Vietnam Voices: Video Playlist

Chuck Gilje graduated from high school in 1960 and from college in 1964 from North Dakota State University. He went to law school at the Unive…

Paul Thomae was born in Bozeman and grew up south of Livingston. He went to Park County High School.

Eric Feaver lives in Helena. He was drafted while a graduate student at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, …

Ernie Flynn graduated from Poplar High School in 1967. Like everyone after high school, he was anxious to go out and make money — “and make it…

Ralph McKinney couldn’t decide what to do after graduating from high school and attending college. A guy he knew had been in the Marine Corps,…

Beaver Tallbull was born in Forsyth and raised in Lame Deer by his grandmother. He served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971. This is his Viet…

Ron Ledridge served in the U.S. Navy. He was a farm boy who graduated from high school in La Grande, Ore. His father and several uncles served…

Kelly Besel served in the U.S. Navy. He grew up on a farm near Laurel. He graduated from Laurel High in 1968. He enlisted in the Navy. This is…

Gary Booth lived in Billings prior to his time in the U.S. Army in 1965. He received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. This is part of his…

Dennis Ulvestad graduated from Billings West High in 1968. He joined the U.S. Navy, knowing he’d probably be drafted. His father was a Navy veteran. 

Dan Gallagher was a farmboy from Charlo, in Mission Valley. His father, a Sinn Fein member and a World War I veteran, died when he was 15. He …

Kurt Schulz was in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971. His father was in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

Jerry LaFountain is a Vietnam veteran who has received a Purple Heart. He was in the U.S. Army. He started the Purple Heart memorial in Yellow…

Steve Fenter served in the United States Army as an officer. He was raised in Montana. This is part of his Vietnam story. 

Allan Hartman joined in the U.S. Army in 1967. He lived in Portland, Ore. His stepfather spent a career in the U.S. Air Force. He actually sig…

Dave Rye is a longtime Billings and Montana television personality, having spent the bulk of his career at KULR-TV here. He also served in the…

Ilan Kaufmann was in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970. He graduated from the University of the Pacific, with a degree in business administratio…

Carl Solberg served in the United States Army from 1964 to 1967. He grew up in Dodson. In junior high and high school, he was a trumpeter in t…

Clint Whitmer served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1969. He was born in Glendive and now teaches high school in Frazer. He was drafted after c…

Richard "Dick" Derbyshire served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966 to 1969. This is part of his Vietnam story. For the complete interview, pl…

Larry Armstrong was in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1974 and served with the national guard and reserves. This is part of his Vietnam story. For…

War veterans stood as the band played the service songs of each U.S. military branch at a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

A Billings man who served on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany during the Vietnam War might have been the last American to …

A video interview for The Billings Gazette's "Vietnam Voices" series helped comrades reunite after more than 50 years.