Part of my training for the Vietnam War was cliff rappelling; climbing down the face of a sheer rock cliff on the end of a (hopefully) strong rope. When I returned home from combat, it came to me that I could actually use this skill to accomplish some good right in my home state. So I called the director of training and education for the state prison. “Sam, I would like to teach some of your most hardened prisoners how to rappel down rock cliffs.” My request clearly threw him

One afternoon after we reached Vietnam, we circled high up in the air, seated apprehensively in our choppers. We called this circular flying pattern eagle flights. They flew special combat troops above the areas where combat action might take place. Our airborne Ranger troops would wait to rapidly descend as a quick reaction force where and when they were needed. There was an uneasy feeling in my stomach that something sinister was about to happen. Sure enough, as we rapidly

Fort Benning, in Georgia, is the largest Army infantry base in the world. Before leaving for Vietnam, I was stationed there and commanded a mechanized infantry unit that had large armored personnel carriers (APCs). These were tracked vehicles that transported combat troops. In their rear was a large, hinged ramp that could lower, allowing the 15-20 soldiers to jump out. The APCs had no steering wheel, but were steered with two floor sticks by a driver who sat in a turret up f