Mike Laven

“I was the company commander of the 515 transportation company in the winter of 1971. I was a Brentwood High School boy I graduated in 1963, and at that time when you turned 18 you signed up for the selective service act. You had no choice in serving in the military. I do not like to sweat. I was not good at sports, I was a pretty average student at Brentwood. I am an Eagle Scout and I do like camping and hiking. I loved hiking, and I walked 11.3 miles to work at my father’s toy store every morning. I did everything to put off my service in the military. The most valuable thing I have right now are around my neck and they are my dog tags. I sold my scouting stuff and my model train stuff, I figured it tied me down to much, but nobody gets my tags. Kinda strange from a guy who tried putting off his service. I could get out of service by getting into college. My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Rice, said to my parents that I’d never make a college boy and if I went I’d probably fail. I graduated from Westminster College in the summer of 1967, and then entered in the United States Army by November. I spent two years in Germany since I spoke german. On Christmas 1969 I got my orders to go to Vietnam, and I was disappointed. I had a pretty sweet deal, I got to do whatever I wanted on the weekends and I basically had a 9-5 job. I arrived at Camp Eagle [in Vietnam], home of the 101st Airborne.”