Air Force Vietnam War Chicago, IL Flight date: 04/05/23
By Al Rodriguez, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer
Many years have passed since Mark Bonen’s two tours in Vietnam, where he was responsible for the care of multimillion dollar fighter jets, to being called Grandpa Uber — responsible for transporting his grandchildren and their friends.
Mark was born in Chicago and grew up in Burbank, Illinois, at that time an unincorporated suburb of Chicago. He was the second born of five children, three boys and two girls. Mark was always mechanically curious. He told me that he took apart the family’s washing machine to see how it worked and successfully put it back together except for leaving out a couple of screws and washers, but it worked.
He graduated from Reavis High School in 1967. Mark came from a military legacy. His grandfather being of British ancestry, and with the U.S. hesitant to get in WWI, decided to join the Canadian Royal Air Force. His father received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart in the Tank Corp in Europe during WWII. He also served in North Africa and Sicily. So it was not unusual that his thoughts were to join the military. Before joining he wanted to get physically fit so he went to work with S&H Green Stamps working on the dock loading boxes. He ran thirteen miles to and from work and after a few months of this, he felt he was ready. Mark’s dream was to be a Green Beret but since he didn’t have 20/20 vision they would not take him. In 1968 he joined the Air Force. The Vietnam War influenced a large influx of Air Force recruits so Mark was sent to the secondary Basic Military School at Amarillo Air Force Base in Texas. Mark said it was an old barracks and it showed that it had not been used in some time. He said early on many of the recruits came down with the stomach flu.
After basic training he was sent to Sheppard Air Force Base at Wichita Falls for jet engine mechanic training. He graduated with honors and was asked to stay and help teach but declined.
His first duty station was Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, Arizona, as a mechanic on the T37 training jet. He volunteered for overseas duty, specifically Vietnam. He said he wanted to do his part in Vietnam because that was his war, like WWI and WWII were for his grandfather and father.
Mark’s orders were processed and after multiple immunizations he was sent to Bien Hoa Air Force Base Vietnam, June of 1969. He was assigned to the 531st TAC Fighter Wing as a mechanic and Crew Chief for an F100 fighter. As a Crew Chief he was responsible to keep the F100 for Colonel Howard Lane ready to fly missions. He also helped with any other planes that needed maintenance on the flight line. His first Air Force Commendation Medal was for his maintenance, recovery and launching of 2,000 F100’s during his first tour in Vietnam.
Mark did not want to be confined to the base and to see what was behind the barbed wire fence. He started volunteering with the St. Dominic Orphanage near the base. He would also volunteer to work with the MedCap program. This program used military doctors to help treat the people of local villages. Mark said he was a grunt, carrying an M-16 because the doctors did not, helping with bandaging and whatever else was needed. Depending on where the village was located they were trucked, helicoptered or sent on brown water Navy boats.
Mark said one fond memory at St. Dominic Orphanage was Christmas of 1969. His foster Mom and the kids in the youth group from his church back home organized a toy drive and sent boxes and boxes of Christmas toys for the kids. Someone was able to finagle the use of a helicopter to bring Santa and the toys to the orphanage; he said reindeers are not common in the jungle.
His tour ended July 1970 and he was sent back to Williams Air Force Base again working on T-37 jets.
Mark received his second commendation July 30, 1971. A T-38 jet crashed into the Flight Control Building. He ran into the building with a flight line fire extinguisher to try to put out the fire until the fire fighters arrived. He said the smell from the crash is something he will never forget.
One of his duties at Williams was in the Honor Guard that served at veteran’s funerals and assigned to carrying the casket, the 21-gun salute and presenting the American flag to the family. Working the funerals of the Vietnam vets and thinking about the guys that were left behind and the POW and MIA, state-side duty seemed trivial compared to what was happening in Vietnam. He asked for a second tour to Vietnam but was denied. He agreed to extend his Air Force end of service date and was approved.
In November of 1971 he was sent to Da Nang Air Force Base Vietnam. He was assigned to the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron. As a Staff Sergeant he was assigned to double duty, Flight Chief for an F4 fighter jet and Flight Line Supervisor. He said the feel of the war had changed. There was no time to visit orphanages. There were times when he spent 30 to 40 continuous days working on the flight line, sometimes sleeping on the wings of planes .The base was under continuous rocket and mortar attack. He said he could tell the difference in incoming or outgoing artillery rounds.
Once working the flight line he heard the pops that would signify multiple rockets being fired at them, the rockets and mortars were walked down the flight line. They were in the bunker when a 122 mm rocket hit a fuel truck which exploded, in turn exploding an F4 jet. Miraculously no one was injured in the bunker. After the fire was put out, Mark found a piece of the 122 mm rocket and stored it to bring home. Mark said this time in Vietnam it was a war. He felt that there were more casualties and planes being shot down. The 421st was absorbed into the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing and was moved to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base. Essentially they had the same mission as at Da Nang. In November of 1972 his enlistment ended and he was sent to San Francisco to be discharged. He said it took 5 minutes as if they couldn’t get him out quick enough. To avoid the protesters, he bought civilian clothes for the flight to Chicago.
Mark felt that with the long influx of veterans looking for work and the strong anti-military climate, it was hard to find a job. He went on a job interview and was asked if he was ex-military and if he had been to Vietnam. He said yes and they told him that they didn’t hire baby killers. In those days there were no counseling services even with the V.A. and he felt lost. He went to Arizona to pick up some personal possessions he had left with a friend and found his way back to Chicago. Needing a place to stay he said he couch surfed with family and friends. He got a job as a laborer with his best friend. When the POW’s came home in February of 1973 he asked for the day off to watch them on television. His boss said no and he was almost fired for being absent.
Mark and his future wife Kathy attended the same church and were members of its youth group. They started talking and their first official date was New Year’s Eve of 1973. They married a year and a half later. Mark was attending Illinois State University as a Psychology undergraduate and she moved there with him. He was offered a full scholarship at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, so they moved there. Mark received his bachelor’s degree in Education and then a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Kathy received her nursing degree while in Louisiana. Their oldest son was born there. Even though he said living in Shreveport were their best years, their families lived in Chicago so they moved back home.
Job hunting in 1980 was not easy and with a family to support he went to work as a canner with A.J. Canfield. He was there for a short time before he was hired at Christ Hospital as an adult addiction therapist. Mark said that he had a lot of Vietnam vets that he treated for alcohol and drug problems not just their core problem of PTSD. It was not acknowledged or treated at that time. He questioned administrators asking why there weren’t programs for that.
Mark received a master’s degree for Addiction Therapy from Governor’s State University. He worked for 45 years in this field. For the past 30 years he’s taught addiction studies programs at Moraine Valley Community College. The last 20 years in his career he’s also worked with high school adolescents in an intensive drug treatment program.
Mark and Kathy have been married 48 years. They have 4 children and 10 grandchildren who range from preschool to High School. Like many others they helped to take care of their parents. They also drive Kathy’s brother who’ s a Vietnam vet and lives in Ottawa, Illinois, to appointments at Hines Veteran Hospital in Chicago. But mostly they enjoy their time with their family. Mark is an avid safe motorcyclist but enjoys driving his grandchildren on ‘four wheels’ to their different events. They call him Grandpa Uber.
For years Mark did not go to the V.A. for any health issues because he thought there were people worse off than he. In 2016 he had open heart surgery. His doctor said it was Agent Orange related. The V.A. is now treating him for this and other connected ailments.
As a nurse, Kathy had patients that had flown on Honor Flight and loved the experience. They told her to prod Mark to apply. He did and is now looking forward to the trip. He especially wants to pay respect to the men he served with whose names are on the Vietnam Wall.