After three months of explosive ordnance and heavy equipment training by the U.S. Army, 18-year-old Roger Thompson arrived for duty in Vietnam in March of 1968. During his service, he witnessed firsthand the terrors of war, which inspired his lifetime mission of helping fellow veterans who struggle with both the physical and mental effects of combat.
In 2021, Thompson and his friend, Kym Klapperich, both of Travelers Rest, sat down to discuss his experience with StoryCorps, a national initiative to record and collect stories of everyday people. This excerpt was selected and produced by Linda Nunez.
TRANSCRIPT:
Thompson: When I arrived there, one of the first duties I had, they asked for volunteers to help load a military plane, a C-130 transport that was going back to the United States. Me and several other guys volunteered to load this airplane. And the cargo that we loaded that day was all in black plastic bags. And they were fairly heavy, but they weren't bad. So, we figured it was soldier supplies and equipment that was being sent home. And we loaded about 150 of those bags. And then this sergeant showed up, walked up to the ramp, went inside, and looked at the tags on the bag. I had not paid any attention to the tags. Each one of the tags had a man's name on it. These were not their possessions that were going home. These were the men themselves, and these were body bags. And that was my introduction to that country.
Narrator: Two weeks before one of Thompson’s missions, locals were urged to evacuate. Their village was first targeted by air, then entered on foot by Thompson and his fellow soldiers. To their horror, they discovered not all villagers had evacuated. Their ambush mission became a rescue mission, relocating one child to a nearby convent. Afterward, Thompson began volunteering at the convent to help with repairs.
Thompson: Once I got to the village, I met this little boy named Winto who was five years old. And Winto became my best friend. Because every time I showed up, he would grab hold of my leg and hold on to me and would not leave me alone all the time I was there. And he would cry when I left in the evenings. So, after many visits to the convent over the next three months, I had filed adoption papers and had adopted Winto. We called him “Winter.” I had adopted Winto. And I went down to the convent to take the adoption papers that had been filled out to the sisters. And the night before, we'd had some penetrations into the compound and around the convent. So, we had to go out and disarm all the weapons and all the bombs and everything. And when I walked into that convent that morning, up the path to the convent, Vinh saw me, and he…he came running across the field….and stepped on one of the landmines that I’d missed. And I lost my boy.
Klapperich: I'm sorry.
Thompson: And, so that was…that's still hard today. It always will be.
Klapperich: I'm so sorry. I know you've been able to tell us, or tell me and others that we're friends with, a lot about him over the years.
Thompson: Well, the outcome of that, I came home, I started teaching Sunday school. And these kids, every time I see them, I have...I have my boy back. Because I have someone I can talk to, and someone that hugs me, and someone that…that cares.
