PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Denis Russell served his country in the Navy from 1969 to 1975 as a petty officer, third class. 

 

This proud Vietnam veteran grew up in Somerville.

 

His basic training took him to the Navy's only boot camp, Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois. 

 

"They used to shut off the heat at night. I only had one blanket and in the morning you had an eighth of an inch of ice on the windows," he remembered. 

 

He also did A School, or vocational, training in Illinois as well and offered this: "I worked really hard and wanted to prove I had worth and value and skills. I graduated 11th in my class of 500. I was so proud of it. My parents were, too. ...

 

"I wanted my dad to be proud. He served in Normandy in WWII and was involved in the attack on Omaha Beach. He helped liberate a concentration camp as well."

 

He has many painful, haunting memories of Vietnam but was able to share this story. 

 

"A Marine trained me on a missile launcher, they called it a 'Red Eye,' we had a big mission and operated out of the North. They had allowed us to come in and mine the harbor ... put pressure on the enemy to stop the flow of supplies. ...

 

"We were at General Quarters and MiGs came at us — nobody died. I got back to Da Nang and wanted to let the Marine know. I went to his hooch and a soldier told me he got ambushed and didn't make it," Russell said. "The range of emotions that go through you are from A to Z. It really makes you appreciate what you have — never take life for granted. I live my life to honor those that did not make it home."

 

Was he ever afraid?

 

"Yes. Not in the sense that you'd think," he said. "I thought I was invincible. I saw my first explosion about a football field away and thought, 'Somebody's trying to kill me.' The thing I was most frightened about was the sea snakes and getting bit — not about getting shot."

 

How were the holidays?

 

"We were so into what we were doing that the holidays came and went, it was just another day," he recalled.

 

I asked Russell his thoughts on coming home from Vietnam.

 

"We flew back on a C-130 to Travis AFB in California," he recalled. "I was greeted by a commanding officer who told us not to wear our uniforms in public. It shocked me because I didn't know we were hated. Two weeks after returning home, I was at my job and was introduced as a Vietnam veteran and someone from the back yelled out 'another baby killer!' After that, I kept my mouth shut for over 30 years."

 

He gave a powerful response when I asked him what it means to be a Vietnam veteran. 

 

"A realization of the cost of freedom, a realization, as all Vietnam veterans, that we paved a path to restore all respect for veterans," he said. "We have a life to live the best way possible ... we have seen firsthand, what the real price of freedom is." 

 

Thought on service to his country?  "It was worthwhile and I'd do it again."

 

Russell is commander of VFW Post 1822 in Plymouth and was nominated by state Sen. Dylan Fernandes for the state's first honoree list for Military Appreciation Day.

 

Petty Officer Denis Russell, thank you for your service to our great country, your class, integrity and humility. Welcome home.

 

Wayne Soares is the host of the popular new veterans cooking show, "The Mess Hall" that airs Saturdays on NBC's NECN at 9:30 a.m. He also entertains our troops around the globe and is the host and producer of the Vietnam veterans documentary "Silent Dignity – The Chapter That Never Ends." He can be reached at waynesoares1@gmail.com.