Then a few years ago several of my grandsons asked if I would write some stories or perhaps a book from my time in Vietnam. I even left the corporate world and started my own company because of this mosquito. 80-hour work weeks were the norm for me for many, many years. I worked beyond extremely hard at every endeavor, whether it was work or play. I’ve had trouble in positions that I worked in with authority figures and people that did crazy and stupid acts. I focused intently on anything other than that war. My life was impacted in so many ways by Vietnam. It won’t go away until it’s satisfied with blood or you kill it.įor over 40 years I let that mosquito buzz in my head. But over those years the war kept creeping up on me like a mosquito that keeps buzzing around your ear. For me the war was well behind in my life’s rear-view mirror and I had been looking forward in life for many years. There have been many books written about the Vietnam War. Please find it in your hearts and your pocketbook to help us in this great mission. All this along with the fundraising efforts will continue until our mission is complete. During the paddle downriver I personally met and thanked over 350 Gold Star family members, most of them Vietnam Gold Star Families and conducted over 100 media interviews and group presentations. To put it bluntly: I NEED YOUR HELP!Īs you recall, the mission is to raise money for the National American Huey History Museum and to honor our Gold Star families. We are 20% there!! But we still have 3.2 million to go by year end 2018. In all our Huey 369 fundraising team has raised over 800,000.00 dollars of our 4 million dollar goal. 80, 000.00 from small donors along the way and 100,000.00 matching grant for FedEx founder Fredrick Smith.

BUT, though the solo river trip is complete the MISSION is just beginning.

I never tipped the canoe once in the entire 2300 mile journey. But in the end my trusty Wenonah canoe and oars got me through the journey safely. And dangerous! Especially on the flooded waters South of St Louis. It was a much tougher trip than I had imagined. I got off the river at the Moon Walk River Steps in the French Quarter of New Orleans. On AugI finished my solo Mississippi journey

Mission of honor