John Delozier Jr.: Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking

By Marilyn Lucas, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

John, like so many young men in the late 60s, was facing the upcoming draft. The Army was not John’s first choice. He decided, in October, 1967, to enlist into the Marines on the buddy system, which afforded him the opportunity to attend Boot Camp with his friend. Like so many young men subject to the draft, John took the initiative to enlist. John’s parents were not aware of his enlistment until he boarded the bus to depart for MCRD in San Diego, California.  John saw fatigue as a type of control at Boot Camp. He recounts an amusing memory of falling asleep, while standing up, during the instructions on how to make a proper bed. His staff sergeant rewarded him with a punch in the stomach. He was quickly learning about life as a Marine in the 1st Battalion. The 1st Battalion, 1st Marines is one of the most decorated of distinguished units in the Marine Corps. It is an integral part of America’s premier force readiness that has historically been first to the fight whenever conflict arises. 

Three days after landing in Vietnam, John’s battalion went into Hue city. The Tet Offensive had just begun in January, 1968. Bitter street fighting and hand to hand combat characterize the battle which lasted till March. John and his battalion lived by the motto, “No Marine left behind.”  Crawling on their bellies, the men would retrieve the wounded and sometimes even the enemy. Obviously, in the dark of night they were not aware of what they were grabbing. Due to a tremendous amount of dead and wounded, the rat infestation was unimaginable. The most momentous event for John was the part he played in Operation Meade River. With humility, John referred to himself as an infantry grunt.

Operation Meade River was the largest and most successful Marine search-and-destroy cordon of the war. Five miles wide and three miles long with low ground, crisscrossed with rivers and streams, it was known as  “Dodge City” because of its shoot-’em-up characteristics. It was a search and clear mission literally foot by foot, to ferret out the enemy. The enemy was known to hide among the villagers.  It was during this mission that John was wounded. He and some fellow Marines were in the process of a search and clear mission in one of the Vietnamese hamlets.  A trip wire was blown wounding John in the neck narrowly missing the carotid artery.

As John was being evacuated, a paramedic handed him his Timex watch saying “I guess this is yours.” The explosion had blown it off his wrist leaving only the face which is still working today. Certainly a strong message that it was not his TIME. December 22 is a stark reminder and difficult memory. He was medevaced to Da Nang, and later transported to the Philippines. He received 80 stitches, which at the time were staples and not horse hair. The removal of those stitches later was obviously very painful. He recalls the children in the Philippines were giving the soldiers gifts upon their arrival in celebration of the Lunar New Year. He commented on how kind the people were to the American soldiers. The Purple Heart was awarded to John for being wounded in action. He took a moment at this point to talk about PTSD. We talked about how the memories of such an event can continue to haunt you and surface at unusual times.

John shared an amusing story only a true Chicagoan would appreciate. He decided to send Mayor Richard Daley a letter telling him that he was serving in Vietnam and was a lifelong Chicago resident, of course, never dreaming of receiving a response. We all know the wonderful stories about Mayor Daley, but this is one for the books. The mayor sent the street sign pictured below along with a case of Budweiser beer for John’s battalion. He also sent a letter thanking John for his service to our country. John laughingly said the battalion enjoyed the beer more than the sign. The sign is still in Vietnam.

 Like so many Vietnam vets, John experienced an unpleasant return home. His bus, which was carrying wounded warriors, was pelted with debris. This was truly a sad statement regarding some Americans during this time in history. He spoke about how unforgiving so many Americans were towards those who chose to serve their country. “I am proud to be a Marine and would do it again… it was a brotherhood.” John is no different than so many vets. He is humble in speaking about his service, saying only “It was just a time in my life.” We are all too familiar with the fact that so many vets are reluctant to share the experience and the horrors of war. 

After returning from Vietnam, John married his sweetheart, Mary Ann whom he had known in high school. She had been sending letters to him while he was serving in Vietnam. Together John and Mary Ann have raised three amazing daughters, Eileen, Christine, and Michaeline, and four grandchildren. His daughters have shown a tremendous interest in his experiences in Vietnam. They have taken the time to create an extensive scrapbook of memorabilia from that time in his life. John holds the unusual distinction of having worked for Illinois Bell AT&T for 40 years, retiring in 2009. He is looking forward to the D.C. flight, with his friend Mark, who served at Hamburger Hill. 

John, enjoy your TIME in Washington D.C.! Thank you for your courageous and dedicated service to our country. Honor Flight Chicago salutes you!