We have been learning about Bill Curwick, who graduated from Marshall High School before enlisting and training as an Army combat engineer. He deployed to Vietnam in November 1970, serving with the 26th Engineer Battalion at Chu Lai and with Engineer Company (Provisional), supporting units of the 196th Infantry Brigade in Danang.

Mail is always important to deployed troops. Bill explained their mail service in Vietnam was good.

“Firebase Tien Phuc was quite a ways from Chu Lai, but I could write a letter, hand it off to the first chopper that came in, and from the time he got it in his hand to the time my mother got it was actually a 3-day delivery.”

What Bill did not understand was that his letters home were just as important to his mom. He learned that lesson under difficult circumstances.

“I wrote home that we were headed to LZ MaryAnn and we’d be there a week, revamping their perimeter defenses. The day after she got the letter Walter Cronkite informed the nation that LZ MaryAnn had been overrun with 80% casualties. Of course Mom hadn’t heard from me since her last letter. I wasn’t on LZ MaryAnn when that incident happened, but she didn’t know if I was alive. She contacted someone at the Red Cross, who contacted someone else, and eventually my First Sergeant came and got me. He brought me to the MARS station (near Danang) and had me call my mother. We had a (short) conversation. My First Sergeant promised Mom I’d write more often and I wouldn’t be going into dangerous situations. Of course, he lied on both counts, (Bill chuckled) but he probably made my mother feel better.”

Bill’s mom kept all his letters from Vietnam. This one (edited for length) is from 8 May 1972 as he approached his last week’s in-country.

“Dear Family,

Got back from my R&R the 1st of May. Been out in the field since then. Things don’t look too good over here.

I’ve got less than 40 days left to go. Time seems to be standing still.

Getting back to my R&R, it was fantastic, to say the least. I did and saw things on R&R that most people don’t get to try. I lived on nothing but Thai food, fruits, and Thai beer. The food is spicy, the fruits fresh, and the beer strong.

When I ran out of money in Bangkok, the girl I contracted for the week paid my way. She bought me some tailor-made clothes,took me out dancing, and took me to the movies. Write.

Love, Butch”

Bill’s DEROS (Date of Estimated Return from Overseas Service) was June 16, 1972.

“They sent me by helicopter to Saigon. As we were on the tarmac in a commercial airliner we had mortar and rocket rounds coming in. The stewardess told us to buckle up. We were going to get out of there before they damaged the tarmac. We came in to Vietnam under fire and went out the same way. We flew to Tokyo; from Tokyo to Juneau and from Juneau to Seattle. From Seattle we came home to Minneapolis.”

Bill had conflicting feelings leaving Vietnam.

“I didn’t feel good about leaving because I was leaving my guys behind. I wasn’t excited about getting home until I walked out of the airport and Dad was there with a fifth of Canadian Club. I had written him, ‘Have a bottle of Canadian Club ready for me.’ He remembered. (Bill laughed) We went from the airport to my uncle’s in Richfield and had a big, coming-home party.”

But those welcoming gestures didn’t extend beyond his family.

“People asked me about Vietnam all the time and I discovered pretty quickly that they really didn’t want to know. I ran into a lot of indifference.”

Bill also realized his Vietnam service had changed him.

“I was an outgoing, social person before I went to Vietnam. When I came back from Vietnam I became a private, quiet person. I tried to be social, but never felt comfortable.”

Bill completed his enlistment at Fort Hood, Texas. He met his spouse of 50 years, Annette, on a visit home.

“I came home for my best friend’s wedding dance and felt so out of place, I left after a few minutes. The next day was Fathers’ Day, so I took my parents and grandparents to the Lyndwood. Mom said there was a table of girls in the back, asking about me. That’s where I met my wife. The next night we went on a date, had our first argument, and have never quit.” (Bill laughed)

Bill served in the Army Reserve and earned a reserve retirement while also working in sales in Marshall. He credits his Vietnam and Army service for some of his life success.

“I’ve learned that I’m a fairly good leader and that I’m damn lucky. My whole life bears out the lucky part. I have a knack for bringing people along — taking a rough product and turning it into something useful. I’ve made a difference in people’s lives.”

Like so many other Vietnam veterans, Bill wrestles with health challenges from Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. He shared a hope about our nation’s understanding of its military.

“We who wear the uniform wear that uniform at your request. Your military will do what needs to be done. They are not looking to be praised for it or thanked for it. They just don’t want their service to be forgotten.”

Thank you for your Vietnam service, Bill. Welcome home!

©2025 William D. Palmer.