<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4gHC6b_1H1nnrW800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4gHC6b_1H1nnrW800" width="1200" height="630" >At just 18-years-old, Jim Huenink wasn’t thinking about joining the military, leaving his family behind or spending his nights surrounded by rice paddies in a country halfway around the world.But in May 1968, the Hawarden-area young man received a call that would change his life forever. He had been drafted into the United States Army.“I was drafted. I hadn’t ever thought about joining the service, but if you were called, then you had to go,” Huenink said. “It was our duty to our country.”Now 77, Huenink looks back on his military service during the Vietnam War with a mixture of pride, difficult memories and a deep appreciation for the freedoms Americans enjoy today.And while more than five decades have passed since he returned home, the lessons he learned as a young soldier have never left him.“Freedom don’t come free,” Huenink said.<h2>A young man answers the call</h2>On May 8, 1968, Huenink left home alongside approximately 50 other young men from Sioux County, traveling to Sioux Falls, SD, where they were inducted into the Army.He didn’t know any of the other men traveling with him that day.His mother, Evelynn, was frightened at the thought of her son going off to war. His father, Hank, found his own way of remembering the day his son left.“I can remember Dad. I left on May 8, and every year after that, he started planting corn on that May 8 day,” Huenink said.After his induction, Huenink traveled to Fort Lewis, WA, where he completed basic combat training and advanced individual training, commonly known as AIT.AIT is the specialized training soldiers receive after basic training to prepare them for their particular military jobs. For Huenink, that meant infantry training, including learning to handle weapons and preparing for combat.Following his training, he was allowed two weeks at home before departing for Vietnam.Nothing could have fully prepared him for what awaited him overseas.“It was a culture change,” Huenink said.<h2>Life along the rice dikes</h2>Huenink was assigned to an infantry unit operating in the rice-growing regions of Vietnam, where the landscape presented challenges unlike anything he had experienced growing up in N’West Iowa.Instead of the foxholes and trenches used by soldiers in other parts of the country, Huenink and his fellow servicemen relied on rice dikes — raised earthen embankments separating flooded rice paddies — for movement and positioning.The dikes were often the only elevated ground available in the surrounding wet fields.Huenink recalled that fellow servicemen Larry Bauder, Duane VerHoeven and the late Ron DeBoer served farther north, where foxholes were part of their experience, but where Huenink was stationed, digging a foxhole wasn’t much of an option.“If I ever dug a foxhole, we’d drown,” Huenink said.The rice dikes, which Huenink described as being approximately 10 to 11 feet wide in the areas where he served, became part of his everyday life.Each night, squads took up positions along the dikes, sometimes remaining in the field for three days and nights at a time.“You walked on the dike, and there would be some other guys on the other dike, and you didn’t know until that night whether they were good or bad,” Huenink said.The uncertainty was constant.Huenink served as the point man for his unit, a position that placed him at the front of the formation as soldiers moved through unfamiliar territory. He recalled the captain following behind him and said he was the one who would carry the radio for his whole group.His introduction to life in Vietnam came almost immediately.On his first night, members of his company had just returned from three days in the field and decided to show the new arrival how they spent their time when they weren’t deployed.“We all went and got drunker than heck,” Huenink said with a laugh.But the evening didn’t last long.Around midnight, the men were called back into action after another group encountered trouble along the rice dikes.The realities of war quickly replaced any thoughts of relaxation.Even finding a comfortable place to sleep proved difficult.Huenink recalled being issued an air mattress and a poncho, only to have both taken away as the men prepared for life in the field.With little else available, they improvised.“We took a knife and cut three or four banana plants off, and we slept on those for the rest of our time,” Huenink said.Those experiences left him with a lasting appreciation for the comforts of home.“Sure makes you grateful for what you have today here in America,” Huenink said.<h2>Scars that remain</h2>The conditions in Vietnam took a physical toll on Huenink, leaving him with reminders of his service that continue to affect him today.Walking through the wet, muddy rice fields meant soldiers were constantly exposed to moisture and difficult terrain.Huenink recalled rolling down his boots while moving through the rice dikes, but even those precautions couldn’t prevent the damage to his skin.Within two weeks of his first time in the field, he developed a severe skin condition commonly known as jungle rot, a term used by soldiers to describe skin infections and deterioration associated with prolonged exposure to wet, tropical conditions.“By that time after a few times on the rice dikes was over, I could stick my finger in the holes in my legs,” Huenink said.More than 50 years later, the effects remain.“I don’t wear long socks or high shoes still to this day because it still irritates them,” Huenink said.Eventually, his condition led to his removal from the field and reassignment to a craft shop, where he found an unexpected opportunity to help other soldiers.The shop offered activities such as rock cutting and model airplane making, giving servicemen a chance to escape the pressures of military life, even if only for a short time.It was also the only place Huenink remembered having air conditioning.“I was the boss in there and just enjoyed being able to offer the other servicemen something fun to do,” Huenink said.After spending so much time in the field, helping fellow soldiers find a little enjoyment became a rewarding part of his service.<h2>The hardest part was being away</h2>Although Huenink endured difficult conditions in Vietnam, he said the greatest challenge wasn’t necessarily the physical hardships or the uncertainty of combat.It was being separated from the people he loved.“Being away from my family was hard,” Huenink said.During his deployment, his family used a reel-to-reel tape recorder to send recordings of their voices overseas. For a young soldier thousands of miles from home, hearing those familiar voices meant everything.“To hear my loved ones’ voices was the best kind of medicine,” Huenink said.But there were also moments when the distance between Vietnam and N’West Iowa felt unbearable.During his time overseas, Huenink lost several family members in a short period.His future father-in-law died, followed two weeks later by his grandfather. An uncle also passed away shortly afterward.Huenink was unable to return home for the funerals. The losses weighed heavily on him, and for a time, he stopped communicating with his family.“I was just so upset. I went silent,” Huenink said. “It was a dark time.”Back home, his mother feared something terrible had happened to her son. With no word from him, she contacted the American Red Cross, hoping to learn whether he was safe.When Huenink discovered how worried she had become, he immediately wrote her a letter.“You bet I wrote a letter to Mom. As soon as they told me she was worried, I had to break the ice,” Huenink said.The experience remains one of the most difficult memories of his military service.<h2>Coming home</h2>Huenink served in the Army from May 1968 until February 1970.As the United States began reducing its military presence in Vietnam, Huenink requested an early release from service. He recalled that his entire battalion was eventually withdrawn as troop levels were reduced.Returning home brought an overwhelming sense of relief. He was simply thankful to be out of Vietnam.But the homecoming experienced by many Vietnam veterans was far different from the celebrations and public displays of appreciation often associated with military service today.Huenink remembers being told to remove his uniform and put on civilian clothing because of the hostility surrounding the war.“They told us to get civilian clothes on and take our uniforms off so we could stay alive because of all the draft dodgers,” Huenink said.The experience stood in sharp contrast to what he witnessed decades later.Approximately six years ago, Huenink participated in a Midwest Honor Flight, traveling to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials dedicated to America’s veterans.When the veterans returned, they were greeted by crowds of people cheering and expressing their gratitude. For Huenink, the welcome was especially meaningful.“We came back and all these people were cheering for us,” Huenink said. “That is not what it was like though back then.”The difference between those two homecomings was something he hasn’t forgotten.<h2>Continuing to serve</h2>Although his military service ended in 1970, Huenink’s commitment to his country and fellow veterans continued.For the past 38 years, he has been a member of the Ireton Bertram Post 276 American Legion.And the story of how he became a member is one he still enjoys telling.“I was cleaning the floors of the Legion hall, and Bill Feldhacker said, ‘How do you want to get paid?’” Huenink said.Rather than paying him for the work, Feldhacker offered something else.“Then he said, ‘I will pay your first year’s dues,’ and I have been a member ever since,” Huenink said.Founded in 1919, the American Legion is a nationwide veterans service organization dedicated to supporting veterans, strengthening communities, promoting patriotism and mentoring young people.Local posts such as the Ireton American Legion Bertram Post 276 help carry on those traditions through community involvement, remembrance activities and opportunities for veterans to maintain connections with others who have served.Huenink believes those organizations remain important, even as recruiting new members has become increasingly difficult.“Kids nowadays have so many more activities than what we had back then, so there is just not a lot of time to be a devoted member,” Huenink said. “But, there is such a need for more, younger veterans to join.”He recognizes that younger generations have different demands on their time, but he hopes they will continue to recognize the importance of serving their communities and country.He would especially like to see more young men participate in American Legion Boys State, a program that provides high school students with hands-on experience in government, leadership and civic responsibility.Huenink believes greater support and encouragement from local schools could help introduce more students to the program.<h2>A lifetime of memories</h2>Ask Huenink what Veterans Day means to him, and he admits he doesn’t spend a great deal of time reflecting on the holiday itself. But there are people and experiences from his military service that remain close to his heart.One fellow soldier he remembers especially well was a man named Hubert Humphrey.Huenink recalled Humphrey as a large man with an unforgettable personality and a willingness to help anyone who needed it.“He was a big, black boy, and his name was Hubert Humphrey,” Huenink said. “He was big and ugly, but would do absolutely anything for you.”The two served during the same period, and Huenink has never forgotten him.While he said he didn’t form many lasting friendships during the war, he remembers the shared desire among the soldiers to make it home.“Everybody wanted to get the hell out,” Huenink said.Today, one of the most visible reminders of Huenink’s pride in his country can be found on his own property.About eight years ago, he painted an American flag on his barn.For Huenink, the flag represents far more than a patriotic decoration.“I am so proud to have served, and the American flag is something so precious,” Huenink said.The painted flag serves as a reminder of those who answered the call to serve, including those who never returned home.<h2>An education unlike any other</h2>Looking back, Huenink believes his two years in the military taught him lessons that couldn’t have been learned in a classroom.He believes military service encourages young people to mature, become more responsible and appreciate the opportunities they have as Americans.“I think everybody should have to draft,” Huenink said. “You grow up a lot in just those two years. It’s good to serve the country.”Despite the difficult memories, the physical scars and the time spent away from his family, Huenink said he wouldn’t discourage his younger self from serving.In fact, his advice would be quite the opposite.“Do it. It will be the best education to live this life that you’ve ever got,” Huenink said.More than five decades after leaving Vietnam, Huenink remains grateful for the country he calls home.He hopes others will remember that the freedoms enjoyed in the United States have come at a cost paid by generations of servicemen and women.“You know you are free. We can do what we want to here — but freedom don’t come free,” Huenink said.And when asked what makes him most proud as he reflects on his military service, his answer is as straightforward as the young man who answered the draft call in 1968.“I am most proud that I did it!” Huenink said. “This is our country, like it or leave it. Everyone should serve.”</div></body>

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At just 18-years-old, Jim Huenink wasn’t thinking about joining the military, leaving his family behind or spending his nights surrounded by rice paddies in a country halfway around the world. But in May 1968, the Hawarden-area young man received a call that would change his life forever. He had...

Freedom doesn't come free

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At just 18-years-old, Jim Huenink wasn’t thinking about joining the military, leaving his family behind or spending his nights surrounded by rice paddies i

Freedom doesn't come free

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