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Episode #726 of Hometown Heroes, airing March 25-28, 2022, gets you ready for National Vietnam War Veterans Day with the memories of two Vietnam veterans, Army pilot Ken Yeager and Army nurse Loretta Forlaw. March 29th was established as National Vietnam War Veterans Day in 2017, and is still taking root in communities around America.

One special event marking the occasion will begin at 9 a.m. on March 29th at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District in Clovis, CA. Jim McCloughan, who received the Medal of Honor for his efforts as an Army medic in Vietnam, will be the keynote speaker, followed by a patriotic concert, car show, and special honors for Vietnam veterans in attendance. Click here to register for the event.

This episode includes interviews recorded at VFW Post 10147 in Apopka, FL. First, you’ll hear from 84-year-old Ken Yeager, who spent 12 years in the Navy before becoming an Army pilot. You’ll hear him recall a military-influenced childhood, as the Florida native moved to southern California because of his father’s career in the Coast Guard. At La Jolla High School, Ken would meet his wife of 66 years, Nancy. He volunteered for submarine duty, serving aboard the USS Redfish (SS-395), which you may have seen depicting Captain Nemo’s Nautilus in the 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. You’ll hear how advice from his father would eventually influence his decision to switch from the Navy to the Army, leading to his spending a year in Vietnam as an O-1 Bird Dog pilot with the Seahorses of the 183rd Aviation Company RAC.