TROY — Robert L. Menz, of Sidney, was at Pr’Line Mountain in South Vietnam from 1970-1971, providing coded communication via Tropo (Tropospheric Scatter Microwave Communication).
In the introduction to the book, In the Clouds, Voices of Pr’Line Mountain Vietnam: 1970-1971 he writes, “and now, that having survived monsoons, a sun that could fry skin, cobras, three steppers, mosquitos, enemy fire, and loneliness that his life afterwards needed to count.” He indicates that he returned from Vietnam with “a high respect for life, an appreciation of the sacredness of life.” And his life has counted: as prolific author and employee-assistance counselor, and as a faculty member at Edison State Community College. He currently sponsors a support group at the Miami Valley Veterans Museum in Troy for area veterans who want to process their military experiences in a safe and confidential environment.
He reports, “When I came home from Vietnam in September of 1971, I felt like a winner: I was alive.” He had gone to boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he tested high in electricity/electronics and was trained in that area at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He said, “We were kinda like Bell telephone in Vietnam.”
Of the 20 men with whom he served in Vietnam, Menz says, “There was a brotherhood that was established, one that is more profound than even sibling relationships. Being young and naïve, we were all in denial of harm that could have come to us- even more that one of our brothers could die. I had friends that I worried about when they went out. I was afraid that they would get hurt. My denial was too great to worry about myself.
Contact Vivian Blevins at [email protected] if you are interested in joining the group that Menz leads at the Miami Valley Veterans Museum in Troy.
Coffee and doughnuts, courtesy of the Miami County Veterans Service Commission, will be served at the museum beginning at 8:30 a.m. Located at 2245 S. County Road 25A, the Museum is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thank you for supporting the Miami Valley Veterans Museum.
