Oz (Richard) Leciejewski- US Army

“The Vietnam war was not popular but we served proudly and still salute the flag, say the Pledge of Elegance and stand and salute for our national anthem”
……….Oz

Oz Leciejewski (Le ches ski) (called “Alphabet” by the drill sergeant) is proud to have served his country in the Army during the Vietnam War from June 1968, when he volunteered for the draft, until June 1971.

Just think of it! Responding to the draft. Leaving your large family of five siblings in Ashland, Wisconsin at the age of twenty. Leaving every familiar place and person, traveling across the country, obeying the commands of complete strangers, then being sent into the war zone of another country and culture.

First, there was basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Regular Army in September 1968 and training as a medic and dental specialist at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. While in Texas Oz signed up for an extra year of service to take a specialist prosthetic dental lab course to mold crowns and cast dentures. He gained experience in the field of X-ray working in a hospital and dental clinic in Fort Eustis, Virginia before beginning his first tour of duty escorting medical evacuations from Saigon, Vietnam to Japan and Thailand.

The next assignment was Thailand, to Korat and Bangkok. Leciejewski worked as a medic and dental X-ray technician with the 133rd and 562nd Medivac Units with short assignments to Cambodia and Vietnam for medical evacuations.

The positive part of military service during war is that relationships built out of strife become a family. The family that is forged when shocking immediate life saving tasks must be accomplished even though soldiers are of different races and religions. Oz recalls caring for the wounded from friendly fire, especially the napalm burn victims. (Chemicals used to thicken gasoline for use as an incendiary in flamethrowers and fire bombs.) The burns were so terrible, black skin turned white with scar tissue.

Another difficult assignment was assisting in the autopsies to identify the remains of soldiers. Leciejewski made a lifelong friend of Dr. Perssons despite having a stress related laughing jag as the doctor was vomiting into his gas mask during a particularly horrifying autopsy procedure. Family forged by terror.

Family forged by adventure such as free Embassy Flights soldiers were invited to take on furlough. A flight to India with a fellow soldier is a fond memory where the sights were amazing and the experiences startling. There was an empty park in New Delhi that filled up with sleeping people on the ground at night. In the morning wagons pulled into the park to collect the people who had died during the night.

Oz serves and has served many roles in his life. He has lived in the Virginia/Cook region since 1974. He is a volunteer for Ruby’s Pantry and is a former Cook Lion.

Serving as an Honor Guard for VFW 5717 is his role for perpetuating the ceremony of final respect for those who have altered their lives and given up years for this country.

Thank you for your service, Oz (Richard) Leciejewski!