Vietnam veteran Larry Potter of House Springs.
Vietnam veteran Larry Potter of House Springs puts out this sign on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, honoring the memory of some of the men he served with in the Navy.
Larry, 75, was born in 1946 in south St. Louis and served in the Navy from 1965 to 1969.
“I served in Vietnam from October 1968 to October 1969 on Swift boats, mainly in the CauMau Peninsula,” he said. “I was the Leading Petty Officer and my job was to drive the boat and make sure everything was in good shape and ready to meet whatever we would run into. The names on this sign were men I knew serving in Cos Div 11. Dewey was my best friend and I was with Tom and later Glen when they were hit. The others I wasn’t close to but I saw them around.
“I was one of the lucky ones; my physical wounds were minor. It just seems to me that this part of my life I should not forget, even though the memories at times sneak up on me. Gratefully, it’s usually when I am alone.”
