The featured speaker at the March meeting was Past Commander Fred Apgar. Currently, he serves as Post Chaplain. During the Vietnam War, Fred served as an Air Force Intelligence Officer, flying missions in an airborne command post. His unit controlled the air war in northern Laos, and his responsibilities included the location of targets of opportunity, providing air support to friendly ground forces, and to maintain an order of battle of opposing forces. During December, 2014, Fred returned to Southeast Asia, spending two of his three weeks in northern Laos, visiting the villages and remote landing strips that were the sites of numerous battles between the CIA’s so-called “secret army” and opposing forces (i.e. North Vietnamese regulars and Pathet Lao). During his trip, Fred interacted with many Lao who proved to be most generous and friendly hosts. Some of whom he met had suffered physical and emotional trauma from the war and had lost family members. Incredibly, these victims felt no anger toward the United States, indicating “that was in the past”. In addition to meeting several men who had fought for the United States, Fred also met a man who had been a Captain in the North Vietnamese Army and another man who had fought for the Pathet Lao. In both instances, once they learned that Fred had served in the United States Air Force, there was an instant bonding and friendship. During his trip, he found a lot of evidence of the war; numerous bomb craters littered the landscape as did bomb casings and fuel tanks, destroyed armored vehicles and anti-aircraft guns.
