On July 20 Vietnam combat vet Tom Strassburg opened up to me about his experiences in the Gator Navy–bringing supplies to bases, defending against attacks, IDing bodies in the river, life aboard the ship with his mates, and interactions with the locals at the bars. Then Tom shared about life since his days in the military–work, PTSD, Vietnam vet reunions, and what being a veteran means to him today.
Normally, I boil my interviews down to 15 minutes or less. Not Tom’s. There was little to cut from his rich experiences and insights. So I hope you enjoy every minute of our 90 minute interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xf8WhFnKDI
If you’d prefer to watch it in sections, I also broke the interview down into five shorter videos:
Part 1 – Arrival to Vietnam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6FmwxMIGu0
Part 2 – Under Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1TmLwFqZp4
Part 3 – Sailor Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSuA-IQYHSo
Part 4 – Going Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPP1v6G_xH8
Part 5 – Life Today and Looking Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuTqCD8E9lU
Thank you, Tom, for being a representative voice of the thousands of Vietnam vets out there–and for helping the rest of us appreciate what so many of you men went through.