There was one particular May day during the Vietnam War that Plant City native Ralph Bradley will never forget.
As North Vietnamese fighters approached, they begun dropping bombs on an airstrip near where Bradley was positioned. Bradley and another soldier dug a foxhole and took cover.
“Me and my buddy that were in the foxhole, we thought it was kind of funny,” Bradley said. “We were watching them and they were missing the airfield. All of a sudden, one of them hit the airfield, and a piece of shrapnel landed between me and my buddy in the foxhole. You could warm your hands from it.”
Because he was in possession of the group’s only operational radio, he had to stay amongst the fire until the captain left. He was one of the last soldiers to leave.
“We left equipment behind,” Bradley said. “All we had was the clothes on our backs when we got on that plane.”
Bradley was never the same after returning from combat in Vietnam, but the one thing that has stuck with him through the trials and trauma is his Christian faith.
LADY LOVE BACK HOME
Bradley grew up in Plant City and graduated from Plant City High School in 1967. He immediately joined the U.S. Army, and in 1968, he was sent to Vietnam, as part of the 196th infantry brigade.
He was initially glad to leave Plant City and join the Army, but when he got to Vietnam, he was lonely. His lack of companionship did not last for long, however.
A young Plant City woman named Barbara was listening to the radio that summer and heard an address to which she could send letters for a Vietnam solider. Bradley was the recipient of those letters, and they meant the world to him. In the third letter he wrote back, Bradley asked the her to marry him.
Before she could write back and answer the proposal, Bradley had bought rings and a suit in Vietnam and was on his way home for Christmas. She said ‘yes.’ Ralph and Barbara Ann Bradley were married Jan. 10, 1969.
The week after, Bradley returned to Vietnam for eight months. His wife wrote letters to him every day, and he still has all of them except one that was destroyed.
That fall, Bradley finished his service in Vietnam and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.
“When I came home, there was no hero’s welcome,” Bradley said. “There was no parade. There was nothing, except people pointing fingers at me, because I was in the Americal division — the same unit that Lieutenant Calley was in, who was tried for war crimes.
“I have prayed that we never have another situation like Vietnam, with the American people turning their backs and denying the American soldiers … because, in fact, that’s what they did,” Bradley said.
Bradley left the Army in 1970, and he and Barbara Ann returned to Plant City.
NOT HOME FOR LONG
“I tried to get a job here … But I couldn’t get on the police force, and I couldn’t really get a good job no matter how hard I tried,” Bradley said.
So, he re-entered the military in 1973. He had two tours in Germany, and then was stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia. He was discharged for medical reasons.
Bradley was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, and he also suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, in addition to other health issues that resulted from his service.
Bradley said that though many military personnel return to U.S. ground physically, they might not mentally return home for a long time, or ever. But the community’s gratitude can help with the healing process.
“Every time I hear, ‘Welcome home, Vietnam vet,’ or someone tells me, ‘I appreciate what you’ve done,’ I feel I’m that much closer to home,” Bradley said. “I wish that Plant City and other places would give the honor to the Vietnam veterans that they deserve.”
Bradley held a number of jobs in and around Plant City since he finished his service, but he has now reached a point where his disabilities have made it impossible for him to work. His wife also has developed health issues, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
“But she has been so wonderful,” Bradley said. “Even though she has Parkinson’s and everything, she handles the checkbook and pays the bills.”
Though Bradley is still healing from some of the devastating effects his Army career has had on his life, he is proud of his service and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I loved the military,” Bradley said. “I wish I was still in it.”
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.