During the Vietnam War era (Aug. 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975), there were a total of 9,087,000 active military members. Of those, 6,377,082 never served in Vietnam.
The military personnel who didn’t serve in Vietnam were stationed in the United States and all over the world. They served in various categories, many duties directly related to supporting the troops in Vietnam.
Dick Vraney, of Keshena, was an Army draftee who wasn’t sent to Vietnam. In 1968, 19-year-old Vraney knew that he would be drafted. He lived in Clarks Mills, just west of Manitowoc. He was a high school graduate and had a good job with the Manitowoc Company.
“Back in those days, you could actually call the draft board to find out when you were going to get drafted,” Vraney said. “They could project it, depending on what the allotment was for that month.”
Vraney said that he and his lifelong best friend, Bill Leist, had birthdays within two months of each other. They came up with a plan that would allow them to go into the U.S. Army together, to at least be in basic training together.
“So, Bill called the draft board periodically to find out about when they would be drafted,” Vraney said. “They had it pinpointed and told him that when we found out when I would be drafted, he could then volunteer for the draft, and that’s what happened.
“I could have applied for deferments, because Manitowoc Company was building a lot of cranes and doing work for the Atomic Energy Commission. I never thought about it.”
Vraney said, with tongue in cheek, that his dad would have disowned him if he had applied for a deferment. His family background includes a grandfather who served in World War I.
Vraney said that he never gave it any thought at that time to skip out. He also said that he never gave any thought to the fact that the Vietnam War was going on at the time.
“I had five classmates, two in my class and three ahead of me, that were killed over there,” he said, noting four of them died before Vraney went into the service.
Most of them had enlisted.
“At that time, when you enlisted, you’d be in service for three years. If you were drafted, it was typically for two years,” Vraney said. “So, I waited to be drafted, because I didn’t want any part of the three years. We went in on St. Patrick’s Day 1969.”
He said that when he and Leist arrived at the induction center in Milwaukee, a recruiter said that the Marines had a quota to meet and that they were looking for volunteers, a three-year commitment.
“I perked up and looked at my buddy, and he looked at me,” Vraney said. “He said, ‘You keep your mouth shut,’” to remind Vraney of their two-year plan.
Their basic training was at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
“Basic training was just a lot of getting harassed, and they gave you a hard time,” he said. “They send you through all the drill and war scenarios. You spend a lot of time on the rifle range and a lot of time marching. It’s just the way it is.”
When basic training was over, Leist went to Fort Gordon, Georgia, and that was the last they saw of each other while in the Army. They continue to be friends.
“I had a two-week leave and went home,” Vraney said. “Then I went to Colorado for 21 months.”
He reported there on June 7, 1969.
“I always felt a little bit guilty because I sat there for 21 months and never went anywhere beyond that,” Vraney said.
He was stationed in Headquarters Battery 284th Artillery at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was the battalion mail clerk.
“I drove the battalion commander, who was usually a lieutenant colonel. I was his driver. It was a pretty good job,” he said.
Fort Carson was the headquarters of the Fifth Army.
“You got to meet guys from all over,” he said. “Just about every state.”
He said that when he got out in 1971, he had the rank of corporal. Vraney rode home with a guy from Michigan and a guy from Indiana.
“They took me home right to Clarks Mills,” he said.
Vraney returned to work at the Manitowoc Company for the rest of his professional career. He now lives near Keshena with his wife, Ginny. He volunteers for Wolf River Habitat for Humanity.
Vraney is proud of his service and takes part in veterans’ activities in his hometown.
Dick Vraney stands in his Army uniform during his two-year enlistment in the middle of the Vietnam War era. He was drafted in 1969 when he was 19 years old. (Contributed)
