VIETNAM

As the war escalated and the battles continued to rage, U.S. troop strength reached its peak in 1969 with more than 540,000 Americans serving in-country. No one was immune from the danger of combat – including medics who became full participants as treacherous guerrilla warfare unfolded all around them.

In the spring of 1969, Francis Whitebird, a newly trained combat medic from South Dakota, arrived in Vietnam. As a young warrior from a Lakota family with generations of military service, Francis served two tours in Vietnam, endured combat losses and saved lives, received a Purple heart, and forged bonds of friendship that have lasted a lifetime.