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Carl Isovitsch was a member of the United States Army from 1967 to 1969. He was born on December 6, and grew up in Butler, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Army since work was hard to find and the army had certain assignments that Carl was interested in. He started basic training in Georgia and then went to North Carolina to complete his training. Carl says that training wasn’t easy, but he was young and agile so he survived.
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After his training was finished, Carl was sent to the war happening in Vietnam. The areas he visited during his time there included: Chuili, Phubi, Longdein, Saigon, and Phuloi. At the beginning, Carl was a member of an airborne unit that was instructed to assist another unit. He was the Staff Sergeant in his unit. One special habit they had on the plane was they called God “Ralph.” Carl and his team earned brigade medals, army commendation medals, and the bronze star.
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After Carl had served the number of required years, he was asked if he wanted to remain in Vietnam for a while longer and be able to select his job, or go home and be eligible to return to the war. Carl opted to stay and decided to be a currier (person who delivers messages and memos to different camps). One memorable event was when he was assigned the duty of driving Miss America and the runner up to the designated location. Carl also remembers Bob Hope visiting his camp and other entertainers that performed at USO shows. When there weren’t any shows, the army men entertained themselves with movies or trips to the PX, the army grocery store. Carl said that the men were only allowed to buy one case of beer a month. Another funny memory was when their Thanksgiving turkey was one of the most guarded items in the United States. Humorous pranks were usually uncommon since everyone had guns on them.
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Carl hadn’t kept a personal diary while in Vietnam; although today he does. He counted down the days until his return home. Being away from home is always hard. When Carl finally arrived home on a Friday, he had the weekend off and started work at Armco Steel the following Monday. He chose not to take advantage of the GI Bill’s college benefits since he had a family started and believed that working was his first priority so he could provide for his family. Carl kept in touch with one friend from Ohio for about five years after the war. He had joined the Veterans of Modern Warfare (VMW), but Carl is no longer part of a veterans’ organization.
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Carl continued working at Armco Steel for about three years and then joined a printing company where he worked until he retired to Buford, Georgia. Now he’s thinking about joining a veterans’ organization. Carl has not attended any reunions. He believes his military experience matured him a lot and made him realize how much value his life had. Carl also learned not to procrastinate anything. Nowadays when he wants to do something he doesn’t let anyone or anything stop him. “Life’s pretty dear,” he claims.
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