Interview Citation: Interview with Admiral Donald Boecker, Interview with Vietnam Veteran, Hist 150 Spring 2025, Conducted by Olivia Prettyman, March 9, 2025
Overview:
In this oral history interview, I had the privilege of speaking with my grandfather, Admiral Donald Boecker, a veteran of the Vietnam War. During our conversation, he shared the remarkable story of his military service, which spanned nearly four decades, and offered personal insights into his experiences, sacrifices, and the bonds he formed with fellow soldiers.
My Grandpa’s military journey began long before his deployment to Vietnam. His fascination with aviation started at a young age, leading him to enlist in the U.S. Navy as a teenager, where he pursued his dream of becoming a naval aviator. He attended the United States Naval Academy, earned his wings in 1962, and soon found himself flying in an A-4 Skyhawk Squadron. Before heading to Vietnam, he served aboard the USS Enterprise during the Cuban Missile Crisis, marking the first of many significant missions in his career.
In May 1965, he left Norfolk, Virginia, aboard the USS Independence, embarking on a journey to Vietnam. After traveling around Africa and through the Indian Ocean, his ship arrived in Singapore before beginning bombing missions in South Vietnam. These operations quickly expanded to North Vietnam and Laos as part of the U.S. military strategy during the war. One of the most harrowing moments of his service occurred when he and his bomber navigator were shot down during a mission over Laos. Despite being ejected from their aircraft, he was able to evade enemy forces for 19 hours before being rescued by a helicopter.
Beyond the physical dangers of combat, Admiral Boecker reflected on the emotional toll of his experiences, particularly when it came to the lack of public support for the war upon his return. Despite the challenges he faced, he continued to serve with dedication, eventually retiring in 1995 after nearly 40 years of service.
Through this interview, my Grandpa’s resilience, bravery, and commitment to duty shine through, offering a deeply personal and insightful perspective on the Vietnam War. His story is not only a testament to his courage but also to the lasting impact that his service has had on his life and his relationships with family and fellow veterans.
This interview was conducted on March 9th, 2025, via Zoom, and no editing was needed in the audio. Through this conversation, I gained a deeper appreciation for my grandfather’s experiences and the sacrifices made by all who served during the Vietnam War.
Biography
For my oral history interview, I will be interviewing my grandfather, Admiral Donald Boecker. My grandfather served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. In late May 1965, he left Norfolk aboard the USS Independence, a large aircraft carrier, beginning a journey that would take him across the globe. The trip to Vietnam took approximately a month as the ship traveled around Africa and through the Indian Ocean. The first stop on their journey was Singapore, where they spent four days after three weeks at sea. Upon arriving in the region, he and his fellow sailors began bombing missions in South Vietnam, marking the start of their involvement in the conflict. After five days, the mission expanded to include bombings in North Vietnam and Laos. These operations were part of the broader U.S. military strategy during the Vietnam War. After months of intense activity, he and his crew returned to Norfolk around December 20th, 1965, bringing an end to their deployment. His service aboard the USS Independence during this critical time in history stands as a testament to his commitment and bravery.
Olivia Prettyman: Hello, Grandpa!
Don Boecker: Good morning or good afternoon Olivia, how are you today?
Olivia Prettyman: I’m good. How are you?
Don Boecker: Excellent. I feel real good today because I’m talking to my granddaughter.
Olivia Prettyman: Do you consent to this interview being recorded?
Don Boecker: Yes, I do.
Olivia Prettyman: Okay, perfect. Are you ready to get started?
Don Boecker: Yes, I am. All right.
Olivia Prettyman: The first question is, what led you to join the military, and when did you enlist?
Don Boecker: Well, I joined the military because I was interested in it as a little boy, probably seven or eight years old. And I entered airplane contests where you had to make an airplane, build an airplane, a small model airplane, and then fly it and or sail it like a sales sail plane. And I did that, and I got very interested in aviation, so I enlisted in the Navy and the reserve corps as an enlisted man. After I graduated from high school at 17 years old, my birthday was until October, and I joined the Navy to go to the Naval Academy to become an aviator after I finished college. So I’ve started as a airplane builder, and then I wanted to be an aviator, pilot in the Navy and fly off aircraft carriers.
Olivia Prettyman: Wow, that’s amazing. Grandpa. What specific unit were you in during your time in service?
Don Boecker: Well, I was in the in the reserve for five years, and during the second year of that five years I joined, I became a midshipman at the Naval Academy, and so I was both enlisted because the Congress forgot to to discharge all the enlisted Navy personnel from the academies, from West Point, Annapolis, and Air Force Academy and Coast Guard Academy for four years. And so I got some back pay, but the pay wasn’t that wasn’t that good, and I was a midshipman and enlisted e3 meaning enlisted third rank, and I never made Petty Officer, but I graduated from the Naval Academy in 1960 as an ensign, and they discharged me. Congress, then found out about it, discharged me. So all that time counted, five years of back pain.
Olivia Prettyman: Can you describe your roles and responsibilities during your time in Vietnam? Because I heard you served in Vietnam.
Don Boecker: Well, I started in Vietnam, but before that, I was in an A four Skyhawk Squadron, I got my wings and in Texas after Pensacola, Florida, I got my wings in Beeville, Texas in 1962 I graduated from the academy in 1960 so I graduated from the academy in 1960 so February of 1962 I got my wings, and I got transferred to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where your parents live, and I started flying in an a four Squadron at Oceana, and we transitioned to the USS Enterprise, which was a brand new nuclear aircraft carrier. Now they’re all nuclear aircraft carriers, but this one was the first one, so I got the first cruise on USS Enterprise, VA 65 and CVN 65 and went to the Cuban crisis down in Cuba, where Castro, the president of Cuba, was joining communists, and the Russians tried to come in, and they brought in all this surface to air missiles. And we were down in Cuba after the Mediterranean cruise, a short three month Mediterranean cruise, we went to Cuba and stopped the President Kennedy at that time, stopped the war and we were down there for about three months flying around.
Olivia Prettyman: That’s amazing Grandpa. Now I’m curious, how did you cope with the stress and danger of being in combat, and were there any specific moments that have stayed with you?
Don Boecker: Yes, I’ve transitioned to the A six intruder aircraft after I came back from Cuba, and we went to Cuba. Went to Vietnam in 1965 left in May and got back in December. We had to go all the way across the ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, around South around South Africa, through the Indian Ocean, all the way to Vietnam, through Singapore. And we, we had lots of not lots of flying during the ocean crossings, because we didn’t have any divert fields, any place to land, other if their aircraft carrier had a problem.So we got to a Vietnam in 1965 late May or early June of 1965 and we started the war. We started and we entered the war on the USS independence. I was in a squadron called VA 75 and after, after the several missions down south, we started going bombing up north, and we were bombing in Laos along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Ho Chi Minh was the director of North Vietnam, and he was the president and director leader, and he was he sent all his battle people down the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, down to South Vietnam. So we were bombing that, and we had some tough, tough missions over there. One of my bombs, 500 pound bomb, went off early, under my wing and blew the airplane out of the sky. So we had to eject. We meaning the pilot, me and the bomber navigator, Don Eaton, two dons were flying in the same airplane. So we ejected, and we came. We didn’t go down together, because he was on the other side of a mountain, and I didn’t carry a pistol with me because I was warned by another classmate from the Naval Academy through a confidential message saying that he did not carry A pistol and he lost his pistol during the ejection, and I didn’t carry a pistol because the enemy is so close, you might shoot the enemy, and that’s what happened to me if, if I would have had a gun, I would have shot the enemy soldier, probably 16 or 18 years old, walking through the jungle with his rifle pointed the opposite direction from me. I was huddled on the floor after ejecting bombing, and the enemy was very, very close to me, within 10 feet, but he couldn’t see me because his jungle under undergrowth. I was lying in the ground with a knife in my hand, ready to fight him, but he was, he was afraid to turn around and shoot me, because he saw me, but he didn’t. He didn’t shoot me. He went ahead through the jungle, and then he called in Viet in the Laotian Sam, Joel, Bob, Emily, he’s right back there. So I ran after he went by me, and he warned all the other soldiers within 20 feet of him, and I evaded back, back the other way, and hit again. I was on the ground for 19 hours evading the enemy. I would have shot him if I had a gun, and then I would have been killed. Most of the aviators who were shot down, bombed down and and Laos were killed by the enemy. So I was very fortunate not to have a gun, because I would have been killed. I came back to the United States after that, after 69 missions, and had two more daughters, your aunts, and I had Michelle and Stephanie already.
Olivia Prettyman: What an amazing story, Grandpa. Now I’m also curious, how did your time in Vietnam impact your relationships with family and friends when you returned home?
Don Boecker: Well, the general, genuine populace in America was against the Vietnam War because we weren’t allowed to fight it like regular enemies, and we weren’t allowed to bomb areas that we thought that we should have been bombed, and we were not honored when we came home. So that happened for probably the five to seven that was a seven year war in Vietnam, terrible, and we never were allowed to bomb the targets that we wanted to bomb.
Olivia Prettyman: I know you kind of already went into this, but what kind of impact did the harsh conditions, like the climate or terrain have on you and your fellow soldiers?
Don Boecker: Well, I will be honest with you, I had Agent Orange was sprayed by the Air Force, US air force on the Ho Chi Minh trail. And many soldiers have gotten Agent Orange. I got a little bit of it, probably on the ground from spraying the jungle overgrowth along the Ho Chi Minh trail with pesticide, and I lost some time in my life because of prostate cancer. So I had my prostate removed 15 years ago and am cancer free.
Olivia Prettyman: Wow. I did not know any of that. That’s very intriguing. Thank you, Grandpa. Were there any moments of camaraderie or bonds you formed with fellow soldiers that have stayed with you?
Don Boecker: Yes, my fellow naval aviators, I’m a golden eagle, which is the device the air that where on your chest, over your heart, the wings of the Navy and the Marine Corps are Golden Eagles. The Air Force and the Army have the US Army and US Air Force have silver wings, but we are the 200 members of the Golden Eagles, and I am the chief pilot this year. And there are many friends and acquaintances who’ve been in Vietnam together, and we have a reunion every year. And this year, it’s in April, 23rd through the 27th this April coming up in 25 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is 200 miles north, or 252 50 miles north of our ranch in Idaho, and I’m going to fly out there and attend the meeting.
Olivia Prettyman: That’s so great to hear that you keep in touch. How did you feel when you first learned about the end of the war, and did you feel the country truly understood the sacrifices you made?
Don Boecker: I was very thrilled about the end of the war. There was never a a designed end of the war, because North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam and kicked out and killed many of the South Vietnamese and soldiers who were loyal to the Americans, and it was, it’s a terrible event, and we’re still looking for members of our military who were killed in Vietnam years ago.
Olivia Prettyman: What lessons or perspectives from your time in Vietnam have stayed with you throughout your life?
Don Boecker: Well, the the people who rescued me were Air America, was a special squadron under this CIA, Civil Intelligence Committee, and they pulled me out of Vietnam with a helicopter after people were shooting me, shooting at me, hanging from a from a horse collar 50 feet below the helicopter. So I wasn’t raised into the helicopter until I was about 4000 feet above the ground in the mountains, and they were shooting at me with rifles, and the airplanes were, I mean, our airplanes were flying down below me, shooting at the enemy in the jungle. So I felt very, very special to be hug my bomber navigator, Don Eaton, in the back of the helicopter and going to be debriefed and after this harrowing experience where I saved my life.
Olivia Prettyman: Wow, it’s amazing you have so many stories to tell Grandpa.
Don Boecker: Well, a lot, a lot of service in the Navy. I decided to stay in the Navy. A lot of my friends got out of the Navy and went to the airlines, and I stayed in the Navy, from the time I enlisted in the Naval Reserve until I retired from the Navy in March of 1995, March 1st, I had spent four years, one year, eight months short of 40 years in the Navy.
Olivia Prettyman: Wow, so amazing, Grandpa. Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
Don Boecker: No, I just have, well, there is, and I’m very proud to have eight grandchildren and four daughters, and you being one of the grandchildren, and now I have four great grandchildren. They’re wonderful.
Olivia Prettyman: Well, I really appreciate it.
Don Boecker: Well, I’m very, very appreciative of you selecting me to be on your first interview.
Olivia Prettyman: Of course, Grandpa. Thank you so much for your time and interviewing with me today.
Don Boecker: Okay, well, I love you.
Olivia Prettyman: I love you. Bye-bye.
Don Boecker: Bye.
Bibliography:
Khan Academy. “The Vietnam War.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy.
Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/1960s-america/a/the-vietnam-war
Baker, C. Richard. “Studying the Vietnam War.” Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities, Fall 2017, Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2017/fall/feature/studying-the-vietnam-war
U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive, 1968.” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/tet
Conduction:
This interview was conducted on March 9th with my Grandfather over Zoom, and the audio did not require any editing.