We have been learning about Tracy’s Neil Ostgaard and his service in the Vietnam War. Neil graduated from Tracy High School in 1961. He attended St. John’s University in Collegeville where he was a member of the St. John’s men’s chorus. He also participated in St. John’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. He explained that second part of his college years.

“[ROTC] was a requirement for the first two years. A couple things helped me decide to continue. My brother was in the Army and enjoyed it. I respected that. I also went forward with Advanced ROTC for the $50/month. Vietnam was not really in the picture until 1963. You were only obligated for two years and I figured the experience would be good.”

Several SJU faculty particularly influenced Neil.

“One was Gerhard Track, who was the SJU men’s chorus director. Father Martin was a great economics teacher. Mon Pere Rolon was a French teacher. I had his class the day we heard Kennedy had been shot. He walked in; faced us; and said, ‘It is a sad day when this can happen here.’ “

Neil graduated from SJU in May 1965 with a bachelor’s degree and received an Army commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Transportation Corps on the same day.

He reflected on what that day meant.

“It gave me a sense of accomplishment and a future that was wide open. I thought the two years in the Army would be a good experience. It turned out to be five years, two months, and eleven days. “

Neil left Minnesota in November 1965 for the eight week transportation officer basic course at Fort Eustis, Virginia. He shared memories from the course.

“That whole Fort is an historic area and was well-kept. The class size was [almost] one hundred people from all over the country. I was anxious because I didn’t know a soul. It was pretty much half day of classroom and half day of introduction to the vehicles involved in transportation operations. There was also introduction to weapons. One thing I remember was the day we got to drive the amphibious vehicles, the ducks, in and out of the water of the bay. That was fun.”

Neil was aware of the tension in U.S. society of the time.

“This was 1965 when there was a lot of animosity about racial integration. My vehicle had Minnesota plates and I drove around with my best friends who were a black guy and a Jewish fellow. We used to joke about being prime targets of the KKK. I remember signs on public drinking fountains and restrooms identifying which were “colored” and which “white.” These signs were still there despite the Civil Rights Act of 1964, passed the year before.”

Neil recalled one class assembly as a life-changing event.

“One day the class was in an auditorium. One guy came out and started pitching flight school, making it sound glorious. He didn’t talk about fixed-wing versus helicopter. He asked anyone who was interested to raise their hand and about ten of us did, so we talked with him. I ended up in fixed-wing training with one other. (Neil laughed) I don’t remember him saying that our flight training would result in another three-year commitment.”

Neil left Fort Eustis for the Army’s thirty-five week, Primary Flight Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

“I think there were about thirty in our class. We started off in the Bird Dog, the O-1. That was basic training: rules of flight; learning about the four principles of flight; working with the instructor; and then soloing. It was a half day in class and a half day flying. Each instructor had two students, so you’d go up with the instructor in turn. The part I liked best about the Bird Dog was short-strip landings and take-offs. There were a lot of things you didn’t tell your Mom. (Neil laughed) One day when the wind was strong the instructor was flying and said, “Watch this.” He slowed over a highway into the wind so that the cars below were passing us. He slowed further and the wind was pushing us backwards. The wind gave us enough lift to keep us in the air, although we weren’t going forward.”

Neil explained that Primary Flight Training continued with the trainees moving into T-34 trainers (Civilian Beechcraft Barons).

“It was a twin engine in which we took instrument instruction under a hood. It was a fun aircraft to fly. This was also at Fort Rucker and lasted six weeks. It was still a mix of classroom and flight, but it was centered more on flight. I did more flying than reading.”

Neil described the major lessons of Primary Flight Training beyond learning aircraft flight controls.

“They included concentration; attention to detail; being aware of problems and dangers and how to take care of them; and decision-making.”

The end of Primary Flight also marked the follow-on assignments for every new pilot.

“At the end of Primary you got your orders. Two students stayed with Bird Dogs; two of us went to Mohawks; and all the others went to helicopters. We were the envy of the others. The Mohawk was the most sophisticated and largest of the fixed-wing, Army aircraft. But not everyone wanted to go into it because its nickname was “The Widow Maker.”

The Lyon County Museum is organizing an exhibit about the Vietnam War and Lyon County. If you would like to share Vietnam experiences or help with the exhibit, please contact me at prairieviewpressllc@gmail.com or call the museum at 537-6580.