Leonard Ganz knew he was going to be drafted, so he studied all of the branches and enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic and other training, he pursued Officer Candidate School. By the time he deployed to Vietnam in the summer of 1969, Ganz was also part of Military Assistance Command, which was designed to work with and support our South Vietnamese allies. 

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Ganz explains Military Assistance Command and what it was like for a California kid to arrive in the heat and humidity of Vietnam. He also shares what type of training he did to prepare for his responsibilities and what the relationship with his Vietnamese officer was like.

Ganz also takes us inside two of the toughest days he spent in Vietnam. He tells us about the saddest day of his deployment when a young Vietnamese soldier died in his arms waiting for an evacuation.

He also details Thanksgiving Day 1969. From refusing orders to dire warnings and from leeches to receiving a medal, Ganz walks us through the events of that harrowing day. He also describes the pain of returning to an ungrateful nation.