 Tom Wannamaker,
Arcola, Illinois
Executive director, Raggedy Ann and Andy Museum - He enlisted in the Marine Corps and went to Vietnam in 1967 as an infantry officer
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"I think the thing I remember most about Vietnam was the humor. There was a lot of black humor, like, on a patrol, somebody would say, ‘If you get killed, can I have your boots?’ and everybody would laugh. It sort of broke things up and every unit had a clown that kept everybody entertained."
"I believe that I’m probably old before my time. I have a great life. We live in a great little town, and a nice part of the country, but I think my life is different because I’m just a lot sadder than I would have been. I’m really kind of a melancholy guy now. I’m very cynical. I’m not as bitter as I used to be, but I’m really a lot harder on people than probably I should be or I would have been had I not gone to Vietnam. . . .I think that no matter what has happened to me, no matter what will happen to me, in the center of my being, I’m always going to be a young grunt Marine in Vietnam."
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