SAN ANGELO, TX — Veterans featured in this story:
Donald Merritt, WWII, 2017 Flight
MJ Dinkins, WWII, 2017 Flight
Rolland Rose, Korea, 2016 Flight
Michael Roquemore, Vietnam, 2016 Flight
Steve Wagner, Vietnam, 2016 Flight
The late Jerry Pinkston, Vietnam, 2016 Flight
Primativo “Primo” Gonzalez, Vietnam, 2017 Flight
Terry Lowe, Vietnam, 2018 Flight
"It's so unreal. It's just..." Rose said.
"Only one of them came back. The rest didn’t make it,” Merritt said.
"I'll never forget,” Gonzalez said.
"It's something you never, never forget,” Rose said.
"He crashed on flight ops,” Wagner said.
"We had another one shot down,” Wagner said.
"I didn't talk about it, especially being in Nam,” Roquemore said.
"There was no thanks, nobody wanted to hear any stories,” Roquemore said.
"We weren't the people they thought we were,” Wagner said
"19 years old sitting in a war zone,” Roquemore said.
"We fought for our country, and we believed in our country. We still do. We didn't necessarily agree with war. In fact most of us didn't. But our country asked us to go so we went,” Roquemore said.
"El Destino. That's fate,” Gonzalez said.
“Some of us still have demons and dreams,” Lowe said.
“It’s definitely a healing process,” Lowe said.
"God bless America,” Roquemore said.
"You don't have to thank me for anything. That's what brothers do,” Pinkston said.
"Thank the Lord I made it. I'm happy, I'm really happy. Yes I'm happy,” Dinkins said.