber barrel went through. So that's how close another one came. And lord knows how many shots missed you that you don't even know about, you know. Yeah, yeah. But those are two that I could look at.

Danny

I went through six lieutenants during my tour on my track. Two were wounded, two were transferred out, one got malaria, and one was with me for my last six months. My job there was being a truck commander on an armored personnel carrier. My weapon was an M2 Browning 50 caliber machine gun, which, by the way, will shoot a bullet 1.7 miles.

Danny

So it.

Danny

Was powerful.

Pat McCalla

it's a big gun again, for audience who don't know if they could, if we if we had a rounded

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

I was going to bring one but I was told. Yeah, yeah it does. Yeah. And

Danny

I was infantry and knew nothing about being with an armored unit the first time. This is something the 50 caliber. I did not know how to put it back together again. My lieutenant did not think that was very funny.

Danny

I said, sir, I was put into this position by you. He says, I know. Okay, I'll give you a little slack. Sarge, come over here and tell him how to assemble it again. So, my command track had my driver, myself, the senior aide man, and a Vietnamese interpreter, which was usually a true hoi. No, Chou Hoi is an enemy.

Danny

Danny

I better stop there, because that's getting into coming home. I don't want.

Danny

To come home.

Pat McCalla

yeah, let's come

Danny

back. Yeah,

Danny

Sorry.

Danny

Yeah.

Pat McCalla

Well. So

Pat McCalla

what a complete life change. And you go from the small town you dropped in over there, and then you have numerous close calls. And like you said, you don't even know how many,

Danny

Yeah.

Pat McCalla

wow. And then six lieutenants you went

Danny

through.

Danny

Yeah. For different reasons, you know. Yeah.

Pat McCalla

yeah. And then you said 67 men killed in your unit.

Pat McCalla

were you close to any

Danny

of that.

Danny

With the internet? Now, of course you can look up and you can see from what date to what date, how many the three quarter CAF Charlie troop lost killed in action.

Danny

And that's how I researched that, you know? Yeah. Oh,

Danny

Danny

I knew him for two days. Yeah. Joseph Putney.

Danny

What a way to honor.

Danny

And what a way.

Danny

Yeah, yeah. Oh.

Danny

there were

Danny

three other guys that I saw physically get killed almost simultaneously. And one, Ronald Kinski rode with me from Ohio and, rode with me on the track all the way out to where we were going to have them dismount. He was infantry. And when we got out there, they dismounted and they walked through a hedgerow and I heard a audible noise.

Danny

You know what an AK 47 sounds like when you hear them enough? And I said, what the heck was that? And I told my driver, I said, go ahead, little bit, go ahead a little bit. And he says, I know. My lieutenant was screaming at me. He's screaming, don't you dare. I said, Winston, pull ahead a little bit.

Danny

And I could see one guy with an RPG and one other guy and AK 47. I could see him there about 20ft away. I said, pull ahead. Well, when he did, and I, I opened up with my 50 caliber, you know, they I think they had to pull me off. It was crazy. But I was just, just go nuts, you know?

Danny

Then I got down and I went over to him and I said, I just was talking to this guy, you know, 15 minutes ago. Last thing I said, don't keep your head down, you know? But so I really knew about 4 or 5 guys personally. They'd go kill, you know.

Pat McCalla

I can't imagine my friend. Yeah. Then,

Pat McCalla

tell us a little bit about then you. So you again, total culture shock. Total change I mean whether different language. But but now you're in the middle of a war. So you go from Ohio to

Pat McCalla

landing in Vietnam. What were those first couple of days and weeks like for you?

Dan

I was, a member of the Or. They assigned me to an outfit called a Combined Action Platoon program. And I'll get into the jobs that we were involved with. But it was let's say I get off the airplane in Danang, and, I mean, I got off the airplane and like, like Danny described,

Dan

oh my God, I'm going to be uncomfortable for a whole year.

Dan

Yeah. Because I immediately start sweating. I got off the airplane in the middle of August. I don't remember the date like he does, but

Dan

it was hot. It was humid. It was terrible. So I said, well, I better get used to being uncomfortable for a whole year. Actually, at that time it was 13 months. 13 months was our tour.

Dan

They later cut down the time frame to one year, which

Dan

really made me unhappy.

Danny

yeah.

Danny

That was after your time, right?

Danny

Yeah.

Dan

So,

Dan

First day in Vietnam, they sent us, as I mentioned, I was a member of the Combined Action Platoon program. And what our job was was to live in a village with the people, help them whenever we could, and learn their or earn their trust. And so it was a squad of Marines. And a sign to us was the the local militia, they call them PFC Popular Force troops.

Dan

And those Popular Force troops were there to protect their villages. So we lived among the people in the village. We did helpful projects during the daytime and we ambushed at night. And

Dan

with us we were these kind.

Dan

Of jump in.

Dan

Sure.

Pat McCalla

What kind of helpful projects would you do?

Dan

fix little walk bridges? assigned with us were,

Dan

medical guys from the Army armory. Excuse me. Navy corpsman. Yeah, they were Navy corpsman. And so we'd set up a little,

Pat McCalla

Like a medical

Dan

Like a medical unit. And in the daytime, we'd be giving the little kids shots, vaccinations, fix up wounds, stuff like that. So.

Dan

So

Pat McCalla

you guys are, repairing bridges and fixing wounds during the day and then going out at night and.

Dan

Right.

Dan

Yeah, yeah.

Dan

So

Dan

each night, the platoon or the squad would wind up having about 2 or 3 people stay back at, you know, front yard or backyard of, of a house. And that would be the harbor site. And then the rest of the team, 5 or 6, would go out and ambush and stay out all night and come back just before, before dusk.

Dan

Yeah. So that's what our units were supposed to do. And it was very success for you in, in Vietnam. Getting back to my first day get off the airplane. And we had to be, it was kind of a specialized unit, so we had to do some training right there in Vietnam. So we spent 2 or 3 weeks at what they called Cap school.

Dan

Now, the Cap school involved learning all of the jobs of a marine squad. There's a machine gunner, there's a radio guy, there's a guy that walks point and then there's a regular rifleman.

Dan

So we had to learn all these jobs, though. All of them. Exactly. Radio. So very important to be able to call in,

Dan

medevac and and call in artillery and artillery illumination if we met the enemy and we had to sweep this sweep the area in the night.

Dan

So we had to learn all those jobs. We had to learn some of the Vietnamese language because we were going to be living among the people. And, first day hadn't even been issued our M16s yet. The South, the Viet Cong or maybe the NVA or lobbing mortars into our compound. Compound consisted of maybe ten hutches and built with sandbags.

Dan

And in the middle of this, this area, which was probably 100ft square, was, was our, our whole the whole compound alive and mortars and, and there's a, a group of sandbags set up in a circle about five feet high. And they said, everybody get in this circle. And they dropped mortars into the compound. It blew away about 4 or 5 buildings.

Dan

No one luckily got killed that day. But

Dan

talk about feeling like you wanted to be part of the ground.

Pat McCalla

Oh, I bet you couldn't get

Dan

I didn't even want to be alive at that moment because I said, I'm going to get killed my first day. Yeah, yeah. So

Dan

nobody got hurt. Nobody got killed. But we were filling sandbags for the rest of our time. Their capsule.

Pat McCalla

Wow, Dan, what a welcome to Vietnam,

Dan

Yeah, it was you.

Dan

Oh, yeah.

Pat McCalla

Yeah, man. So,

Pat McCalla

what was it like for you? So we we talk about you guys showing up there and what that was like your first days there.

Pat McCalla

Hear a little bit about what it was like during during your time there and, what you guys were actually doing in Vietnam. Tell us a little bit then coming home.

Danny

Danny

Everybody was so happy to have finally gotten home on a plane. But then an officer got on our plane and said his best advice was for us to get out of our uniforms. We couldn't quite figure that out. You know, he told us that things were not the same as it was a year and a half ago. We've been gone a year and a half.

Danny

There were protesters through bloody tampons, fecal material, urine objects. When we came through from our plane, none of us could figure out why everybody was acting that way towards us at home. I was off from my old job back at the Gulf Station, a Gulf gas station where I worked before going into the service. It was full service back then.

Danny

And, you know, you check the oil, you wash aluminum in the car, and, nobody wanted to have any eye contact with me. And I said, that's rude. Hey, Mrs. Thompson, how are you? Oh, your boys getting big. She would put a magazine or something in front of her eyes. Tell the kids not to look at me. Nobody wanted to have any eye contact.

Danny

They would tell their kids not to look. I did not know what I had done wrong. It took weeks before things started to get back to normal and people accepted me again. So that's what was so weird. We didn't know what we do wrong.

Pat McCalla

man. Danny, all I can say. And Dan just retired.

Pat McCalla

When you were reading that, I almost teared up and then just got angry as well. Just got angry. It's so sad that, what you guys went through over there and then to come back to that kind of reception, I mean, having fecal matter thrown at you and being told to get out of your uniform

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

The

Danny

Sergeant stripes and spit shined boots and everything, you know, and you get out and then.

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

They said, do they call you baby killers? Oh, yeah. They said all that stuff, you know.

Danny

Yeah.

Pat McCalla

And then even going back to your, your hometown

Danny

Yeah. Like

Danny

job, same town,

Danny

you know what you say. They know

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

At that

Danny

Yeah.

Dan

Dan what what was your experience coming home?

Dan

Well, I lived in the Midwest,

Dan

and even though I landed in San Diego

Dan

I did not experience the same treatment that he did. Yeah.

Dan

People were not as friendly as I would had hoped they would been. But in my town, I didn't experience that sort of hate. Yeah. So in that respect, I was very lucky.

Dan

Yeah.

Pat McCalla

do you guys think, you know, you've lived long enough now and you've seen a couple of wars that we've gone through as a country since then?

Pat McCalla

Do you think that, generally speaking, the public has learned a good lesson, a valuable lesson from that, that now when soldiers come back, even if you don't agree with the war they were in that they they learned and go, we're still going to honor our soldiers.

Pat McCalla

Do you think we've learned as a as American people, or do you think it's similar?

Danny

I think it's turned around, I really do. I mean, then I, you know, we're proud veterans and I know he would and I would going into the airport, if we see a veteran, they're sitting there, went for the baggage, come up the carousel, I go right over them, cam on the shoulder. Thank you for the service. And he looks at me.

Danny

Welcome home, I said.

Danny

Yeah, you got it. Yeah.

Danny

So

Danny

I really think it is. I think everybody's got more patriotic I think.

Pat McCalla

Yeah, that that's really good because again, it was a, it was and

Pat McCalla

any country I'm not just talking about America because people are people were broken

Danny

here. Yeah.

Dan

Sure. Dude. That

Danny

all. Yeah. And

Danny

are over there fighting.

Danny

We know what they've went through or are going through.

Danny

What what are your thoughts?

Danny

I feel that

Dan

has changed immensely from that time. Yeah. Now there are some still some radicals that hate the military and hate the cops and hate everybody. But an example of the change that I've noticed, as I recently was privileged to go on a, Arizona flight, the honor flight, it's called the Arizona Honor Flight.

Dan

And they took veterans from World War two, from the Korean War and from Vietnam. Now we were the last to go there. It's a program whereby they gather up anybody that that was a veteran during that time or went to Vietnam. And they send us to Washington, DC and we spend a whole day touring all of the all of the memorials, Vietnam War memorials, World War to the Korean War and we go to to a lot of the, the presidential like the Lincoln memorials.

Dan

And it was just a great trip. And the people at the airports treated us like royalty, screaming and hollering. They were all lined up with flags, and it was just a wonderful, warm feeling. And it was it was a great trip for all of us. And I do it again. In fact, I want to volunteer to go as a as a helper.

Dan

on these trips. And, it's just a great experience. So noticing how the people feel about veterans really

Dan

has turned around a lot for me.

Dan

So

Pat McCalla

happy to hear that. So happy to hear that. Because again, I can't emphasize that enough. So important for us, regardless of how you feel about whatever conflict that we're involved in, that we honor men and women, you know, having to children that are, are or were in the military, my son is still in I realize that even if we're not in a conflict, people that serve, I don't think the common person understands.

Pat McCalla

It's like you're owned by the military. You guys understand that?

Danny

that? You probably smile a little bit. It's like

Danny

by the military.

Pat McCalla

people are serving, even if they're not in a conflict or war, there's there's, there's a lot that they're giving up

Danny

for there. And

Danny

get it. I remember my

Danny

You. Yeah. And

Danny

what the heck? Yeah.

Pat McCalla

So,

Pat McCalla

you know, I think it's such a reminder to just honor our veterans.

Pat McCalla

regardless of how you feel about something. You mentioned a memorial. How do you think that you two serving specifically in Vietnam for you?

Pat McCalla

how is that changed when you stand in front of the memorial? a memorial.

Dan

A lot for me because, one of my best buddies was killed over there. Lance corporal Tom Williams. And, it's tear jerking to hold the paper up and scribbling with pencil to scribble on his name, and,

Dan

So.

Dan

Yeah.

Dan

Yeah, that's.

Dan

Is he. Is that in DC?

Dan

Yes. Yes. Yeah.

Dan

Yeah. And you actually went during this. Oh yeah.

Dan

And you write he was killed. He had one week to go in Vietnam and he was

Danny

killed.

Danny

to go.

Dan

5530 over 55,000 military were killed in Vietnam. And that wall shows everybody's name is just unbelievable.

Dan

Yeah,

Pat McCalla

How about you Danny. When, when you stand in front of the memorial. Because I've gone to memorials and it's sobering for me. But I was not in the military. You're in conflict obviously. And so I can't imagine for, for you all.

Danny

Yeah. I've been there twice to the wall. And, as a matter of fact,

Danny

we're a library side of a guy, and I bought a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart in the cases and everything, and went and sat them down in front of his name. And I told the curator of the wall that was on that day, I said, make sure you know that this is for this guy's name.

Danny

And I got a hand rubbing up it. And I told them and he said, okay. I says, I want him to have a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. I'm sure he probably got it, you know, but still with the local, you know. But, I said, I want to make sure you guys. But yeah, it's a tear jerker.

Danny

When we go through there. yeah.

Pat McCalla

tell our audience just for the few that may not know what a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart is like

Danny

why you wanted to honor.

Danny

Well, I happen to have gotten two of them, you know, and it's it's for valor for doing something over and above. And sometimes you wonder, what the heck did I do that you did you. Things settle down. Everything but. And the the Purple Heart is given for wounds suffered or whatever, whether it's a shrapnel wound or what it is.

Danny

And,

Pat McCalla

Yeah, yeah. Wounded in

Danny

yeah.

Danny

Wounded in action.

Danny

So

Danny

Yes, I did with that.

Danny

Yeah, yeah,

Pat McCalla

Yeah.

Pat McCalla

what, for for the the public that didn't serve. There's a lot that they didn't serve. Haven't served. What would what would your message to them be

Pat McCalla

how to honor you?

Pat McCalla

You've given us one piece of advice that I really think is important to to add welcome home, especially to Vietnam vets. What's something else that we can do? I think of on on Veterans Day, on Memorial Day, on 4th of July, these different days where we're honoring the dead or honoring veterans. What what are some things that we can do or say that that that help us help you feel the support of the public?

Pat McCalla

Because I think it's so, so important for any country. I'm not just talking about the

Danny

United States,

Danny

countries know on this planet. Yep. The

Danny

and

Danny

and I know you guys know this better than most, but as I

Danny

of countries are like

Danny

that. Yeah. Yeah. and

Pat McCalla

so what are some ways that we as a public that maybe never served can really honor our veterans? Well,

Pat McCalla

what are some ways that we as a public that maybe never served can really honor our veterans?

Dan

For a person that doesn't know me or doesn't know Danny. Just a simple thank you. Is is sufficient. You know, if people don't know me and don't know what what we've gone through, just. Thank you. If they know I'm a veteran. I mean, I don't know what else. What else to.

Dan

Say. Yeah.

Pat McCalla

So thank you as a

Dan

Yeah.

Dan

Oh does.

Pat McCalla

Yeah. And so

Pat McCalla

that's not meaningless. That's what I hear you saying because

Dan

sometimes you don't

Danny

Yeah. Like I

Pat McCalla

said, I try to say thank you to them,

Pat McCalla

but you're saying that that does mean a lot.

Dan

That's not absolutely okay.

Dan

Absolutely.

Danny

okay. Yeah. Some

Danny

I was going to bring up, another way I like to get this out to the veterans is I've recently, put in another disability claim, and that's what they're encouraging vets to do now. And all the veterans that haven't put in disability claims to see if they can get what they think they're entitled to back.

Danny

I put it in I was 30% rate of disability and now I'm up to 80. Yeah. And that's just that my hearing that I was zero rated for hearing from the VA. I went to audiologist. He said, look, you're hearing so terrible. Now I'm 50% rated for hearing crazy.

Pat McCalla

Yeah. You light up a 50 caliber

Danny

anybody that's not been around.

Danny

Zero rating for 50 caliber machine gun blown.

Danny

Up. You're not at the top. sure.

Danny

Yeah. You know. Yeah, I can't even. Yeah.

Danny

And, you know, wrong on my track being a track man. You had a camo helmet on so you can't hear what's going on with a camo helmet. What would happen? Throw off the helmet. You know, you got to hear what the going on. And so

Danny

the that's where I would like to encourage all the veterans that haven't put in for a new disability claim to do it because I'm, I'm really happy.

Danny

What's happening with me. And I'm sure that happened to a lot of them.

Danny

Yeah,

Pat McCalla

And Danny you bring up a great point with that.

Pat McCalla

So important again for us to take care of our

Danny

Yes.

Danny

That's right.

Danny

Yep

Danny

Yeah. Especially

Danny

Yes. So

Danny

Danny

You know, always take care of. Yeah,

Danny

Yeah, we

Pat McCalla

really do.

Pat McCalla

I see now that I have some kids that are going to the VA, a hospital and,

Danny

Yep.

Danny

So yeah.

Danny

Yeah, yeah.

Danny

Yeah. Yeah.

Pat McCalla

What were some of the and we'll wrap up with this, but what were some of the residual effects that you came back with good and bad? I'm sure. So let me give you an idea of where I'm going with this. The good I'm sure you really had to grow up. I can't even imagine how you went from,

Pat McCalla

Pat McCalla

You

Danny

were already.

Danny

20.

Danny

but,

Pat McCalla

yeah, at that age, you really probably went from boys to men really quickly.

Pat McCalla

that's probably somewhat of a positive, but. But both you share some of the residual effects, good and bad, that you came back with.

Danny

And it makes you mature fast, doesn't it, then. But you're seeing all of these wasted,

Danny

injuries to arms and legs and people being killed. And you're wondering, you know, was it all worth it? You know, but, you know, it's just what do we I don't know, I think we all grew up a lot. And I think it's important for anybody to go into the service because you learn a lot, you mature a lot, and you mature fast, and you, you learn a lot of discipline.

Danny

And I thought I was pretty disciplined before, but when I came back, I just I was really glad I did it. And we all say we do it in a minute, right. All I don't think you ever find a Vietnam veteran and says, I do it again in a minute, you know, and it's a lot of people. It might sound nuts, but we were proud to have done it.

Pat McCalla

yeah, as you should be.

Danny

I thank you.

Dan

I just have to agree with him. I mean, it's so.

Dan

all about memories that.

Dan

Some good, some bad and and,

Pat McCalla

know what you're saying down there. Where, again, they're not just all bad memories or good and bad memories,

Dan

Yes.

Dan

Good memories. one one of many good memories I have is,

Dan

my first C.O. over there. His name was a Captain Ed Getty. I'll never forget him. And if he ever watches this, this podcast. And I still honor you, buddy. You were the best C.O. I've ever had. And, this guy would shave twice in the morning.

Dan

And the most squared away guy I've ever met. And I just respected the heck out of him, and, And I always will. So.

Pat McCalla

You know what I really liked about this podcast,

Pat McCalla

the both of you did. And I think it's a great way to honor, but it really does show to that. When you say that you remember these things, it really does display like you're giving rank and names. You keep giving

Danny

rank and the rest of

Pat McCalla

these people.

Pat McCalla

And that was

Pat McCalla

can do the math for me. How many years ago was that?

Dan

Over 50.

Danny

55.

Danny

55.

Danny

You

Danny

the names

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

respect. And

Danny

Could I tell you a quick story about the P.O.W.? My bracelets.

Danny

Danny

It looks like it's brand new. It's nickel. They're made. They're not the aluminum ones or whatever. It's nickel. So, I was, in our neighborhood one day, and the guy comes up, bangs on the trunk of the car, and he. I had been a veteran back, you know, he came up to me, puts his hand through the window.

Danny

Danny

He says, I drove him to the flight line the day he took off and never came back. I flew with Ray, saw his rule. He said no. And he said that day they took off up in the air and, I don't know, one two pilots and a Phantom four. And they got hit and they were going down and the one guy says, I'm getting out of here.

Danny

Danny

It's a very strange. You can't take this off and, you know, give it to the wall or something. I said, no, this has been on me. Never off through different illnesses I've had and everything. Never off.

Danny

and then so I get on the computer, you know, and I look up because Ray. So, my guy that took him to the line, he's coming over to my house.

Danny

Danny

And I said yes. She says, I'm coming to Scottsdale. I'm a professional photographer, and the rodeo is going to be in Scottsdale and I'm going to be there. She said, let's go out to eat. So my wife and I met her and, we met her for lunch, and she says, I was one year old when he went down missing in action.

Danny

And my mother had to wait seven years, of course, before she could remarry or whatever. But she said, I'm so blessed to know that somebody had worn my father's bracelet all those years, and you'd be surprised if people see that. Is that one of those? Is that one of those is the am I if I were to my death, you know

Pat McCalla

Wow, man, Danny, what an amazing

Danny

Yeah.

Danny

Danny

Yeah, 21

Danny

Yeah. The story. Something like all those years.

Danny

Yeah. Yeah.

Pat McCalla

Well, Dan and Danny,

Pat McCalla

all I can say for me and our audience is, thank you, thank you.

Pat McCalla

Welcome home.

Danny

Thank you.

Danny

That.

Danny

Thanks.

Danny

Thanks, pal.

Danny

Thank you. Man. Thanks to. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you, thank you.

Danny

Did

Pat McCalla

So two truths in a lie.

Pat McCalla

It's ironic because we call this no gray areas. And then I'm going to ask you to lie to me. But it's a fun thing for the audience and myself. We got to know you a little bit. We got to know your story a little bit. So are you going to do is you're going to give me three statements.

Pat McCalla

Two of them would be truths. One of them would be a lie. And I have to try to guess. The audience has to try to guess which is the lie. So

Pat McCalla

we've been going with you first. Danny will keep going in that

Danny

direction.

Danny

Okay, well, I kind of screwed up this first one. I was born and raised in Arizona.

Danny

Okay. No. All right. We'll show you a closer.

Danny

Okay.

Danny

I am a cancer survivor. I have worn a P.O.W. am my braces for.

Danny

55 years.

Danny

I kind of blew that today.

Danny

I got it. I got this one, I got you. it's true that you've

Pat McCalla

been wearing that. And it is not true that you were born in Arizona. But, see, that just shows I was paying attention

Danny

Yeah, yeah.

Danny

So you are a cancer?

Danny

Yes.

Danny

12 years. 12 years. Yep. Congratulations.

Danny

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Danny

Yeah, yeah. So are.

Danny

You.

Dan

My first part time job was a popcorn salesman.

Dan

I'm the oldest of eight children, and I'm the only one that served in the military.

Dan

As a junior and senior in high school, I wrestled for Lorain High School. As a senior, I made it to the Ohio State level, but came in second in the 120 pound weight class.

Pat McCalla

man, Dan, those are good ones. And and I know you a little bit because we've had quite a few conversations.

Dan

so you.

Dan

So you've got an advantage.

Dan

I

Pat McCalla

do, I should have an advantage. The second one, I was like, okay, I know this one. And then you added a second part, which I'm not sure. And that was it. You're the oldest of eight, but the only one who served.

Pat McCalla

I'm going to say that's true.

Dan

You're

Danny

right. Okay. hundred and

Pat McCalla

5050 chance.

Pat McCalla

And then I think you I think I remember you telling me you were a wrestler. That's true.

Danny

Wrong.

Danny

I'm so proud of yourself. There's something wrong with your job.

Dan

I wrestled in high school, but, for two years. Yeah, but, I was late to the program. The guy that was,

Dan

had a year experience, and we were 120 pound weight class. He wound up in all of the varsity matches. I did okay in the junior varsity league, but I got into one high school. One, senior, what would you call it?

Dan

varsity match. And I pinned the kid in the first period, so I could have. I could have been pretty well. Yeah, but I had tough competition. Was in there within the team.

Dan

So

Pat McCalla

knew you were in the wrong weight class.

Danny

All right, you got a nice job there. Okay.

Danny

And I would like

Dan

to add about the popcorn salesman. Yeah.

Dan

when I was about nine years old, my mom and dad owned a Drive-In restaurant in in our hometown of Lorraine. And he had a big popcorn machine, and he'd put me out there on a on a Pepsi case so I could be high enough. And the people at the Drive-In restaurant would come and buy popcorn from me.

Pat McCalla

So at that age,

Dan

I was a.

Dan

Cute little kid, you know?

Dan

things have changed.

Danny

popcorn.

Danny

thank you.

Pat McCalla

So, man. What? Just much, much respect to both of you and your service and the life that you've lived.

Pat McCalla

And thanks for sharing with us today,

Pat McCalla

we love you guys.

Danny

Thank you,

Speaker 1

As we wrap up this episode with Vietnam veterans Dan and Danny, we're reminded of the courage and sacrifice of our veterans.

Speaker 1

Let's continue to honor and support them, recognizing their service. The lasting impact of their experiences.

Speaker 1

Be sure to like, follow, and subscribe if you love this exclusive episode.