In 1968, during his first year as a professional football player with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rocky Bleier received a letter from the Army. He had been drafted into military service, and within months he was in Vietnam. During his tour, he experienced periods of intense combat. In this episode, he tells the story of one firefight in particular—a firefight in which he was wounded twice. He explains what happened that day, and he also discusses his recovery fro his wounds, and his eventual return to the NFL, where he went on to have a successful career, winning four Super Bowls with the Steelers.
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It was great to hear from someone who experienced how things were getting drafted and going to Vietnam, without hearing all the nonsense one hears from those who never went, and then taking that experience with him and incorporating it into his life.
To most of us, the Draft was indeed something that hung over us and, obviously, most didn't run to Canada, fake injuries, nor protest in the streets. We accepted it as a fact and a transition into manhood.
We were told we were helping a country in fighting against communism – a much poo-pooed idea today by academia and the press, though they were never there to see what the VC did to the people they were supposedly "saving."
The result today? Still a communist country, aren't they?