The paths leading to Vietnam were different for three local Army veterans: One gave up a deferment and enlisted; another was drafted; and a third man was part of Ohio State University’s ROTC program.
In connection with Veterans Day, the News Journal spoke with John Arvai Jr., Jack Rose and Hal Crites about their military service.
John Arvai Jr., 67, of the Wilmington area, is a member of a family that has had many veterans. A grandfather lied about his age and enlisted at 15 during World War I. Arvai’s father enlisted at 17 and was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed it.
An uncle — his mother’s brother — was killed in World War II serving as a radio man at 18. A brother served in the military for 30 years. All three of Arvai’s children joined, while a stepson is a first sergeant in the Air National Guard. And a grandson just graduated from basic training and is in the Air Guard in Louisville.
Arvai enlisted while he was in Indianapolis, Indiana for the 1968 Indianapolis 500 car race, won by Bobby Unser. He said that going to a drive-in movie with his girlfriend, who later became his wife, and seeing John Wayne in “The Green Beret” was a key factor in deciding to join.
Once in, “My [Army] pilot instructor was medevac and he was telling me all these stories, so I signed up and was a medevac [MEDical EVACuation helicopter] pilot,” Arvai said.
The crews of medevac helicopters rescued wounded soldiers — getting the injured from the field, and then providing basic medical care while transporting them to a hospital.
Arvai remembers Vietnam as “good times and bad times.”
Following his Vietnam experience and getting married, he returned to active-duty military service.
He belongs to the American Legion, VFW, and to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA). Membership in the VHPA is open to all helicopter pilots who flew in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam era (1961-1975), according to the organization’s website.
Hal Crites, 70, of Wilmington, became involved with the U.S. Army in 1964. He was a part of Ohio State University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, and went to flight school at the Fort Rucker military post in Alabama where he was promoted to Captain.
Crites was a platoon leader and a maintenance officer. He served in the Vietnam War from 1970 to 1971 where he worked as a forward air controller and helped escort river convoys.
For his bravery, he received the Bronze Star, 12 Air Medals and the Army Commendation Medal, among others. When he left active duty, he became a member of the Ohio National Guard until 1982, and then went into the Reserves where he retired a Colonel in 2007.
During his inactive years, he helped develop alcohol and drug abuse programming at Ft. Wayne, he said.
When asked what he picked up during his career in the military, he summarized his thoughts in a few words.
“Leadership,” he said, “and the closeness and bond between the troops in the service.”
He is a lifetime member of the National Guard Association, Military Officers Association, Association of the United States Army, and the American Legion.
Jack Rose, 68, of Wilmington, found himself drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. He served from 1966 to 1968 as a door gunner and a recon scout.
“I think the thing I picked up on during my service is respect,” said Rose.
Coming home from his service, Rose did various odd jobs but eventually became the Wilmington Water Department manager.
He is currently the Judge Advocate at the Wilmington American Legion Post 49 and also is a member of the Wilmington VFW.
