Harlan Kirgan
There’s not much humor to be found in war, but occasionally a storyteller emerges to do just that.
Don Bacque has written “A Walk in the Park: A Vietnam Comedy” and it tells his story of serving as a Green Beret in Vietnam in 1970.
“My story in no way takes away from sacrifices that others have made,” he said at Wednesday’s Eunice Rotary Club meeting “I was very fortunate.
“I’m going to talk about two-and-half-years of growing up in the Army. Two-and-half years that helped change my life and two-and-half-years that gave me an apreciation for the term fate or luck or the grace of God because things happened to me you just can’t explain,” he said.
Bacque started off talking about how a degree in history from LSU in 1968 ended up with his service in the Green Berets.
“I knew the minute I graduated I was going to be drafted,” he said.
Bacque decided being an officer would make his life better. And, even though his eyesight was poor enough for him to be considered legally blind without glasses, he was accepted in officer training, he said
“They said there’s no way you can be in combat arms, but you can become an officer,” he said.
“I wasn’t really upset about that. Maybe you all might have been upset. Some people like to be heroes. Most heroes are dead and I was always of the opinion it was better to be a live coward than a dead hero,” he said.
Although he was sent to infantry training, Bacque said he was assured by the recruiter he would be able to transfer to Adjutant General Corps.
After training at Fort Benning, Georgia, the commanding officer announced there would be no transfers out of the infantry.
Bacque said he thought, “The recruiters could not have lied to me.”
Next, he was headed to airborne training where 300-ft. tall training towers awaited him.
“I thought to myself the worst thing, even worse than jumping from an airplane would be getting caught on that tower 300-feet in the air and they have to bring you down,” he said.
And, what’s a Louisiana story without former Gov. Edwin Edwards being in it?
Bacque has that covered.
Bacque was to get married after his training, but in between a party had been planned for his fiancé, Cookie, in Lafayette. The problem was Bacque was confined to the post.
Bacque was called into the colonel’s office. The colonel said he had a call from a congressman saying Bacque had to get married.
“We got a call from a guy named Edwin Edwards and he wants you to go home to marry this girl,” he said.
Later, when he found out he had been selected for Special Forces, he noted, “I knew what they did was pretty damn dangerous and I had made a commitment not to die.”
Once in Vietnam his commanding officer, Col. Hennigan, informed him about his job.
From Bacque’s book:
“Do you know what our mission is in Vietnam?”
“Honestly, sir, no one has shared that with me.”
“Well, our mission is to recruit, train, and lead in battle — indigenous personnel.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. wondering exactly what that had to do with my new position.
“The job I’m giving you has great danger as well as responsibility. The Vietnamese will try to subvert you, offering you money, women, drugs, and alcohol.”
As my mind was racing, all I could think was, Obviously he wants an LSU alum, who would be used to debauchery, to have this job.
He went on. “I want you to be my funds officer” — but I heard “fun officer.”
Bacque shares many such stories, but they make a point.
“When I was in Vietnam I thought to myself this is a different experience. This is something. I don’t want take away from anyone that had a terrible experience and many, many people did. It is the grace of God. I made no choice. It just happened. And sometimes in life when it is all said and done, some people are lucky. And, I’ve been very very luck.”