An estimated 3 million Americans served in combat during the Vietnam War. Today, only about 725,000 of these brave individuals remain with us. Vietnam is etched in American history as a brutal and costly conflict—one where many young men and women answered the call to serve our country with unwavering courage. On this episode of the *Payne Points of Wealth* podcast, we had the good fortune to interview our friend Nicholas Simonic, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran. Through grit, resourcefulness, and what Nick would call “luck,” he survived the scorching Southeast Asian heat, guerrilla warfare in thick jungles filled with booby traps, landmines, and tunnels: to make it back home. Nick takes us back to a tumultuous upbringing in Cleveland, his time in the U.S. Army, and how surviving in the face of extreme uncertainty helped him forge a path to building his own version of the American dream as a successful family man and entrepreneur. Today, Nick, a CPA by trade, owns his own accounting practice in Jacksonville, Florida. Join us as Nick shares an emotional and humbling account of his real-life American experience. We hope you find his story as moving and meaningful as we did.