FALMOUTH, Mass. — Ralph Herbst served his country in the Air Force from 1961 to 1968, separating as a captain. 

 

He would fly more than 200 missions during his military career.

 

He grew up in Highland Park, Ill., and graduated from the University of Colorado, where he also played football, before joining the service 

 

Herbst did his basic training and attended Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

 

"They called us the 90-day wonders," he said. "We studied a great deal of military history, learned how to march,

stuff like that." 

 

He was sent to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio and then to the former Williams AFB in Arizona for pilot training. 

 

"It was the beginning of the space program," Herbst remembered and, at Wright-Patterson, "I actually spent a

week in a capsule. It was pretty crazy." 

 

He was later assigned to a C-130 crew in Nashville, Tenn., before taking an assignment to Okinawa. It was from here he would fly back and forth to Vietnam. 

 

"We flew five days on and came back for a day. It my first assignment we carried cargo and supplies. We flew into the major airports like Da Nang and Cam Ranh Bay," Herbst said. "We would fly in what they called 'Fuel Bladders' — giant 55-gallon drums but much bigger — we'd offload in fields ...

 

"We could get the whole thing done in like 10 minutes. Unfortunately, sometimes we would carry body bags, which was nasty." 

 

When asked if he was ever afraid, Capt. Herbst gave an honest answer.

 

"No, never was afraid. I never felt any fear. When we were taking off, we typically had helicopter escorts flying down each side of the runway to protect us." 

 

Holidays? "Just another day. We never celebrated. I landed once or twice where Bob Hope was performing but we were in and out," he said. "Had one guy from my pilot training class that was shot down flying F-110's. He spent two years at the Hanoi Hilton (the legendary, brutal Viet Cong prison camp)." 

 

Herbst reflected for a moment on his time in Vietnam. "The beaches were so pristine and beautiful. The sand and water, you would never know that 2-3 miles away there was a war going on with bombs and bullets. Just crazy, all wars are insane." 

 

Thoughts on protestors? "Didn't really bother me at all. I was aware of it. My mom used to say that I was a Vietnam veteran but finally told her to say that I was just in the Air Force. I have no bad feelings towards the protestors or the people that went to Canada. It was just a stupid, damn thing," he said.

 

Herbst would go on to fly in the private sector as a pilot for TWA and US Air. He would also fly for a Portuguese airline in Portugal. After years of scorn and abuse, how does it feel to be a Vietnam veteran? 

 

"I did what my government told me to do. I did what was required to do of the mission and that made me

and makes me feel good," he said.

 

Capt. Ralph Herbst, thank you for your service to our great country and welcome home.