Friendship takes on a special relationship among soldiers, especially those involved in the life or death struggle of combat operations. Each soldier looks to his comrades for support as they engage the enemy in hostile action. The bond created from those special relationships can last a lifetime. For the 42nd year, Richard Strobel’s mortar platoon gathered for a reunion, this time at his farm in Concordia.
The story began in 1967. Strobel and his buddies were drafted into the Army. After basic and infantry training, they were shipped to Vietnam where they were assigned to the 4th Platoon, Delta Company, 6th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division. Their area of combat for the next year would be south of Saigon in the Mekong Delta, an area full of rivers and swamps.
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