Gone But Not Forgotten
When the local draft board came calling for a mutual friend, Bob Ables summoned me to join him in rendering some aid and comfort to the forlorn lad. Upon confronting him it was clear Joe Burnett was in deep despair over his situation. The prospect of going to Vietnam and getting killed was overwhelming his very being. I was finally able to break through a little when I told him how high the odds were against that happening to him. "By far, many more come back alive than not," I assured him. I still remember his look of despair. He still had to go in as a recruit, complete a rough basic training, and then be given a duty station assignment. As downtrodden as he appeared now that seemed like a heavy load for him to carry. He did arrive in Vietnam soon after. It seemed like just short weeks later when the news came. The first report was that he had stepped on a land mine and lost both his legs. Finally, on November 23, 1966, just two days after his 20th birthday while in Vietnam, he died from multiple fragmentation wounds at USAF Hospital, Clark Air Force Base, Philippines.
PFC Joseph Darryl Burnett