The following story is about Patrick Henry Vincent who served in the Vietnam War in ‘70 and ‘71, two years of hell. He was 19 and was drafted into the Army as a cook. Patrick was sent to Hu By, in South Vietnam for training as a cook, while the Army was back in the United States asking his friends about him, trying to get a clearance. Of course, Patrick’s friends did not want him to have to go to war, so they said the worst things possible about him. Patrick never got the clearance and was sent to South Vietnam to cook for the soldiers. When he arrived there, the Army put him where they most needed him, as a gunner on a helicopter. Patrick felt tricked. He was under the impression he would be a cook, but was assigned to one of the deadliest missions. For two years Patrick manned M-60’s, large machine guns, which he operated out of the helicopters.

Patrick made many of friends in the service because “you had to.” Today he no longer talks either to them or about the war; putting it all behind him is the best way to cope. He lives on Lovely Street in Canton and is the manager of the Canton Transfer Station. You can find Mr. Vincent, a very popular and well-known Canton citizen at the men’s evening softball games.

A Time to Remember: A Story For Patrick Henry Vincent

The helicopter was soaring through the sky, over the delta and under the clouds. Patrick Vincent, the helicopter’s gunner, was on lookout for other planes or ground troops. All of a sudden, Patrick’s carrier was shot by the Vietcong. The engine sputtered, and oil poured out! He heard a loud thud, and the helicopter’s engine suddenly shut down. Swiftly, the helicopter was dropping to the ground!

“Oh, My God!” thought Patrick. He was scared to die; it wasn’t his time! The fear wasn’t that the enemy would kill them on the ground, it was the adrenaline building up inside to just get out of the helicopter. Dying in a crash was not an option; Patrick was scared cold.

Seconds later, the helicopter hit the ground. Patrick, dazed and confused, looked around, making sure everyone was fine. They were; no one had suffered any major injuries, just a few torn and tattered emotions.

From the helicopter, the men saw they had crashed into the delta, a rice field. There was no one around; but the helicopter, shut down, floating in a rice field, was an easy target for the “gooks.” Patrick was stunned; he couldn’t believe he was still alive. But, he didn’t have time to think about all that; the men were too occupied trying to get help from troops nearby. All they knew was they needed to get out, fast.

Patrick’s heart, on a rampage, felt like demons pushing their way out through the skin that covered his chest. One minute of waiting to be rescued felt like forever. Time passed slowly. The men had to stay in the helicopter for safety. Finally, after three hours, Patrick and his crew were saved. Joy and relief overcame him.

Have you ever been so scared that you can’t feel anything? That you feel like you’re floating up to heaven because you can’t process another thought? Such a terrifying event can never be relived through a stranger. As hard as you can try to imagine the day that Patrick Vincent experienced, you can’t. Sure, you can imagine, but the horrible events that Vietnam Veterans experienced are beyond anyone’s comprehension.