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Gary Burgard - Vietnam War
Gary Burgard was working as an instructor pilot in Jacksonville, Illinois prior to his induction into the U.S. Army in the mid 1960s. By April, 1968 he was serving in South Vietnam as an infantry sergeant with the 9th Infantry Division near Saigon. He then was transferred to a MACV (Military Assistance Command-Vietnam) team south of Saigon near the Mekong delta. Burgard was injured by enemy fire twice, and later received the Bronze Star Medal,and the Army Commendation Medal for heroism. He returned to the United States in March, 1969.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Coming Home
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Military training and early months in S. Vietnam
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Experiences with 9th Division & MACV
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
Returning to the United States
Transcript
Photos
Caption
Gary Burgard, on the left, with his friend and fellow instructor pilot, Gary Watkins, stand next to a Cessna 140 after Gary’s first solo flight, circa 1962, at the Jacksonville Municipal Airport, in Jacksonville, Illinois.
Where:
Jacksonville, Illinois
When:
Circa 1962
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Gary Burgard’s graduation photo from the Non-Commissioned Officers Candidate Course in December 1967 , at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Where:
Ft. Benning, Georgia
When:
December 1967
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Gary Burgard, carrying twenty one magazines and four to six grenades, crosses a stream in South Vietnam, circa May or June 1968.
Where:
South Vietnam
When:
Circa May or June 1968
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Lieutenant Eleston and another team member wade through a deep, fast moving current somewhere in the Mekong Delta in May, 1968. Burgard is holding onto the raft (actually an air mattress) in the background.
Where:
Mekong Delta
When:
May, 1968
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
One of the two Purple Heart citations that Sergeant Burgard received, this one for wounds he received on May 27, 1968.
Where:
Unknown
When:
May 27, 1968
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Gary Burgard (right) stands with Lieutenant Eleston and Sergeant Garcia, who Gary credits with saving his life in an incident in June of 1968.
Where:
South Vietnam
When:
June of 1968
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Jimmy Broussard, on the left, and Philip Peace at Fort Benning, Georgia for the Army’s new NCO school in 1968. The Army needed NCOs, and was training recruits to become Sergeants in six months.
Where:
Fort Benning, Georgia
When:
1968
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Sergeant Burgard (right), Sergeant First Class Vaughn and two village children in South Vietnam during the Summer of 1968. The two children later attended a school that the unit members helped build.
Where:
South Vietnam
When:
Summer of 1968
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Sergeant Burgard after a briefing before a Huey airstrike, in January or near Kien Hung in the Mekong Delta region.
Where:
Near Kien Hung in the Mekong Delta region
When:
February, 1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Sergeant Burgard's unit is somewhere on the ground near a Huey airstrike on a known Viet Cong position near Kien Hung, South Vietnam.
Where:
Near Kien Hung, South Vietnam
When:
Circa 1968-1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
MACV District Headquarters in Kein Hung. The unit members rotated shifts monitoring the radio.
Where:
Kein Hung
When:
Circa 1968-1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Sergeant Burgard (right) with friend Jimmy Broussard smiling during some Rest and Recreation time in Australia, February 1969.
Where:
Australia
When:
February 1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Captain Dickinson, second from the left, with the Advisory Team’s interpreter and other Vietnamese officers in Kien Hung, located in the Mekong River delta, in February 1969. Sergeant Burgard is on the right.
Where:
Kien Hung, located in the Mekong River delta
When:
February 1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Captain Dickinson, on the left, who was MACV Advisory Team leader for Advisory Team 73, with several South Vietnam officers and Sergeant Burgard on the right, in early 1969.
Where:
South Vietnam
When:
Early 1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Gary Burgard was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service for his participation in operations from March 1968-March 1969 with the 9th Division and U.S. Military Assistance. Command, Vietnam (MAC-V).
Where:
Unknown
When:
May 15, 1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Captain Phelps stands with Kien Hong of the Army of South Vietnam in 1969.
Where:
South Vietnam
When:
1969
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Gary Burgard and his wife, Judy in their home at the time of the interview. The two met while Gary was in training at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Where:
Burgard Residence
When:
February 13, 2014
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo