Phil David was 17 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and he quickly became a squad leader while serving in Vietnam.
AUSTIN, Texas — Phil David was just 17 years old when he volunteered to enlist in the Marines in 1967.
It was turbulent year for American military involvement in the war in southeast Asia, and David was sent to Vietnam.
“After being in Vietnam for a month, I was made squad leader for a group of Marines who handled 60mm mortars,” David said. “I had to grow up fast. Some days were just plain bad. We’d have incoming rounds being fired on you, rain and getting stuck in rice paddies.”
It wasn’t until many years after his service to his country that David began questioning what he had experienced.
“I turned 18 years old and I’m over there killing folks,” David said. “And what was one of the Ten Commandments, Thou Shalt Not Kill? It took me a long time to accept what I had done.”
David’s journey to acceptance, to make peace within himself about all he had seen and done in Vietnam, began a few years ago with an Honor Flight visit to Washington, D.C. He was among a group of Central Texas military veterans who visited America’s war monuments and memorials in a two-day journey provided by Honor Flight Austin.
Like many veterans, David was experiencing severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from his war experiences. But a chance encounter at the Vietnam War Memorial began the process of healing.
“When I went to the (Vietnam Memorial) wall, I had met a veteran from World War II,” David said. “I remember he had his son with him, and as I approached the wall, I put my arms and hands on it. His son came over and put his arm around me and we said a prayer. I’ll never forget that.”
Recently, David got a surprise. He was named Honor Flight Austin’s Vietnam War Ambassador. His mission is to get all veterans from WWII, the Korean War, The Cold War and the war in southeast Asia who served in the military in May 1975 – or any time before that date – to join Honor Flight for future trips to our nation’s capital.
“Going on an Honor Flight allowed me to open up my heart and open up my mind,” David said. “Just to say, ‘Hey Phil, you are somebody and we do care.’ And that’s what Honor Flight is.”
David’s life story is still being written. He is in good health, and he says the nightmares from PTSD aren’t as bad as before. A personal victory for him, and a testament to the healing power that may come from taking a journey with Honor Flight.