A look back in time

On Jan. 29, 1972, I left Viet Nam — my tour was cut from one year to 6 months due to the Nixon ordered troop reduction.

I traveled by transport cargo plane (bench seats) to Tokyo.

Left Tokyo Jan. 31, arrived in San Francisco Feb. 1, and transferred to Ft. Dix, NJ, for discharge arriving there Feb. 3, 1972.

Three and one-half years of service, and I can say, without hesitation, that I would do it again. 

I learned much, matured, had experiences that could have never been duplicated: Marc’s Brit Milah, February 1970, was the first in Augsburg, Germany, since the completion of WWII; and made contacts that led me to become a member of the Jewish Communal Service.

First year — Basic training at Ft. Dix, N.J., Advanced Infantry Training at Ft. Jackson, S.C., Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Ga., Red Eye Missile School at Ft. Bliss, Texas.

Years 2 + 3: Augsburg, Germany (Special Services Officer, ‘Chaplain’) where Faye was with me. 

Year 4 (six months): Long Bin (Saigon), Vietnam - Transportation officer for what has been called China Beach (Drug rehab center). Awarded the Bronze Star. 

Paul Jeser was an active member of the Central Florida Jewish community for many years. He served as Federation executive director from 1976-1984 and JCC executive director from 1976-1978. His wife, Faye, taught at the JCC pre-school and taught music and led the choir at the Hebrew Day School. She led the choir at Ohev and was musical director for “Jacob and Sons” and “Milk and Honey.” She was also the program director at the Park Lake Nursing Home.