Mr. Wilson

I bumped into Junius Wilson in Pinole on morning while he was on the way to see his doctor.  I immediately noticed his Viet Nam flag pin with the year '69 on it.  What I didn't notice right away was the purple bar on his hat, a Purple Heart he was awarded after a shootout in Cu Chi where he was hit in the foot while diving over a barrier in attempt to escape gunfire.

Mr. Wilson was raise in Louisiana, drafted into the Army, and served one tour. He was one of the numerous US servicemen to receive a decoration from the Republic of Vietnam.  He shared some stories with me about handing out rations, candies, and cigarettes to the kids in Viet Nam and how the local Vietnamese would call him "#1 G.I."

After Viet Nam, he went back to Louisiana, but found that he couldn't make a life there, so he come out to California, where he's been for the past 40 years.

Like many veterans of all ages, Mr. Wilson is having some health problems, and was seeing his doctor to schedule a shoulder surgery.  He has also been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has had trouble getting his full benefit from the VA, problem all too common for veterans who have served in their country dutifully.